The Mental Health Solutions Study

Be well to do well: Supporting the wellbeing of young changemakers

The Mental Health Solutions Study is a global, youth-centred initiative to understand what is affecting young changemakers’ mental health, identify proven solutions and to collectively build the conditions they need to thrive.

Launching soon

The partners

The Mental Health Solutions Study is an effort by
The Possibilists & Social Shifters, in collaboration with the Schwab Foundation’s Youth and Social Innovation Initiative and the World Economic Forum

About
this study:

Young changemakers are working on some of the world’s biggest problems, from climate change to inequality. It is work they care deeply about. But many do it with little money, little support and constant pressure, while being expected to look strong. For too many, these conditions are harming their mental health.

Mental Health Solutions is a global initiative to change this. It starts from the belief that no young changemaker should have to choose between their own wellbeing and the impact they want to have. These conditions are not fixed. They can change, and the organisations that fund, support and work alongside young changemakers can be part of that change. When young changemakers are well, their work lasts longer and reaches further.

More info soon

The key
elements:

The Mental Health Solutions initiative is a collaborative effort of many of the youth social innovation ecosystem’s leading organisation, and works in three steps.

Youth-led Evidence

A Research Council of young changemakers from every world region will guide every stage of the work: the questions asked, how they are asked, and what is done with the answers. The initiative will run a global survey of young changemakers, a survey of the organisations that support them, and conversations led by young changemakers with their peers in their own regions and languages. Together, these will give the fullest global picture yet of what young changemakers experience, what helps, and what is missing.

Shared Conversations

Young changemakers will come together with funders, support organisations and others who shape the conditions they work in, to understand what the evidence shows, agree what needs to change, and design practical solutions, building on those young changemakers have already created.

Collective Action

The findings and solutions will be published in a global report launched with the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, the Possibilists & Social Shifters, followed by an agenda for action agreed with the organisations best placed to deliver it. The report is the beginning, not the end.

Setting the context: Why this iniative is needed

Approximately 2.5 billion people are between the ages of 15-34 across the world*. This equates to around 30% of the global population.

They are winning Nobel Peace prizes, and mobilizing movements around the climate crisis in ways that put global leaders to shame. They are voting in record numbers, volunteering, showing up for their communities, leading powerful movements against corrupt systems, and are choosing purpose over paychecks. They are taking real action, and it’s time to take them seriously.

* Source: UN DESA, World Population Highlights 2026 & UN World Population Prospects 2024. Numbers are estimates.

Jo Bautista

SendtoGive, Philippines

Alhassan Baba Muniru

Recycle Up!, Ghana

Mikellena Nettos

THE CLIMATE REALITY PROJECT CANADA, Canada

Avina Ajit

RIO, India

Jan Stassen

Museum of Values, Germany

Bipana Dhakal

The Learning Fortress, Nepal

Janet Aguti

Totya Platform, Uganda

Sazzad Hossein

SDI Academy, Singapore

Vera Günther

Mimycri, Germany

What Drives Young Changemakers

When asked to identify their top three personal motivators for developing their initiatives, changemakers share the following:

A strong sense of collective purpose drives young changemakers. The top motivator, reported by 64%, is the desire to empower others to become changemakers themselves — highlighting the ripple effect of impact. Additionally, 59% are motivated by a commitment to addressing urgent global challenges, while 45% are driven by the goal of supporting their local communities. This reflects a generation that truly embodies the “think global, act local” mindset.

Source: The Possibilists Report 2025

Participants in the 2025 Possibilsts Study could choose up to three main motivators for their work, including the following options:

– To develop my own employment opportunities
– Personally affected by the issue
– Someone close to me is/was affected (e.g., family, friends, local community)
– My community is/was affected
– To support my community
– To address urgent global issues (e.g., climate change, inequality)
– To advocate for disadvantaged groups and influence policies
– To empower others (youth or target groups) for changemaking

– Other
– please specify

What Young Changemakers Are Working On

The 2025 Possibilists Study asked changemakers to consider their work within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework, turns out young social innovators are primarily focused on addressing some of humanity’s most pressing issues: education, climate change, and good health and wellbeing.

