At WorldBeing, Kate Leventhal focuses on helping children lead thriving lives by starting from the inside out. The organization works with government education systems to integrate mental health and wellbeing programming into schools so that wellbeing support, education, and promotion become a standard part of what students receive. Most of this work takes place in middle schools, with programs in India, Kenya, and Rwanda.

Leventhal notes that awareness of youth mental health has grown over the past fifteen years, but many decision makers still feel unsure how to respond. She describes a “feeling of almost helplessness” among those who see the problem but do not yet have the tools to address it. She compares this stage to the early years of the girls’ education movement, when awareness preceded strategy, but eventually led to coordinated progress.

WorldBeing’s approach includes:

• Working with education departments to build mental health and wellbeing programming into existing systems.
• Partnering with organizations such as Basic Needs in Kenya and Wellspring Foundation for Education in Rwanda.
• Running Youth First, a weekly program in schools that helps students explore identity, emotions, strengths, and relationships.

The organization’s work has helped students strengthen relationships with peers and teachers and build greater self-awareness. In Rwanda, a student who once felt isolated and angry began to find connection and motivation through the program, while girls in India have used the same approach to find inner confidence in facing challenges such as early marriage.

Leventhal identifies one major challenge: translating school-based programs into government systems that are large and complex. Ministries of education prefer to co-create rather than adopt ready-made programs, requiring a longer process of collaboration and adaptation.