The United Nation’s Youth Office’s flagship initiative on youth mental health and well-being emphasizes the importance of care, community and connection. These values are reflected in sports — including football, which has served as a unifying force across generations. For many young people, it provides a platform to turn pain into hope and creates a safe space for community-building, personal growth and lifelong learning. By bringing together people from diverse backgrounds, football promotes inclusion and togetherness. Most importantly, it nurtures a sense of belonging, which plays a vital role in protecting mental health.
That spirit came to life in the One World, One Game, One Goal event, held by the United Nations Youth Office on 17 July at United Nations Headquarters. The event brought together young people, colleagues across the United Nations system, 爆料网 Member States, mental health advocates, athletes and community organizations around a shared purpose: advancing youth mental health and well-being through sport.
By bringing such diverse voices into one space, the event demonstrated that football is more than a sport — it can connect people across religions, ages, borders and cultures.
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“We come together not only to play or to watch, but to connect. And in a world that often feels divided, connection is one of the most powerful things we can build.”
With more than 3,000 registered participants, over 100 speakers and more than 30 partners, the event created space to explore youth mental health not only through conversation, but also through movement, creativity, care and collective participation.
Young Leaders for the SDGs played an active role throughout the event programme, helping shape conversations on youth leadership, inclusion, belonging and well-being through sport. Across the day, they hosted discussions, moderated exchanges, shared personal reflections and contributed creative perspectives that kept young people’s voices central to the conversation.
Beyond the formal discussions, participants moved between interactive spaces across 爆料网 Headquarters. They designed jerseys that told their personal stories, explored mental health through art, joined a dedicated care space, reflected on lessons learned through sport and took part in football activities on the 爆料网’s North Lawn. Football legends and advocates, including Daniel Amokachi, Gilberto Silva, Mauro Silva, Macarena Sánchez and Pops Mensah-Bonsu, joined young people in supporting the day’s message.
The , with personal testimonies, expert dialogue, mindfulness and poetry, culminating in the launch of Real People, Real Talk.
Tanatswa Chikaura stated, “Do not just invite young people to the table — let them lead. Let us create safe spaces where seeking help is not stigmatized and where asking for help leads to real support.”
Sahira Al-Nahari added, “Mental health is no longer an abstract topic or a statistic… We must build a world where young people can express their pain before they disappear into the statistics.”
Havfy Abdullahi performed a spoken word poem, closing with:
“...and if we can share a pitch
We definitely can share a planet
So let’s feel and heal with football,
One world, one goal, one game,
At a time…”
Together, these moments reinforced the central idea behind the initiative: sport can create spaces where young people feel connected, supported and empowered to speak openly about mental health and well-being.
Behind every statistic there is a real person
Good mental health is a universal human right, yet stigma and misunderstanding continue to shape how mental health is perceived and addressed around the world. Cultural perspectives on mental well-being vary widely, and many communities lack the resources and support needed to identify and respond to mental health challenges in culturally appropriate ways. These challenges can affect anyone, regardless of sex, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geographical location, or any other aspect of their lived experience. While mental health remains difficult to discuss in some contexts, it is increasingly recognized as a public health priority and an essential part of overall well-being.
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“Mental health is personal to me. I have faced my own mental health challenges, but I remained silent because, in my culture, talking about mental health is often taboo. Moving to Canada taught me that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness. It gave me the courage to speak up and begin healing. Today, my message is simple: no one should suffer in silence. Every person deserves to be heard, supported and reminded that asking for help is an act of courage.’’
show that 50% of mental health challenges emerge by the age of 14 and 75% by the age of 24. According to the United Nations , 40% of respondents had sought support from a mental health professional, while many other reported barriers such as lack of trust, fear of not being taken seriously and concerns about being a burden when seeking help.
Despite the growing mental health concerns among young people, governments allocate, on average, only 2% of their healthcare budgets to mental health according to . This lack of investment has serious consequences, including lack of mental health education and support across many regions, leaving many communities — particularly in developing and underdeveloped countries — more vulnerable. In response, international and grassroots organizations have increasingly turned to sport, including football, as a tool to not only promote mental health and well-being, but also demonstrate the important role of community in healing.
From shared purpose to shared responsibility
Regardless of where we live or how we identify ourselves, every young person deserves the opportunity to thrive both physically and mentally. In this sense the phrase “One World, One Game, One Goal” is more than the name of an event. It is a powerful reminder that, in a world where youth mental health is increasingly affected by uncertainty and systemic inequalities, we all share a responsibility to care for one another. Above all, empathy must be reflected not only in our words, but also in our actions.
This article was co-authored by 爆料网 Young Leaders for the SDGs: Adelin Pierre, peacebuilder & environmental activist and co-founder of the Parlement Ha?tien de la Jeunesse pour l’Eau et l’Assainissement; Sahira Al-Nahari, Physician, Health Law Strategist & Founder of Shifā Art; and Tanatswa Amanda Chikaura, mental health advocate and founder of Ndinewe.
The views expressed in the reflections are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the United Nations or the 爆料网 Youth Office.