When compared to the 2023 report, SDG 4 (Quality Education) remains the top focus area in the 2025 Possibilists Report, holding steady at 37.8%, down slightly from 39.2% in 2023. SDG 13 (Climate Action) retains its second position, with its percentage rising from 30.9% in 2023 to 34.6% in 2025, reflecting continued urgency and growing awareness around climate change. SDG 5 (Gender Equality) has dropped by 6.8 percentage points, losing its position as the third priority, while SDG 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing) has moved back into the third key focus area, which it lost in 2023, at 22.9%.

SDG 4

Quality education

37.8%

SDG 13

Climate action

34.6%

SDG 3

Good health and wellbeing

22.9%

Distribution across SDGs

They work for the good of all, yet Burnout Is A Persistent Challenge

In the 2025 Possibilists Study one in three changemakers (33.1%) report experiencing some form of burnout, up from one in four (26.4%) in 2023. The proportion of those facing the most severe form, those who question whether they can continue and say they need help, has also increased, rising from 5.8% to an alarming 9.7%. These figures are deeply concerning, especially given that those experiencing the highest levels of burnout may be less likely to participate in surveys at all.

The Gender Burnout Gap:

35.8% of females in the 2025 Possibilists Report experience burnout compared to 24.3 males, suggesting a pretty significant gender gap. And while 32.7% of males reported enjoying their work and experiencing no symptoms of burnout, only 18.3% of females said the same.

Note: While the data points to a potential rise in burnout, it’s important to consider that changes in the survey tool over time may affect comparability. Although the question has remained largely consistent, elements like a dropdown definition of burnout in the latest version could influence how participants interpret and respond.

By Year

Case Studies

Mental Health And Managing Stress

Yusuf Munna

Reflective Teens - RT

Bangladesh

There’s a misconception that entrepreneurship is about excitement and freedom — but truthfully, it comes with an intense emotional burden. Unlike a regular job, there’s no job description, no defined hours, and often, no one else to fall back on.

There’s a misconception that entrepreneurship is about excitement and freedom—but truthfully, it comes with an intense emotional burden. Unlike a regular job, there’s no job description, no defined hours, and often, no one else to fall back on.

I’ve had moments where we had just a month’s worth of runway left for the organization. The thought of letting go of people I deeply care about — people who have stood by the mission through thick and thin — was crushing. And yet, on the outside, I had to maintain calm, motivate the team, and keep things moving as if everything was perfectly fine.

What helped me through those tough moments was journaling. It’s a quiet space where I reflect, process my emotions, and remind myself: “Yusuf, you’ve made it through worse. You’ll make it again.” That inner dialogue, that resilience, is what kept me going.

What could’ve helped? Perhaps a more open culture around mental health for entrepreneurs. Sometimes just knowing that you’re not alone in these struggles is half the battle.

The stresses of changemaking

Mirabelle Mora

Location

Nigeria

Initiative

BlankPaperz Media

BlankPaperz Media supports and amplifies the voices and stories of young writers, “artivists”, social entrepreneurs and advocates who use their words, projects and initiatives to address or offer solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.

What has been one of your greatest challenges?

“When I was an undergrad it was really hard for me to tell people “no.” I was managing BlankPaperz, pursuing my studies, volunteering at different places, traveling around the world and speaking at different conferences. I also had my own personal life and I always wanted to jump on new exciting opportunities and explore so much. I feel fortunate to have had those experiences, but on many occasions I broke down and fell very ill. There was also a lot of mental stress. I had to learn how to balance and prioritize my life. I was between 16 and 20 years old when all of this was happening.”

Juggling responsibilities

Najla Vallander

Zero Waste Palestine

Palestine and Sweden

Location

Palestine and Sweden

Initiative

Zero Waste Palestine

Zero Waste Palestine is an initiative that sheds light on environmental-related issues and promotes sustainable and waste-free practices for Palestinian and Middle Eastern households. We aim to create a movement of positive change for the planet and make environmental actions accessible and engaging, especially in contexts where this issue is deprioritized.

