World Mental Health Day 2026 This Is My Story: There Is Strength in Vulnerability
By Felicia Goosen
Today, 10 October, we celebrate how far we have come in advocating for youth mental health, while recognising that there is still much work to be done.
For FG Wellness Life Foundation our partner in our 'You are not alone campaign' , this work is about more than raising awareness. It is about creating spaces where young people feel safe enough to speak, where their experiences are taken seriously, and where conversations can become pathways to support.
Today, we commemorated World Mental Health Day through our "This Is My Story: There Is Strength in Vulnerability” Youth Mental Health Dialogue , bringing together young voices, lived experiences, faith, professional insight and honest conversations about what it really means to be vulnerable. We opened the dialogue with a simple invitation:
“My story has taught me…”.
Every person has a story. Some parts we share easily. Others we hide because they carry pain, disappointment, rejection, fear or shame. Sometimes we become so accustomed to appearing strong that we struggle to acknowledge what is really happening within us.
I shared that vulnerability became the first step towards freedom in my own journey. Before I could be vulnerable with other people, I needed to become honest with myself about how I really felt, what had happened to me and what I had experienced. That honesty became an important part of my healing journey. Vulnerability does not mean that we are weak, sometimes it means that we have finally found the courage to stop pretending.
You Are Not Your Struggle
Our keynote speaker, Joubert Cronje, set the tone for the dialogue with remarkable honesty about his own challenging season. His vulnerability was itself an example of the message we were exploring. He spoke about emotional struggles, loneliness, disappointment and the importance of allowing trustworthy people into the difficult parts of our lives.
One of his strongest reminders was: "You are not your struggle. A difficult season does not define your identity."
He encouraged participants not to become so consumed by what is wrong that they lose sight of the beauty that remains around them. He challenged us to ask whether there could also be growth within our struggles and reminded us that opening up, processing emotions, receiving support and allowing others to walk alongside us can become part of healing. His message was especially significant for young men.
" There can still be pressure on men to suppress emotion, to appear strong and to believe that vulnerability somehow diminishes masculinity. " - Joubert
Young People Do Not Always Need Us to Fix Them. They Need Us to Listen.
Our panel discussion, facilitated by Kylie Makumbe , took the conversation even deeper, exploring identity, adulthood, emotional safety, rejection, healthy boundaries, faith and the pressure young people experience.
Zamayuswa Ngcobo, our panelist spoke powerfully about what young people are often expected to carry while simultaneously trying to understand themselves. Young people are expected to perform academically, make good decisions, manage their emotions, think about their futures and appear strong, even while they may be dealing with struggles that nobody around them can see; and those expectations do not necessarily disappear after high school. They can become expectations around further education, employment, financial independence and reaching particular milestones in adulthood.
Her contribution carried an important message to parents, educators and other adults:
"Do not decide how serious a young person’s struggle is before taking the time to listen."
When a young person tells us that they are struggling, they are not always asking us to fix everything. Sometimes they simply need someone to say: “I’m listening.” Or: “Do you want to tell me more about what is bothering you?" How we respond when a young person first opens up matters. If they repeatedly feel dismissed or judged, they may become increasingly hesitant to speak again.
"There is strength in vulnerability, but there must also be space for vulnerability." - Zama
Rejection Does Not Have to Be the End of Your Story
Neo Makola panelist spoke about her transition from adolescence into adulthood and the moment when responsibility for your decisions increasingly becomes your own.
She shared openly about experiencing university rejection, watching peers move forward and questioning whether the future she imagined for herself would happen. But her story did not end with rejection. Through perseverance, encouragement from her family and her faith in God, she continued applying, pursued further studies and discovered a strength within herself that she had not previously recognised.
Her contribution reminded us of something young people desperately need to hear:
"Your journey does not have to look like everybody else’s journey." A delay, rejection or unexpected change in direction does not mean that your story is over.
Redefining Strength for Young Men
Hanro Vogt, a panelist brought another important perspective to the conversation by reflecting on the pressure young men can experience to appear strong and avoid showing vulnerability.
He spoke about how suppressing anger, frustration and feelings of powerlessness can negatively affect our relationships and the way we respond to life. His experience led him to a different understanding of strength, that being vulnerable is not necessarily weakness. By acknowledging what is happening internally can allow us to process our experiences, seek support and begin responding in healthier ways.
He encouraged young people to find trustworthy individuals and supportive environments where they can speak openly, while also remembering to show themselves love, care and appreciation.
Courage and Vulnerability Go Hand in Hand
Lorren Ndlovu, counsellor and mental health promotion practitioner, brought the conversation back to the importance of safe spaces.
Her message was clear: people are more likely to be vulnerable when they feel safe, heard and less likely to be immediately judged or dismissed. She also reminded us that struggle is not always visible. A person may continue smiling, working, studying and showing up while carrying pain that those around them know nothing about.
Sometimes courage is simply being able to say: “I am struggling.”, “I am not okay.”, “Can you help me?”
Lorren emphasised that courage and vulnerability cannot easily be separated. Reaching out for help takes courage, and communities need to ensure that people know where they can turn for appropriate support. One of the most powerful thoughts from the discussion was that we may never fully know what someone else is carrying. Sometimes the kindest thing we can do is create enough safety for them to put that burden down, even if only for a moment.
Vulnerability Also Needs Boundaries
Being vulnerable does not mean telling everyone everything. There are different levels of vulnerability and different levels of access to our lives. Zama, reminded us that we can be open while still having boundaries. We can care about people without compromising ourselves, and vulnerability does not require giving everyone access to the parts of ourselves that are still healing.
We also discussed the importance of recognising the difference between a healthy boundary and a boundary created purely from hurt, anger or disappointment. Today’s dialogue forms part of the broader work we continue to build around youth mental health.
Through our Youth Mental Health Dialogues, we are creating safe spaces for young people to share their stories, engage in meaningful conversations and understand that vulnerability does not have to be met with shame or judgement.
Together, we can build a generation where no young person has to struggle in silence.
Felicia Goosen Global Empowerment in Partnership with FG Wellness Life Foundation: You Are Not Alone Campaign
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