Historic Party Debate on Youth Mental Health to Be Held at Avicii Arena

On May 21, representatives from all Swedish parliamentary parties will gather at Avicii Arena for Sweden’s first-ever party debate entirely focused on youth mental health. The initiative is organized by Sweden’s largest manifestation for youth mental health together with Ångestpodden and Sveriges Elevkårer. The debate is the first of its kind in Sweden and is being arranged ahead of the election to place youth mental health higher on the political agenda.

The debate will take place on the arena floor at Avicii Arena and is expected to bring together 200–300 young people, students, and professionals who work closely with children and youth every day. Representatives from all parliamentary parties will participate on stage at both party leader and ministerial level.

The discussion will be moderated by Ida Höckerstrand and Sofie Hallberg from Ångestpodden, and during the evening the politicians will, among other things, be held accountable regarding the long waiting times for child and adolescent psychiatry services (BUP), the unequal access to care across the country, the school’s role and responsibility, and how social media affects young people’s well-being.

– We see this debate as an important step in raising the issue of children’s and young people’s mental health higher on the political agenda, especially ahead of the election this autumn. Every year, nearly 1,500 people in Sweden take their own lives, and among young people aged 15 to 24, suicide remains the leading cause of death. This clearly shows how urgent the situation is. Now the whole of society needs to take responsibility, not least our politicians and decision-makers, say the organizers behind the debate.

Participants in the debate:
 Social Democrats: Fredrik Lundh Sammeli
 Liberals: Simona Mohamsson
 Centre Party: Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist
 Green Party: Amanda Lind
 Left Party: Karin Rågsjö
 Sweden Democrats: Jessica Stegrud
 Moderate Party: Camilla Waltersson Grönwall
 Christian Democrats: Jakob Forssmed

The debate will be filmed and published on YouTube afterwards, and will also be released as a podcast episode on Ångestpodden.

Would you like to cover the debate on site at Avicii Arena?
Please contact:
Sara Jones, Press Officer
Tel: +46 76 547 00 49
E-mail: sj@thestockholmproject.se

About:

Ångestpodden: Since its launch in 2015, Ångestpodden has been a driving force in breaking stigma and elevating the conversation around mental health in Sweden. Ahead of the 2026 election, they are now entering their third election campaign as opinion leaders, with a clear goal: once again putting issues related to mental health on the political agenda.

Sweden’s Largest Manifestation for Youth Mental Health: Sweden’s largest manifestation for youth mental health is a collaboration between 43 civil society organizations, all working with children, youth, and young adults. Within the framework of the manifestation is also the movement Upp Till Oss, where both private individuals and companies passionate about youth mental health can engage and unite.

Sweden’s largest manifestation consists of the following organizations: 1825, Attention, Bris, En Frisk Generation, Ericastiftelsen, Friends, Frisk & Fri, Hjärnfonden, Kyrkans SOS, Maskrosbarn, Mentor, Mind, Motivationslyftet, Mors Sverige, MusikBojen, Non-Violence Project, NSPH, OCD-förbundet, Reach for Change, Regnbågsfonden, Rädda Barnen, Röda Korset, SPES, Suicide Zero, Sveriges Stadsmissioner, Trygga Barnen, Tjejzonen, Tilia, Unicef Sverige, Unizon, Unga Lukas, War Child, Röda Korsets Ungdomsförbund, Tim Bergling Foundation, SPIV, MÄN, Ing-Marie Wieselgrens Stiftelse, Tilliten, Idéer För Livet, The Inner Foundation, Hjärnkoll, Right By Me, Min Stora Dag.

Sveriges Elevkårer: Sweden’s largest youth organization with members at upper secondary schools across the country. Their mission is to make it possible for students to form associations — student unions — at their schools and to support their work in making school more enjoyable, safer, and stronger.