Institute for Life Course Health Research

07/08/2026

The School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape (UWC), warmly invites you to attend the symposium, "Beyond 30 June: Repatriation Process and the Future of Migrants and Refugees in South Africa." The symposium will be co-hosted by the Migration & Mobilities Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Africa (UWC), the Institute for Life Course Health Research, and the Division of Health Systems and Public Health (Stellenbosch University). This will be a hybrid event.

Date: Monday, 24 August 2026
Time: 09:00 – 15:00
Venue: The School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Robert Sobukwe Road, Bellville (Meeting venue: 1C/D)

Building on the first symposium held on 19 June 2026, this event will bring together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, humanitarian organisations, civil society, healthcare workers and community members to reflect on the repatriation process and the humanitarian response following the 30 June deadline for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa. Participants will reflect on what worked well, identify challenges and lessons learned, and discuss practical strategies to strengthen future humanitarian responses for refugees and migrants.

Please register by clicking the link: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/samefBBg53

Please feel free to share the invitation with your networks.

We look forward to welcoming you!

09/06/2026

Our Institute for Life Course Health Research and the Stellenbosch University - Division of Health Systems and Public Health invite you to attend (in-person/online) the symposium, 'Showing Courage and Solidarity with Refugees and Migrants in South Africa', in commemoration of World Refugee Day.

Date: Friday, 19 June 2026
Time: 09:30–14:00
Venue: Biomedical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University (Tygerberg Campus)

Join us for an important conversation on fostering solidarity, addressing misconceptions, and exploring constructive responses to the challenges faced by refugees and migrants in South Africa.

Register here: https://forms.office.com/r/gPxLGzBANQ

We look forward to welcoming you!

Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

20/05/2026

Our co-director Mark Tomlinson and youth leader Rafa Souza launching the final day! Rafa shared these moving words: “I’m proud of you all because you’ve made me feel loved”.

19/05/2026

We want to very warmly welcome and acknowledge our amazing Youth Advisory Board! The group met yesterday with youth co-chairs to answer questions and discuss the process. All co-chairs expressed their great excitement and Institute for Life Course Health Research early career researcher Yushra Dinnie shared that she is living her dream, connecting and learning so much, and being inspired to tackle the challenge of mental health! Meet them here: https://lnkd.in/ddFySyzD

19/05/2026

This morning’s plenary sessions were moving, personal, and impactful. delice lumbu of the School of Hard Knocks shared her story of coming to South Africa and moving through immigration and mental health stigma. Dr Chido Rwafa-Madzvamutse of World Health Organization African Region reflected on health and wellbeing indicators from across Africa, especially highlighting the high prevalence of anxiety. Dr Giovanni Salum of Child Mind Institute and Stavros Niarchos Foundation shared his personal story and his deep motivation for working in child and adolescent mental health. Thank you to all of our speakers for their time and energy!

19/05/2026

Yesterday we held our opening ceremony, opened by conference Chair Christina Laurenzi, who welcomed us all to this gathering of people committed to improving the inclusion and mental health and wellbeing of children and adolescents. She was followed by Dr Keith Cloete, Head of the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness and UNICEF South Africa representative Johannes Wedenig. The rousing ceremony was hosted by young researchers Noluthando Mpisane and Sibongile Siqabatiso from the Institute for Life Course Health Research, who got a chance to be playful with Dr Cloete at the end of the ceremony.

18/05/2026

In the afternoon, we had two fantastic and really engaging sessions.

One of these was a workshop run by Waves for Change, which allowed attendees to experience the Take 5 programme, designed to strengthen children’s mental health through access to caring adults and psychologically safe spaces. We played, danced, chatted and breathed together, and then heard from their youth leaders and coaches, as well as the evidence that underlies the model.

In “Sports for good: Why youth-led physical activity is the ultimate mental health hack”, Johns Hopkins University, Positive Running, and the SeriousFun Children's Network shared a dynamic range of activities. The focus was on how sports can shape the brain and improve mental health, with a wide range of successful programmes demonstrating the value of these interventions for young adolescents.

18/05/2026

Preconference day is a great success so far! Already about half of attendees have registered, and the morning began with three preconference sessions. A team from Wellcome Trust delivered a session titled “Show Me The Money”, in which Wellcome’s Saz Ahmed provided a fantastic overview of funding opportunities and guidance, followed by a panel of African Wellcome awardees who shared their insights. In parallel, Grassroot Soccer, SAPPIN, and The Two Lilies Fund presented their interactive workshop on “Care for Carers - A Global Priority”, in which they explored frontline provider’s mental health needs and explore innovative support models. Sponsored by Takeda, Prof Renata Schoeman also presented a session on ADHD in young adults during important life transitions. All sessions were fully booked!

18/05/2026

Pre-conference day has arrived! In this op ed, lead conference organiser Associate Prof Christina Laurenzi shares her hopes for this year’s Bold Ideas for Brighter Futures conference:

“The Bold Ideas for Brighter Futures Conference, convening in Cape Town from today, 18 May, to Wednesday, 20 May, attempts to respond to the risks facing young people, but more importantly to listen to them and share possible solutions. The conference’s key themes include exploring mental health in humanitarian crises, creative approaches in schools and communities, scaling up evidence-based approaches, generating responsible data on children and adolescents and, perhaps most importantly, ensuring meaningful youth participation in programming, research and intervention.”

The Bold Ideas for Brighter Futures Conference, convening in Cape Town from 18 to 20 May, attempts to respond to the risks facing young people, but more importa

16/05/2026

For this year's 2nd Global Conference on Child and Adolescent Mental Health, we aimed to work closely with young people throughout all phases of planning and running the conference. For months we have worked closely with the 16 members of our Youth Advisory Board, who hail from 12 countries internationally. Meet them here: https://lnkd.in/ddFySyzD These dedicated young people reviewed the submitted abstracts and rated them on their relevance and value for young people. We also worked with a young designer, who conceived and created the brand identity for this year's conference. When the conference begins next week, each oral presentation session will be co-chaired by an 18-25 year old attendee and two young local photographers will be capturing the whole conference on camera. We are so looking forward to meeting and connecting with all attendees!