Project Healthy Minds will honour the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at its World Mental Health Day Festival on 9 October.
Project Healthy Minds has announced the honourees for the fourth edition of the World Mental Health Day Festival, and the names could not be more relevant: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be recognised as Humanitarians of the Year for their work through the Archewell Foundation.
The award highlights “their global efforts to build a safer, more equitable digital environment for families and young people, and their valuable contribution to mental wellbeing worldwide.” The couple will attend the gala in person on 9 October to receive the award, and the following day will actively participate in the festival, where their foundation will co-produce a series of talks focusing on change-makers in the field of mental health.
“Working with families and young people to prioritise online safety has been one of the most meaningful tasks of our lives. As parents, we have been deeply moved by their stories and feel honoured to support them,” Harry and Meghan said in a joint statement. “We are proud to be long-standing partners of Project Healthy Minds and to shine a light on one of the most urgent issues of our time.”
In addition to live discussions, the event will feature the Lost Screen Memorial installation, developed by the Archewell Foundation to commemorate young people who have died due to online harm. This support network for parents and carers affected, launched in 2020, has already expanded across the US, Canada and the UK.
Phillip Schermer, founder and CEO of Project Healthy Minds, described it as a “privilege” to pay tribute to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex: “Their leadership and commitment to mental health have made a real difference in the lives of many people.”
The festival will also feature appearances from figures such as Deepak Chopra, Katie Couric, Jonathan Haidt, Boardroom co-founder Rich Kleiman, parenting expert Dr Becky Kennedy, among others. The initiative aims to connect more than 10 million Americans with free mental health services over the next decade.