Your work has great impact, but you can’t fully focus on it – how do you cope with that?

“For the last five years, I have juggled a full-time job in addition to working on my initiative. I recently quit my paid job because I couldn’t do two things at the same time without it affecting my well-being. I have been on the verge of burnout twice, and that has made me very cautious in my current daily life. I am always moving between many different projects and tasks related to my venture – I do that because I’m trying to figure out a sustainable source of income that I can rely on. Trying out a lot of things simultaneously feels like the only way that I’ll be able to figure things out – and for financial reasons, I need to do that quickly.”

The Research
Council:

Twelve young changemakers from every world region will guide every stage of the study: the questions we ask, how we ask them, and what we do with the answers. Council members actively shape the research, interpret the findings and help set the agenda for action.

The Council Members

Helene Wittek

Dare2Care

Germany

Helene Wittek is a German-Georgian changemaker based in Berlin and the founder of Dare2Care, an NGO working to transform education. She is passionate about creating a school system that not only supports young people academically, but also helps them build strong social connections, develop emotional skills, and thrive in their mental health. Helene studied Psychology at the University of Lübeck and „Education Leadership, Organisations and Entrepreneurship“ at Harvard University.

Mawuse Christina Gyisun

Vitara

Ghana

Mawuse Christina Gyisun is the co-founder of Sommalife, now Vitara, a Ghana-based company using technology to transform agricultural value chains and improve market access for smallholder farmers, particularly women in the shea industry. She is a Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 and a 2023 Top 10 Africa’s Business Heroes finalist. She is recognised for her work advancing rural livelihoods, women’s economic empowerment and sustainable agriculture.

Dr. Meghana Rao Nadella

PRIDaILY

UK / India

Meghana is the founder of PRIDalLY, an LGBTQIA+ inclusive health and wellbeing platform, and co-founder of PROBr, which helps make research participation more accessible and representative. With a background in pharmacy and psychology, she works in NHS and supports people through mental health coaching and crisis volunteering. She is an NHS Clinical Entrepreneur. Drawing on her experience as an Indian woman and migrant entrepreneur, Meghana brings together clinical knowledge, community voices and technology to address inequalities in healthcare and strengthen access to mental health support.

Bipana Dhakal

The Learning Fortress

Nepal

Bipana Dhakal is a Nepali youth advocate, development practitioner, and Founder & CEO of The Learning Fortress, a community-rooted initiative creating non-formal learning opportunities for children and young people in underserved communities. Her work connects education, youth participation, and community-led development, with a focus on bringing grassroots voices into decision-making. She serves as a Youth Advisor at Comic Relief US, Youth Council Member at The Possibilists and is a Global Fellows in Courage Fellow.

Venancio Conuepan

Impacto Indigena

Chile

Venancio is a founding partner of the global platform Impacto Indigena, a social enterprise and foundation that seeks to drive a narrative shift from considering Indigenous Peoples as mere vulnerable groups to empowering them to be full partners in climate action, sustainable development and peace building.

Anusha Vyas

EcoERA

India

Anusha Vyas is a purpose-driven environmental sustainability and climate innovator and the Founder of EcoERA, inspired by nature to create solutions that work in harmony with it. Through EcoERA, she is developing next-generation, seaweed- and agricultural-residue-based circular materials to address plastic pollution and resource challenges - a solution from nature, for nature that advances the circular and blue economies. Committed to community-centred innovation, she aims to align environmental responsibility with inclusive economic opportunities, contributing to a more sustainable and equitable future.

Claudia Radu

Circe

United Kingdom

Claudia is the co-founder of Circe, the UK's first social therapy platform, built on the belief that therapy is done better together. Circe hosts online therapy groups that make mental healthcare more accessible and rooted in human connection. Prior to Circe, she was a founding team member at both Unrest and WEALTH, where she helped build thriving communities for impact founders.

