Girl Up’s new Global Mental Health First Aid Toolkit helps young people build cultures of care within their friendships, communities, and movements.
Young people around the world are showing up for their communities in extraordinary ways. They’re organizing protests, advocating for their rights, speaking out against injustice, and working toward a more equitable future.
But showing up for the world can take a toll.
When the news feels relentless, the issues we’re fighting for are deeply personal, and meaningful change can feel frustratingly slow, it’s easy to become overwhelmed or emotionally exhausted. For young activists especially, the pressure to keep going, keep speaking out, and keep making a difference can be difficult to navigate.
And often, it’s not just our own mental health we’re worried about. It’s our friends, fellow advocates, and community members, too.
What do you say when someone in your community is struggling? How can you tell when a friend needs more support than you can give? And how do we create spaces where caring for one another is just as important as the work we’re doing together?
These questions get at something we believe deeply at Girl Up: Building movements for change also means building cultures of care.
That’s why we’re excited to introduce our new Global Mental Health First Aid Toolkit, a free, youth-created resource designed to help young people recognize mental health challenges, navigate difficult conversations, and better support the people around them.
Moving Beyond Self-Care to Collective Care
Conversations about activist burnout often focus on individual self-care: taking breaks, setting boundaries, disconnecting from social media, and making time to recharge.
These practices are important. But caring for ourselves is only one part of sustaining the communities and movements we’re building.
We also need to know how to show up for one another.
That might mean checking in on a fellow activist who’s feeling overwhelmed, listening to a friend who’s struggling with their mental health, or recognizing when someone needs additional support beyond what we can offer.
It means creating communities where people feel comfortable asking for help, where mental health challenges aren’t met with judgment, and where no one feels they have to carry the weight of the world alone.
And it means understanding that being a supportive friend or fellow advocate doesn’t require having all the answers.
A Toolkit Created by Youth, for Youth
Girl Up’s Global Mental Health First Aid Toolkit was developed by three members of our Global Mental Health & Wellness Youth Advisory Committee – Eylül, Gabriela, Olamide – as their final project.
Drawing on their experiences, perspectives, and learnings from the committee, these youth leaders worked to create something practical and accessible for their peers. The toolkit was reviewed by mental health expert Kate Keisel of Cambium Clinical and builds on the internationally recognized Mental Health First Aid ALGEE action plan.
The result is a resource designed for real-life situations, giving young people tools to recognize when someone may be struggling, approach difficult conversations with compassion, and understand when and how to seek additional help.
Inside the toolkit, you’ll find:
- Conversation guides to help you approach someone who may be struggling and listen without judgment.
- Real-life scenarios that demonstrate how to respond to different mental health challenges.
- Guidance for crisis situations, including when and how to involve a trusted adult or professional.
- Global helplines and support networks to help young people find resources in their own communities.
- A one-page quick-reference guide to return to whenever you need it.
Just as importantly, the toolkit recognizes that supporting someone doesn’t mean taking responsibility for their mental health. Peer support is not a substitute for professional care, and knowing your own limits and boundaries is part of caring for others and yourself.
Stronger Movements Start with Stronger Communities
At Girl Up, we believe young people have the power to create lasting change. But we also know that building a more just and equitable world is not easy work, and young leaders shouldn’t have to sacrifice their own well-being in the process.
A culture of care doesn’t mean we stop advocating, organizing, or confronting difficult realities. It means we recognize that the people doing this work matter just as much as the causes they’re fighting for.
It means making space for vulnerability alongside courage, rest alongside action, and compassion alongside determination.
And it means equipping young people not only with the skills to lead change, but also with the tools to support one another along the way.
Whether you’re a Girl Up Club leader, a youth activist, or simply someone who wants to be there for a friend, we hope this toolkit becomes a resource you can turn to again and again.
Because caring for each other isn’t separate from changing the world. It’s part of how we do it.
Explore and download Girl Up’s Global Mental Health First Aid Toolkit
You can also explore more resources on Girl Up’s Global Mental Health & Wellness hub.
