Parth Sharma

He/they |

Lived Experience, Systemic Trauma, Liberation Therapy, Health Equity

Parth Sharma is a decolonial researcher, liberation therapist and culture worker specialising in providing psychotherapy to survivors of systemic violence. As a researcher he works at the intersections of health equity, policy reform and resistance praxis. Parth holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism, Psychology, and English, a Master's in Clinical Psychology, and an International Diploma in Mental Health, Human Rights, and Law.

“We need collective liberation to heal from the harm of systemic violence.”


Parth is the founder of T&F India (a volunteer driven lived experience youth coalition) and a core member of Bystanders No More (a multinational human rights volunteer initiative). His advocacy for human rights extends to print media publications for The Hindu, The Palestine Chronicle and Analyst News among others.

As a youth leader, Parth champions the cause of disability rights and mental health activism at an international level as a global advisor and consultant with organisations like Sangath India, the Global Mental Health Peer Network, King's College London and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Dr. Harshitha Umesh

she/her |

Medical Doctor, Founder of Vaada and a Mental Health, SRHR and Climate Change Advocate

Dr. Harshita Umesh, a 24 year old, Founder, Vaada Hope Foundation. A former Youth Policy Champion for SRHR with the Youth Ke Bol Coalition at UNICEF India. A research enthusiast, she serves as a youth advisor to the Children, Cities and Climate Action Lab at the London School of Health and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

A certified public health and disaster medicine trainer, she is a strong advocate for mental health, SRHR and climate change and has been a delegate and speaker at numerous UN conferences:

  • Groundwater as a Key to Sustainable Development Goals conference,

  • UN Water Conference,

  • 7th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDDR),

  • Global Forum for Adolescents (GFA),

  • Regional Committee Meetings (RC74 and 76) of WHO SEARO,

  • COP28,

  • Commission on Status of Women (CSW68)

  • and SB60.

Hitesh Sanwal

He/him |

Founder & CEO at Youth For Mental Health | Chairperson, Youth Section at World Federation for Mental Health

Hitesh Sanwal is the Founder and CEO of Youth for Mental Health, India’s leading youth-led organisation working for the advancement of mental health with creative and impactful endeavours at national and global fronts. Youth for Mental Health has been working upon national and global mental health initiatives in collaboration with several leading organizations and campuses across India. 


Hitesh has also been working with the World Federation for Mental Health, the Founders of World Mental Health Day, earlier as the Advisor to the Secretary-General for Youth and Communications, and currently as the Chairperson of the Youth Section, playing an instrumental role behind the success of the WFMH Global Campaigns organised with the Official Partners of WFMH, World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, Decca Records US and many more. He is also working as the Co-Investigator for Lived Experiences on METROPOLIS - one of the world’s largest clinical trials implemented by King’s College London and Sangath. 


Moved by his own experiences of mental health concerns, over the last ten years, Hitesh has been working on diverse on-ground and digital mental health projects at the national and global fronts - reaching out to young people across the world.  

Hajira

she/her |

Public Speaker, Writer, Content Creator and an Advocate for Gender Equity, Mental health and SRHR

Mehak is a passionate young change-maker and fervent advocate for gender equity, mental health, and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). She has served as a Youth Advisor with the Young People Action team of YuWaah UNICEF, where she actively contributed to youth-centered policies and initiatives. As a Mental Health and Gender Equity Champion during her engagement with UNICEF, Mehak led several grassroots-level projects to promote mental health awareness within her community.

She has also played a key role as a Youth Policy Champion in the Youth Ke Bol coalition, a collaboration between Dasra, YuWaah, and UNICEF, aimed at advancing SRHR awareness among 1 million young people across India. Mehak spearheaded a Social Action Project on Comprehensive Sexuality Education, successfully engaging over 75+ youngsters from her community in vital conversations around SRHR.

Additionally, Mehak has worked on a personal project focusing on the impact of Unhealthy parenting and Toxic upbringing, advocating for children and young people affected by narcissistic parenting or parental abuse. Through the Volship Fellowship, she amplified this project by conducting interviews with psychologists and psychiatrists, creating a safe space for young victims of parental abuse to share their experiences.

Beyond her advocacy, Mehak co-creates content for UNICEF and participates in discussions and debates on critical social issues. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor's in Business Administration and is working on a research paper with IIT Madras, exploring the intersection of Marital Rape, SRHR and digital empowerment. Mehak also serves as a Youth Advisor for Pravah, where she continues to push for systemic change in the areas of SRHR and mental health advocacy.

Mehak is also a recognised as a LinkedIn top voice for Public Speaking and Social work and she's also nominated for the Diana award!