Rawan Al-Mujaini

Clinical Psychologist

Oman

Rawan is a Clinical Psychologist from Oman with experience working across mental health services in Oman and the UK. She currently works in psycho-oncology and is passionate about making mental health care more accessible, inclusive and culturally responsive. Her interests include research exploring cross-cultural differences in mental health challenges and access to support. As an alumna and former curator of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Muscat Hub, she has also been involved in initiatives focused on mental health awareness, youth empowerment, and social impact. She believes in the importance of amplifying young people’s voices and creating meaningful change within communities.

About
The Possibilists:

The Possibilists is a global alliance committed to improving the lives of young changemakers. We run scientific studies to explore the impact, challenges and needs of young changemakers, and then launch collective action initiatives to create more supportive conditions for them and their initiatives to thrive.

Currently the global alliance includes 21 global organisations and around 250 local and regional networks for youth social innovation, making it one of the largest network for youth led innovation globally:

The Possibilists Alliance

Academic Partner:

Kindly supported by:

Design & code by:

The Way Forward

Young changemakers are willing to take on the world’s greatest challenges to create a better future, but they can’t do it alone.

Ssekitto Kalule Emmanuel

Faces Up Uganda

Uganda

"The present and the future of humanity lies in the hands of changemakers. The ones that are bold to stand up and do something because it’s through doing something and taking action, that we come up with solutions that address some of the world's most pressing needs of our times."

Marcela de Anda

Psigo

Mexico

"In Mexico we say “poner tu granito de arena”, which means that with your actions, you are contributing with a little grain of sand to build up a beautiful beach altogether. I believe that the more changemakers we are, the more we believe in our projects, the more we support each other to make them sustainable and make them grow, the more people will see social entrepreneurship as not just work, but a way of life."

Jan Stassen

Museum of Values

Germany

I hope that we are just the “early adopters”. My hope would be that all of us develop the ambition to co-shape the future. The future doesn’t happen to us, we are active agents and co-pilots on this massive and beautiful planet that we call home. So, I’m playing my part in co-shaping and hope more people will, too.

Namrata Tiwari

ITS ALL FOLK

India

"Personally for me working with the grassroots communities from a very early age has built my character and kept me rooted. Change is such a slow process, but a single visit to the community puts everything in perspective for me. You realise the stakes are high when it's not just about you. When you know you are contributing to something bigger than yourself, even a drop in the ocean counts!"

Rogers Omollo

Activate Action

Kenya

"I have a deep interest in meaningful and ethical youth engagement in policy making, especially on matters which affect vulnerable young people. I hope to play an important role in the future in championing a people-centred approach to addressing community needs such as poverty, diseases and education."

Maria Clara Magalhaes

Be.Labs

Recife/Brazil

“To reach my desirable 2030 future, I must act now. The future has been entrusted to me, I need to be bold and bright. If not now, when? I do all my projects because someone needs to do it. If not me, who?”

Alhassan Baba Muniru

Recycle Up!

Ghana

“We have colonised the earth and we see ourselves as separate from nature - and hence we also deny climate change. These are the things that keep me up at night. I hope that our generation will be able to change some of this for the better.”

Rashida Namulondo

The Sophie Muwanika Institute of Art for Change

Uganda

“I think we are pace setters, our job is to challenge certain things and the status quo. I believe sometimes as changemakers we may not live to see the change we strive for. Simply because our work is bigger than us.”

Mental Health SolutionsStudy

Be well to do well: Supporting the wellbeing of young changemakers

The partners

About this study:

The key elements:

Setting the context: Why this iniative is needed

What Drives Young Changemakers

When asked to identify their top three personal motivators for developing their initiatives, changemakers share the following:

What Young Changemakers Are Working On

Distribution across SDGs

Distribution across SDGs

They work for the good of all, yet Burnout Is A Persistent Challenge

Year

The Gender Burnout Gap:

Year

Mental Health And Managing Stress

The stresses of changemaking

Location

Initiative

Juggling responsibilities

Location

Initiative

The Research Council:

The Council Members

About The Possibilists:

The Possibilists Alliance

The Way Forward

Newsletter

Mental Health Solutions
Study

About
this study:

The key
elements:

The Research
Council:

About
The Possibilists: