Bengaluru Teen Leads 2,000-Person Run to Break the Silence on Youth Mental Health
Project S.A.F.E. founder Imaan Zara Khan brings 500 school students together at Cubbon Park; to present initiative at UN office in Geneva
Bengaluru, 5 October 2026: Turning concern about adolescent mental health into collective action, 17-year-old Imaan Zara Khan, a Grade 11 student at Indus International School and a 1M1B Changemaker, brought together more than 2,000 people, including around 500 school students, for a youth-led mental health run at Cubbon Park in Bengaluru.
Held ahead of World Mental Health Day on October 10, the event featured 3K, 5K and 10K runs, bringing students, families, runners and members of the public together to promote open conversations about emotional well-being.
A Run to Break the Silence
The 3K run carried the message, “A step for every conversation we never had,” highlighting the emotional struggles young people often find difficult to express. The initiative sought to create a supportive environment where adolescents could speak about their concerns without fear or hesitation.
For Imaan, however, raising awareness is only the beginning. Through Project S.A.F.E. (Student Advocacy for Emotional Well-Being), she is examining how educational systems, institutional structures and help-seeking behaviour influence adolescent mental health.
“Through S.A.F.E., I want to move the conversation beyond awareness and ask a harder question: when a young person is struggling, what happens next? Who recognises the signs, who responds, and how do they reach the right support?” Imaan said.
She stressed that encouraging young people to speak up was not enough unless institutions were prepared to respond.
“We need to build systems around them so that when someone finally finds the courage to speak, someone knows what to do next,” she added.
From Bengaluru to the United Nations
Imaan’s initiative will next reach an international platform at the 10th 1M1B Summit at the United Nations Office in Geneva, where she will present Project S.A.F.E. to youth leaders, institutions and other stakeholders. The opportunity is expected to extend the conversation around adolescent mental health beyond Bengaluru.
Manav Subodh, Founder and Chief Mentor of 1M1B, said he had witnessed Imaan’s growth from a young person raising questions to a changemaker exploring systemic solutions.
“Bringing 2,000+ people together is one step in turning that thinking into action,” he said.
The run demonstrated how youth leadership can bring communities together around an issue that often remains unspoken, reinforcing the need to move beyond awareness towards accessible support and meaningful institutional responses for young people.
