{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T18:12:20Z","timestamp":1789755140821,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789689600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004343","name":"Stavros Niarchos Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004343","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosglobalpublichealth.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLOS Glob Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Young implementers bring valuable insights that can help inform and create effective mental health support systems and interventions tailored to their needs and unique experiences. However, their perspectives are often overlooked. This qualitative study analysed discourses from community role models, referred to as MindSKILLZ Coaches. We hosted five focus group discussions and collected 30 personal stories journaled by MindSKILLZ Coaches in Nairobi and Mombasa counties between August 2023 and March 2024. We were interested in understanding their experiences implementing a mental health intervention for young people during a pilot study, including any perceived program impacts on Coaches themselves and youth participants.This was done to identify implementation successes and challenges, improve use of language in developing materials for program implementation, strengthen institutional guidelines for learning materials and generate evidence to inform future program delivery, adaptation and scale-up. Data were analysed using Fairclough\u2019s Model for Critical Discourse Analysis to examine three interconnected discourses: 1)\n                    <jats:italic>textual practice<\/jats:italic>\n                    (micro level), 2)\n                    <jats:italic>discursive practice<\/jats:italic>\n                    (meso level), and 3)\n                    <jats:italic>social practice<\/jats:italic>\n                    (macro level). Across these levels, we looked at how discourse contributes to the maintenance of social power relations, ideologies, and institutional practices. Findings revealed that the MindSKILLZ program positively impacted the Coaches and youth participants by improving self-esteem, use of creative approaches to reach persons with disability, and improvement of academic performance, all of which facilitated successful program implementation overall. Institutional practices (e.g., assumptions of uniform cultural practices among participants), structural power imbalances (e.g., limitations on Coaches\u2019 roles in program implementation) and social relations (e.g., Coaches simplified language reinforcing their authority) limited the program\u2019s effectiveness. Amplifying the Coaches\u2019 voices enhances adoption of a grassroots perspective, which can challenge unequal power dynamics. The use of grassroots insights can aid in co-creating more equitable and effective mental health interventions.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pgph.0007336","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T17:48:39Z","timestamp":1789753719000},"page":"e0007336","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pgph.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Amplifying Coaches\u2019 voices from the implementation of the MindSKILLZ youth mental health program in Kenya: A critical discourse analysis"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"6","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1429-0259","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Benard","family":"Nyauchi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"LVCT Health","place":["Nairobi, Kenya"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mercy","family":"Kihiu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Grassroot Soccer, Inc.","place":["Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9161-2795","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Robert","family":"Kimathi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LVCT Health","place":["Nairobi, Kenya"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-4692-3551","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Devyn E. Z.","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Grassroot Soccer, Inc.","place":["Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Antony","family":"Chazara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Grassroot Soccer, Inc.","place":["Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elizabeth","family":"Okoth","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Grassroot Soccer, Inc.","place":["Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stella","family":"Waruinge","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"County Government of Nairobi","place":["Nairobi, Kenya"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Celina","family":"Kithinji","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"County Government of Mombasa","place":["Mombasa, Kenya"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5308-4154","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Katherine G.","family":"Merrill","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Dissemination and Implementation Science, University of Illinois","place":["Chicago, Illinois, United States of America"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrew","family":"Dallos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Grassroot Soccer, Inc.","place":["Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ilana","family":"Cohen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Grassroot Soccer, Inc.","place":["Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lilian","family":"Otiso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LVCT Health","place":["Nairobi, Kenya"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]]},"reference":[{"issue":"9","key":"pgph.0007336.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"758","DOI":"10.1111\/tmi.13802","article-title":"Adolescent Health Series: The status of adolescent mental health research, practice and policy in sub-Saharan Africa: A narrative review","volume":"27","author":"M Sequeira","year":"2022","journal-title":"Trop Med Int Health"},{"key":"pgph.0007336.ref002","unstructured":"Africa S, Agyepong I, Sewankambo N, Binagwaho A, Coll-Seck AM, Corrah T. Prof, MD; Ministry of Health, Dakar, Senegal 5. Prof, MD; MRC Gambia, Banjul, The Gambia 6. PhD; African Population and Health Research Center. National AIDS Control Council."},{"key":"pgph.0007336.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1643422","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1643422","article-title":"Determinants of comprehensive HIV and AIDS knowledge among Tanzanian adolescent girls and young women: a multilevel application of Andersen\u2019s behavioral model based on national survey","volume":"13","author":"MH Bago","year":"2025","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0007336.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"54","DOI":"10.1111\/tmi.13336","article-title":"Factors associated with depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation and behaviours amongst sub-Saharan African adolescents aged 10-19 years: cross-sectional study","volume":"25","author":"A Nyundo","year":"2020","journal-title":"Trop Med Int Health"},{"key":"pgph.0007336.ref005","unstructured":"Fleming T, Lewycka S, Kumah E, Mbinta J, Abubakar A, Mbithi G. 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