METROPOLIS Youth Mental Health Festival: Confab 2025 — A Collective Reflection

Mental Health Confab 2025 was shaped by a young organising team who entered the project with varied motivations and left it with meaningful learning. This reflection captures what drew them in, what experiences stood out, the challenges they navigated, and the insights they carried forward. Together, these pieces offer a clear picture of the human effort that powered this year’s Confab.

The organising team stepped into Confab with different intentions. For some, the attraction was personal growth; for others, it was a sense of commitment to the organisation and the event’s purpose. Sanskriti, the Unit Lead for Attendee Management, joined because she wanted “hands-on experience and to push myself outside of my comfort zone”.

Hemayushi, who served both as the Unit Lead for Partner Management and as the Project Coordinator of Confab 2025, entered with a perspective rooted in continuity and care. Having been involved in Confab previously, she returned because she felt deeply connected to its purpose and believed in supporting its evolution. Her decision reflected the commitment of someone who had witnessed Confab’s growth and wanted to help shape it more intentionally.

For some, the motivation was rooted in inner reconnection. Sarakshi, who took on the role of Unit Lead for Partner Management along with serving as the Emcee and Stage Host, expressed that she wanted to “experience the feeling of devotion once again.” Together, these motivations show how Confab attracts people seeking purpose, growth, connection, or simply a meaningful place to show up.

Throughout preparation, the team took on roles across décor, engagement, hosting, logistics, activity zones, and design. Tiya, the Lead for Activity Zone B, along with several others, spent weeks shaping the physical and experiential flow of the event. Much of the work was hands-on and required steady coordination. A few moments became especially memorable: during setup, when the posters were finally put up, and the space came alive, many described it as grounding, the first moment the event felt tangible. Siddhi, the Lead for Speakers and Artist Management, recalled the ideation phase where everyone used to sit together to develop sessions and the event structure as the most meaningful part for her, allowing her to feel creatively invested in the event’s purpose.

For Sarakshi, being on stage as emcee was a turning point; the role “made me feel seen and gave me confidence that I lost but needed.” On event day, several members described the quiet satisfaction of realising their areas had come together. As one organiser put it, the best moment was when “every part of it fell in place.” These small but significant milestones reflected both the team’s effort and the emotional rewards embedded in the process.

The journey to Confab came with its own difficulties. Many members faced pressure, whether from timelines, coordination demands, or internal doubts. Gauri, the Lead for Venue and Decor, described the intensity of managing expectations and working quickly, acknowledging how challenging it was to keep up with the pace. There were moments when trusting instinct felt difficult, especially when decisions had to be made on the spot. The fast-moving nature of event day added another layer of pressure, with multiple tasks unfolding at once and requiring immediate attention. These challenges, though varied, shaped the team’s resilience and adaptability, helping them learn how to take initiative on their own.

Across reflections, teamwork emerged as a central learning. The team discovered that shared responsibility allowed them to navigate difficult moments effectively. For Nandini, Lead for Attendee Management, a key realisation was how having a true common goal, along with sharing working areas with one another helps build respect and understanding, and further improves efficiency. As one member expressed, “teamwork is what saves the day.” Another common takeaway was self-confidence. Several team members found themselves making decisions they might have hesitated to make earlier. For one member, the experience helped them trust and believe in themselves, a shift that extended beyond Confab itself.

Confab 2025 unfolded through the patient, creative, and emotionally invested work of its organising team. Their reflections reveal an experience marked by coordination, personal discovery, and shared ownership. According to Tiya, Confab can be summarised as “a vibrant, slightly chaotic, beautifully human event,” a sentiment that mirrors both the challenges and the warmth embedded in the process. The team’s journey illustrates that the strength of Confab lies not only in the event delivered but also in the collective growth of the people behind it.