IN FOCUS

UNICEF and Spotify’s Award-Winning Mental Health Hub, Our Minds Matter, Comes to Latin America

May 30, 2024

Mental health and well-being are fundamental components of a child’s healthy development and future. Today, one in seven adolescents globally experiences a mental health condition, with half of all mental disorders developing before the age of 14 and 75% by the mid-20s. In Latin America and the Caribbean, around 16 million children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 16 live with a diagnosed mental disorder.

Since 2022 Spotify and UNICEF have been working together to help ensure that young people around the world can access trusted and engaging mental health audio content. The Our Minds Matter hub was first launched in Ukrainian, Polish, and English in June 2023, focusing on responding to the urgent mental health needs of young people who have been affected by the war in Ukraine.

Today, we are launching a Spanish-language version, Una Mente Sana Importa, to continue to help reduce the large gap between the mental health resources young people need and what is currently available to them. The Our Minds Matter hub is now available in seven countries in Latin America: Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Bolivia, Guatemala, Chile, and Paraguay. 

In the hub, listeners will find the UNICEF On My Mind podcast, which is co-created with young people and informed by evidence on mental health needs. The hub also includes content curated by Spotify, like podcasts talking about real-life experiences and inspiring stories around mental health, as well as music playlists for relaxation, focus, and sleep. 

Spotify has engaged some of the region’s most popular artists to support the launch. This includes Morat, Ivana, Santiago Cruz, and Camilú and podcasters including Roberto Rocha of En terapia con Roberto Rocha, Eva Latapi Silva of Supéralo, Por Favor, Tatiana Franko of VOS PODÉS, María José Álvarez Betín of Autoestima para tu vida, and Jacinta de Oromí of TIPO de Jacinta de Oromí.

“We’re proud of our continued partnership with UNICEF to support the mental health and well-being of young people everywhere, including those on the move or in crisis. Together, we will continue to focus on harnessing the power of music, audio, and other innovative digital content to deliver trusted and engaging mental health content for young people, their caregivers, and communities,” said Katarina Berg, Chief Human Resources Officer at Spotify.

The eight episodes developed for Season 1 of the On My Mind podcast aim to improve knowledge, attitudes, practices, and behaviors among young people specifically related to their mental health. The podcast focuses on:

  • Helping young people learn about mental health and how to deal with key issues like stress, depression, anxiety, loss, and bereavement;
  • Providing practical tools and resources to support young people experiencing mental health challenges; 
  • Breaking down stigma to support help-seeking behavior among young people and their communities. 

Following the release in Spanish in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Chile, and Paraguay, the hub will launch in Portuguese in Brazil in July 2024. Further releases are anticipated throughout 2024.