Tuesday 10 March 2026 | 15:15-16:15
Stream: Populations
Session format: Workshop
Session chair: Kashif Waqar Faiz Akershus University Hospital; Norway

Across Europe and beyond, people with mental health challenges - whether young people seeking timely support or adults living with severe mental illness - often fall between fragmented services. The consequences are profound: lost opportunities, worsening health, and premature death. This session showcases two pioneering approaches that break down silos and build new bridges. Ung Arena+ in Norway demonstrates how youth and professionals can co-create low-threshold, stigma-free services, while North London shows how a whole-system, data-driven strategy can reduce early mortality in severe mental illness. Together, they highlight principles for reimagining mental health systems through collaboration, co-production, and equity.

Part 1 - Ung Arena+: bridging silos to build low-threshold, youth-centered mental health services

Young people are falling between service gaps in mental health systems worldwide. Mental health and social difficulties among young people, such as depression, anxiety, school dropout and early disability pensions, have increased significantly in recent years. This trend creates considerable challenges and imposes significant societal costs. Together with the youth, we have connected services and taken the youth perspective. For us this means to move from what’s the matter to what matters to you?
Ung Arena+ is a groundbreaking collaborative model bringing together municipal services, specialist mental health care, and voluntary organizations to deliver low-threshold, co-designed mental health support for all youth aged 13–25. Co-created with users from the bottom up, this center offers timely, flexible, and stigma-free help without referrals or bureaucracy. Attendees will learn how shared ownership, peer support, and interdisciplinary teamwork can transform fragmented systems into a united force for youth wellbeing.

Kari Seierstad Tönsberg Municipality, Ung; Norway 
Aurora Kvifte Youth with Lived Experience; Norway 
Hilde Tafjord Tönsberg Municipality, Ung; Norway