Output

1) 2-Day Workshop

The project will deliver a two-day hybrid capacity-building workshop in Thailand, designed to strengthen the ability of key stakeholders including public health officials, community advocates, and social influencers, to communicate mental health messages effectively and sustainably.

The workshop will adopt a hybrid structure to maximize participation across APEC economies: all online-suitable activities (expert lectures, economy sharing, and discussions) will be conducted in the first 3–4 hours of each day, ensuring accessibility across different time zones and reducing screen fatigue. In-person participants will additionally engage in interactive group exercises, scenario-based simulations, and collaborative strategy design during the afternoon sessions, providing deeper applied skills and networking opportunities.

The substantive content will cover three main areas:

1. Expert knowledge sharing – Lectures on the importance of Mental Health Literacy (MHL), effective communication design, and monitoring and evaluation of MHL initiatives, including lessons learned from Thailand and other APEC economies.
2. Hands-on experience – Small group exercises where participants co- design community-based MHL strategies and campaigns, tailored to different contexts (e.g., healthcare, community mobilization, digital engagement, school-based initiatives).
3. Economy sharing and discussion – Structured sessions for participants from member economies to present experiences, best practices, strategies, interventions, and tools, followed by cross-learning discussions.

To ensure impact and applicability, the final session of the Workshop will focus on capturing key takeaways and developing practical implementation plans tailored to the unique contexts of participants’ home economies. A feedback survey will be distributed and completed as the final agenda item to maximize response rates and gather data for evaluation.

Approximately 60 - 70 participants are expected to attend onsite, with around 200 joining virtually. All 21 APEC economies will be invited, with travel-eligible economies prioritized for APEC funding support. The workshop aims to create a core group of trained leaders who will drive mental health literacy initiatives at the community, societal, and digital levels, and to build a shared foundation for future regional collaboration in mental health promotion and prevention.

Draft Agenda (Tentative)

Hybrid Workshop on Building Capacity of Mental Health Literacy Leaders for Positive Social Change on Mental Health

Day 1

1. Activity: Welcome & Opening Remarks (approx. 15 min) — ByAPEC Secretariat & Host Economy Delegation
2. Activity: Lecture 1: Exploring Mental Health Literacy (MHL): Current Challenges and Future Directions (approx. 60 min) — Expert talk on why MHL matters, evidence of impact, regional context, challenges and future directions
3. Activity: Lecture 2: Designing Effective Communication for MHL: Tools and Techniques for MHL Communication (approx. 60 min) — Expert lecture on content design, creative tools, digital engagement
4. Activity: Lecture 3: Leading Change – Building Mental Health Literacy Leaders (approx. 60 min) — Expert session on developing leadership capacity, advocacy skills, and sustainability for MHL initiatives
5. Activity: Q&A / Discussion (approx. 15 min) — Interactivesession (onsite & online)

— End of online session (3.5 hrs total) —

1. Activity: Hands-on Exercise 1: Strategy Design Lab (approx. 60 min) — Mixed groups design a communication strategy for a selected community issue (e.g., stigma, workplace stress, suicide)
2. Activity: Interactive Group Work (approx. 60 min) — Breakouts by expertise (healthcare, community, digital engagement) to draft mini- campaigns
3. Activity: Debrief & Reflection (approx. 45 min) — Group presentations & reflections (onsite only)

Day 2

1. Activity: Recap of Day 1 & Orientation for Day 2 (approx. 15 min) — Summary of Day 1 highlights
2. Activity: Lecture 4: Monitoring & Evaluation of MHL Initiatives (approx. 60 min) — Expert lecture on lessons learned from Thailand and other APEC economies, and MHL monitoring & evaluation
3. Activity: Economy Sharing Session I: Experiences and Best Practices (approx. 90 min) — Participants from approx. 5–6 economies present case studies (experiences, best practices, interventions)
4. Activity: Panel Discussion / Open Forum (approx. 45 min) — Cross- learning on successes and challenges in MHL advocacy

— End of online session (3.5 hrs total) —

1. Activity: Hands-on Exercise 2: Scenario Simulation (approx. 60 min)

—Scenario-based group simulation: design MHL strategies in specific contexts (e.g., disaster recovery, school-based campaigns, social media misinformation)

1. Activity: Economy Sharing Session II: Strategies and Outcomes (approx. 60 min) —Additional economies share interventions and results
2. Activity: Key Takeaways & Action Planning (approx. 45 min) — Groups develop practical implementation plans for their home economies
3. Activity: Workshop Evaluation & Closing (approx. 30 min)— post-event evaluation (distributed and completed onsite/online) + closing remarks

Guideline on Public Mental Health Literacy Advocacy

The project will deliver a single substantive output: the Guideline on Public Mental Health Literacy Advocacy. This Guideline will serve as a comprehensive and practical reference, consolidating the key content and outcomes of the hybrid workshop. It will integrate the workshop’s objectives, expert presentations, group activity results, and cross- economy insights into one coherent document. The Guideline will provide policymakers, practitioners, and community leaders with evidence-based strategies and actionable recommendations to strengthen mental health literacy across diverse APEC contexts.

