The East Kalimantan Representative Office of the National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) has taken a strategic step in addressing the increasingly urgent issue of mental health among adolescents. Through a program to strengthen peer counselors, the agency seeks to build a more inclusive and solution-oriented support ecosystem in East Kalimantan and North Kalimantan.
The 2025 East Kalimantan Female Ambassador for the Planning Generation (Genre), Nayuthaya Nazwa Nanzani, emphasized that mental health literacy must be a top priority. According to her, a deep understanding of emotion management is not merely a way to treat psychological disorders, but a crucial preventive instrument for the younger generation in navigating life dynamics.
Citing World Health Organization (WHO) data, Nazwa highlighted the fact that one in seven adolescents aged 10 to 19 is at risk of experiencing mental health issues without adequate support. The lack of access to these support services is feared to adversely affect their academic performance, social well-being, and future prospects.
Furthermore, Nazwa explained that adolescence is a highly dynamic transition period. Various pressures, ranging from biological changes and social expectations to the influx of information in digital media, require adolescents to possess strong emotional resilience so as not to fall into destructive psychological turmoil.
In this context, the presence of peer counselors is considered to hold a crucial position. As peers, peer counselors are deemed more capable of creating a safe and comfortable space for dialogue, making adolescents more open to sharing stories and seeking valid, targeted emotional support.
