Research from the INSPIRE and SUMMIT projects was presented at the Bold Ideas for Brighter Futures 2026 conference (18–20 May, Cape Town), the 2nd Global Conference on Child and Adolescent Mental Health co-hosted by Stellenbosch University, Karolinska Institutet, and UNICEF, which convened over 350 researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and youth advocates from around the world.
Three presentations from the Design in Mental Health Lab (King’s College London), ICRH-Mozambique, and Aga KhanUniversity – East Africa showcased findings from across the two programmes, spanning co-design methods, pilot trial results, and toolkit development.
Margrette Hanselmann (Aga Khan University – East Africa) reported results from a pilot randomised controlled trial of the Thriving Mamas Programme. Adolescents receiving the nine-session antenatal programme were more likely to experience reductions in depression and anxiety and described the programme as giving them hope for their futures. The intervention was rated as highly feasible, acceptable and appropriate by adolescents, their families and friends, and providers.
Fernando Chissale (ICRH-Mozambique) described the strengths and challenges of applying co-design methods with 240 adolescents and stakeholders across both countries. While participation was strong and girls grew in confidence and agency throughout the project, challenges included recruiting representative samples and ensuring equitable decision-making.
Dr Tatiana Taylor Salisbury (Centre for Global Mental Health, KCL) presented a prototype of a co-designed operational toolkit — developed with young people in Kenya and Mozambique — to support meaningful youth partnership in mental health intervention development and delivery.
The research is funded by Dr Salisbury’s UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship. For more information, visit www.designinmh.com.