While the APEC Completion Report and the APEC Project Database will capture participant profiles, attendance lists, and post-event evaluation data, the Guideline will focus on the substantive lessons, good practices, and policy-relevant recommendations generated from the workshop.

Target Audience: The Guideline is intended for public health officials, policymakers, community leaders, and civil society stakeholders across all 21 APEC member economies, particularly those engaged in mental health promotion, prevention, and advocacy.

Format and Endorsement: The Guideline will be a minimum of 30 pages in length (excluding annexes) and developed in consultation withsubject matter experts and APEC member economies. The Project Overseer (PO) will seek endorsement by the APEC Health Working Group (HWG).

Following endorsement, the Guideline will become an official APEC Publication, subject to APEC copyright, and disseminated through the APEC Publications Database as well as national channels in member economies.

Proposed Content:

1. Understanding and Defining Mental Health Literacy (MHL) – concepts, significance, and global/APEC evidence base.
2. Designing Effective MHL Campaigns – audience analysis,message framing, communication tools.
3. Community-Based Approaches – grassroots engagement strategies.
4. Institutional and Policy-Level Interventions – schools, workplaces, healthcare settings.
5. Digital Advocacy and Social Media Tools – innovative approaches for diverse populations.
6. Monitoring and Evaluation – practical indicators and mini-toolkits.
7. Case Studies from APEC Economies – e.g.,
8. Thailand: National and community-level MHL campaigns.
9. Indonesia: Digital youth-focused platforms.
10. Malaysia: Workplace mental health promotion.
11. China: School-based integration of MHL.

These case studies are selected to reflect diverse contexts across APEC and to provide adaptable, transferable lessons for other economies.

8. Integrated Workshop Highlights – a synthesis of workshop objectives, key messages, group activity outcomes, and regional challenges and good practices. (Note: Post-event evaluation results and survey data will be reported separately in the Completion Report and APEC Project Database, consistent with APEC guidelines.)

Outcome

1) Increased knowledge and skills among mental health literacy leaders in communicating mental health information, as demonstrated by at least 75% of onsite participants showing improvement in pre- and post- workshop surveys.

2) Increased engagement in mental health advocacy among trained participants, with at least 60% initiating related activities and 30% of social influencers incorporating key messages into digital platforms within two months.

3) Strengthened cross-economy collaboration on mental health literacy, reflected by initial expressions of interest from other APEC economies and over 500 downloads of the published guideline within six months.

Beneficiaries

Direct beneficiaries of the project are key leaders and change agents from all 21 APEC member economies, who will be formally invited to participate in the hybrid workshop. APEC funding will be allocated to support the participation of Travel-Eligible Economies on an equitable basis, to ensure balanced representation and inclusiveness across the region. The target groups include:

1. Public health officials responsible for mental health promotion, service coordination, or policy planning within ministries or departments of health, including those working at the sub-national level (e.g., provincial health offices, district health systems, or primary care units).
2. Community activists and local change agents, including grassroots leaders, social advocates, or active citizens from government agencies, civil society, or community- based organizations. These individuals are engaged in mental health, youth development, social inclusion, or related community empowerment efforts, whether within formal institutions or informal local networks.
3. Social influencers and digital content creators who communicate with large online audiences and contribute to public education, health communication, or awareness- raising campaigns.

Participants are expected to have a demonstrated interest or prior involvement in mental health, public health communication, or community advocacy. They will be nominated by their respective governments or institutions, and their participation will contribute to capacity building at both institutional and grassroots levels. The project also targets a minimum of 50% female participation to ensure gender inclusiveness.

Indirect beneficiaries include the general population in participating APEC economies, especially underserved or vulnerable communities who will benefit from improved access to mental health information and reduced stigma. Policymakers, healthcare systems, and the broader workforce will also benefit indirectly through strengthened grassroots engagement, better-informed service delivery, and more responsive and resilient mental health strategies.