The mental health initiatives by the JK Centre for Peace and Justice Foundation (JKCPJ) are designed to promote emotional well-being, reduce stigma, and create safe spaces for young people to openly discuss mental health challenges. These programmes focus on awareness, peer engagement, and accessible support systems, ensuring that mental health becomes an integral part of youth development in Jammu & Kashmir.
A key component of these efforts is “Let’s Connect,” a monthly well-being meet-up that brings together young individuals for interactive activities, open conversations, and peer support. The initiative creates a safe and inclusive environment where participants can share experiences, build connections, and develop coping mechanisms for everyday stress and challenges.
The Students Connect Programme extends mental health outreach to schools, engaging adolescents through structured sessions that focus on emotional awareness, stress management, and building resilience. By integrating mental health discussions into school environments, the programme helps normalize conversations around well-being from an early age.
In addition, JKCPJ conducts workshops and counselling support programmes that focus on skill-building, awareness, and peer-support systems. These sessions equip young individuals with practical tools to manage mental health challenges while also fostering empathy and community support networks.
Through these combined efforts, JKCPJ is working to create a culture where mental health is openly discussed, understood, and supported, particularly among youth and students.
Impact:
The mental health initiatives have reached a wide and diverse group of young individuals across the region.
The “Let’s Connect” programme has successfully completed 6 chapters, engaging over 600 youth in regular well-being activities and conversations.
Through the Students Connect Programme, outreach has been conducted in more than 52 schools, reaching over 500 adolescents and introducing them to essential mental health concepts and support systems.
Over 20 workshops have been organized, impacting more than 500 young individuals by providing them with awareness, practical skills, and access to support networks.
Notably, JKCPJ has also contributed to the establishment of Tele-MANAS services in Jammu & Kashmir, strengthening institutional mental health support and improving access to counselling services for the wider population.
Mission:
The mission of JKCPJ’s mental health initiatives is to promote holistic well-being by creating awareness, reducing stigma, and ensuring access to support systems for young people in Jammu & Kashmir. The programmes aim to integrate mental health into everyday conversations and institutional frameworks, particularly within educational and community spaces.
A central objective is to empower youth with the knowledge and tools needed to manage their emotional well-being while also building supportive peer networks. By combining awareness, engagement, and access to counselling, the initiatives seek to create a comprehensive support system for mental health.
At the same time, the mission emphasizes collaboration with schools, communities, and institutions to ensure that mental health services are accessible, inclusive, and sustainable.
Vision:
The vision of these mental health initiatives is to build a society where mental well-being is prioritized, understood, and supported at all levels. JKCPJ aims to create a strong ecosystem of awareness, peer support, and professional services that ensures no young individual feels isolated or unsupported.
In the coming years, the programme seeks to expand its reach to more schools, colleges, and communities, while strengthening partnerships with mental health professionals and institutions. The initiative also envisions scaling peer-led support models and integrating mental health into broader youth development frameworks.
Ultimately, the vision is to foster a culture of empathy, resilience, and openness, where mental health is treated with the same importance as physical health, contributing to the overall well-being and development of society in Jammu & Kashmir.
