Limpopo Premier Dr. Phophi Ramathuba delivered a keynote address during the official launch of The Safe Heaven Youth-Centered Mental Health Initiative Programme (SHYCMHIP) at Fusion Boutique Hotel in Polokwane, Capricorn District on Saturday 10 October 2026. <\/p>\n
Mental health is key to overall well-being for young people aged 10 to 24, it\u2019s even more critical with notable rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among young people worldwide are rising at an alarming rate. <\/p>\n
Globally, one in seven 10-19-year-olds experiences a mental disorder, accounting for 15% of the global burden of disease in this age group as depression, anxiety and behavioral disorders are among the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents.<\/p>\n
Founded in 2026 by an enthusiastic young woman, Didi Lebea, Haven seeks to find safe spaces for young people to freely express themselves about mental health issues and life challenges in general. <\/p>\n
After the launch, Haven plans to visit various schools around the Polokwane Municipality to engage and capacitate learners about mental health issues and how to handle life challenges.<\/p>\n
Premier Dr. Ramathuba has commended Safe Haven for placing young people at the core of mental health awareness and support as she encouraged the initiative to continue building bridges between young people, mental health professionals, families, schools and communities.<\/p>\n
Dr. Ramathuba also highlighted the significance of Safe Haven initiative, citing that haven must be more than a name but a place where young people feel seen, heard, respected and supported. <\/p>\n
She further encouraged young people battling mental health to be courageous and seek professional help to triumph against this stigma.
\n\u201cLet us be clear, experiencing mental health challenges does not make you weak. It makes you human. Asking for help is not a sign of failure; it is an act of courage. And seeking professional support should never be a source of shame. To every young person here today, please understand this, you do not have to carry every burden alone. You do not have to pretend to be okay when you are not. Your circumstances do not define your worth, and your current struggles do not determine your entire future.\u201d Dr. Ramathuba said
\nDefeating the Mental health stigma cannot be the responsibility of one organization exclusively. <\/p>\n
Premier Dr. Ramathuba then called on parents to create homes where children can communicate without fear, teachers to recognize when learners are struggling, friends to listen without being judgmental, communities to challenge stigma and government to continue strengthening access to appropriate mental health services.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet us build a generation that understands that strength is not measured by how much pain we can hide, but by our willingness to confront challenges and support one another. Equally important, we must connect mental wellness with youth empowerment. A young person who is mentally supported is better positioned to learn, innovate, pursue opportunities and contribute meaningfully to society. Education, skills development, employment opportunities and entrepreneurship must go hand in hand with psychosocial support.\u201d Dr. Ramathuba urged <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Limpopo Premier Dr. Phophi Ramathuba delivered a keynote address during the official launch of The Safe Heaven Youth-Centered Mental Health Initiative Programme (SHYCMHIP) at Fusion Boutique Hotel in Polokwane, Capricorn District on Saturday 10 October 2026. Mental health is key to overall well-being for young people aged 10 to 24, it\u2019s even more critical with notable rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among young people worldwide are rising at an alarming rate. Globally, one in seven 10-19-year-olds experiences a mental disorder, accounting for 15% of the global burden of disease in this age group as depression, anxiety and behavioral disorders\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":4}},"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":"","bsk-pdf-dashboard-list-thumbnail":""},"post_excerpt_stackable":"
Limpopo Premier Dr. Phophi Ramathuba delivered a keynote address during the official launch of The Safe Heaven Youth-Centered Mental Health Initiative Programme (SHYCMHIP) at Fusion Boutique Hotel in Polokwane, Capricorn District on Saturday 10 October 2026. Mental health is key to overall well-being for young people aged 10 to 24, it\u2019s even more critical with notable rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among young people worldwide are rising at an alarming rate. Globally, one in seven 10-19-year-olds experiences a mental disorder, accounting for 15% of the global burden of disease in this age group as depression, anxiety and behavioral disorders…<\/p>\n","category_list":"News<\/a>","author_info":{"name":"Maano Nekhavhambe","url":"https:\/\/www.limpopo.gov.za\/?author=7"},"comments_num":"0 comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.limpopo.gov.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9653"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.limpopo.gov.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.limpopo.gov.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.limpopo.gov.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.limpopo.gov.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9653"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.limpopo.gov.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9653\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9654,"href":"https:\/\/www.limpopo.gov.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9653\/revisions\/9654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.limpopo.gov.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.limpopo.gov.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.limpopo.gov.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}