Mental Health and Wellness: A National Priority for Youth in 2025

Senator Isalean Phillip speaking on youth mental health

Basseterre, St. Kitts – The Department of Youth Empowerment is set to amplify its mental health awareness campaign in 2025, following the successful observance of Youth Month 2024, which emphasized the theme “Mental Health Matters for Youth Development and Sustainability.”

Minister of State for Youth Empowerment, Senator the Honourable Isalean Phillip, addressed the issue during the 2025 Budget Debate on December 17, 2024, reflecting on the recent celebrations that focused on prioritizing mental health among young people. She highlighted that mental health is increasingly a topic of concern among the youth.

‘It’s an area that they bring up in conversations, and I think that we should be concerned because they are concerned about it,’ Minister Phillip expressed.

The senator raised alarm over the mental health challenges facing many young individuals in St. Kitts and Nevis, noting rising feelings of trauma, anger, and depression, alongside anxiety regarding their futures and financial independence.

She elaborated on the burdens faced by today’s youth, saying, ‘Our young people are not isolated, they know what’s happening and they are also experiencing their own bouts of depression, their own bouts of anxiety, their own fears.’ Despite these challenges, Senator Phillip acknowledged the positive attributes exhibited by some young leaders who serve as role models within their communities.

During her address, Senator Phillip presented concerning statistics from the Department of Probation and Child Protection Services, reporting 177 cases related to child protection, which included incidents of neglect, abuse, and suicidal thoughts.

In response to these alarming figures, she called for an all-of-society approach to support and protect the youth, stating, ‘We have traumatised children become angry adolescents, angry adolescents becoming delinquent juveniles and delinquent juveniles becoming adult criminals.’ She stressed the importance of community collaboration in tackling violence and social problems affecting the youth.

Senator Phillip assured the audience of her ministry’s commitment to actively engaging the nation’s youth in meaningful activities throughout the coming year, reinforcing the message that mental health and well-being remain a top priority in St. Kitts and Nevis.