Youth Global Summit
Watch the VIAHR Youth Global Summit first Youth Global Summit again!
Hundreds of participants from more than twenty-five countries and all five continents joined the VIAHR Youth Global Summit first Youth Global Summit , which was broadcast live on April 20, 2026. The Summit, titled “Toward an International Dialogue on Youth Mental Health and the Power of Pause,” brought together executive directors, institutions, international experts, youth-led organizations, and VIAHR student ambassadors for a unique and unprecedented conversation about the mental health crisis facing young people around the world and the importance of mindful pause.
Speakers and participants
11:00 a.m. - Keynote Address: A World in Dialogue
The summit was opened by María Méndez, president and founder of VIAHR, who set the tone with a powerful call to action: the “mindful pause” is not a luxury, but a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of collective well-being. Her opening remarks were followed by presentations from a distinguished panel of international speakers.
Bisila Bokoko, founder and CEO of BBES International and recipient of the 2019 United Nations World Citizen Award, spoke about the intersection of entrepreneurship and human sustainability. Renzo Salazar, philosopher and existential coach, explored how intentional rest restores the human capacity to find meaning and purpose. José Luis Tallón, executive director of Grupo Ediciones Digitales Siglo 21 and ambassador for VIAHR, addressed the role of business leadership in normalizing the Pause within organizational cultures.
Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino, former bishop of Assisi and president of The Economy of Francesco, joined the Summit to share his reflections on human dignity, rest, and the moral imperative to ensure the well-being of the next generation. The event was moderated by Riccardo Pace, director of Global Youth Initiatives at VIAHR.
See you in the next edition, more human than ever!
11:20 a.m. - Roundtable Discussion I: Perspectives from World Leaders
The summit then gave way to presentations by young international leaders from partner organizations. Hitesh Sanwal, founder and executive director of Youth for Mental Health and advisor to the secretary-general of the World Federation for Mental Health, shared his experience in establishing youth-led support systems for young people in India. John Seseh Andokali, founder of Focus Forward
A member of the Youth Organization and a student of Integral Ecology at the Pontifical Antonianum University in Rome, he spoke about empowering young people through education. Uchemdi Nduka, a medical student in Miami and founder of the Summa Medica Society, shared the perspective of young healthcare professionals who face burnout in clinical settings.
11:40 a.m. - Panel Discussion II: Perspectives of International Students
The final segment featured VIAHR’s youth ambassadors from five countries: Théa Honda (Japan), Natalia Lachininskaia (Russia), Mico Llego Ursua (Philippines), Paolo Incelli (Italy), and Carlos Felipe Santander Ávalos (Chile), who shared how young people in their respective countries are facing challenges related to mental health and what the “Power of the Pause” means in their cultural context.
Our youth partner organizations
Toward a generation aware of the power of taking a pause
The Youth Global Summit an important step in the mission to build a global body of scientific and cultural literature on the conscious “Pause.” Participating students joined many of their peers in VIAHR’s global call for papers for 2026, titled “Healing the World Through the Transformative Power of the Pause,” in which they will have the opportunity to develop an original research paper; the winner will present it at a VIAHR conference to be held in New York in November 2026.
More information about the call for papers:
