UNICEF Global Coalition: Gen Z Isn't Asking Others to Solve Community Mental Health. They Want to Co-Create.

Source: World Economic Forum / UNICEF | Date: June 2025

A UNICEF-led Global Coalition for Youth Mental Health study documents a striking finding: Gen Z is not passive about community wellbeing challenges. Six in ten report feeling overwhelmed by global events — and their response is not withdrawal but action. What they are asking for is intergenerational accountability: experienced leadership that partners alongside youth to build solutions, not above them. Businesses, the Coalition argues, are uniquely positioned to fund community prevention programs, advocate for policy change, and create the conditions where young people's drive to co-create is matched with real infrastructure.

Key fact: Over 60% of Gen Z consider mental health support a key factor in choosing an employer — making community wellbeing a business issue, not only a social one.

Link: weforum.org/stories/2025/06/gen-z-mental-health-unicef/