Youth Mental Health & The Voice of Gen Z — with Conor Warren

This week’s guest is Conor Warren, founder of Spark UK, one of the UK’s leading youth-led mental health charities. Conor started Spark at just 14 years old after struggling with his own mental health and recognising how few safe spaces existed for young people to speak honestly about what they were going through. What began as a personal mission has grown into a national movement — creating free resources, campaigns, and programmes that now reach hundreds of thousands of young people across the UK. Spark’s mission is simple: spark conversations around mental health and give young people the tools to thrive. Alongside his work with Spark, Conor is also part of We Are Prysm, a Gen Z-led consultancy helping brands, charities, and media organisations better understand and communicate with the next generation.

His work sits at the intersection of youth mental health, digital culture, education, and lived experience. In this episode, we explore: Starting a national charity at 14 years old Why young people still struggle to talk about mental health How Gen Z culture and social media are shaping wellbeing The role of schools, communities, and media in prevention What the future of youth mental health support needs to look like Conor’s mission:

“Young people don’t just need awareness — they need spaces where honesty is normal.”

This conversation offers a powerful insight into what the next generation is really experiencing, and why listening to young voices is essential if we want to improve mental health for the future.

Links https://www.sparkuk.co.uk

Supplement: https://www.truuman.io

Non Profit: https://www.thefoundrycic.org.uk

Instagram: https:/www.instagram.com/lewishackney