To mark World Mental Health Day, observed today, 10 October, EXIT is hosting an international online panel, “Life is Live,” dedicated to protecting young people’s mental health and restoring balance between the digital and real worlds.
“Life is Live“ is a three-year initiative showing how music and festivals can be a powerful ally for mental wellbeing and human connection in a world that keeps us constantly online and increasingly dependent on digital devices. Launched by EXIT in partnership with UNICEF, the project received the prestigious The Take a Stand Award earlier this year at the European Festival Awards in Groningen, the leading accolade for social activism within the festival industry.
At the heart of the campaign is a return to authentic human experience, festivals as a refuge from incessant digital noise and as places for genuine, in-person encounters, where we feel, share, and breathe together again.
Speakers include Monica Urian, representing the European Commission’s cultural policy within the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, Sam Divine, the renowned British DJ and producer, Holger Jan Schmidt, Secretary General of the European festivals association YOUROPE, Stanislava Vučković, Youth and Adolescent Development Specialist at UNICEF, and Dušan Kovačević, founder and director of the EXIT Festival.
The discussion will be moderated by Jennifer Cochrane, founder of Getahead and a long-time advocate for mental health and wellbeing, alongside Greg Parmley, founder of the prestigious music conference ILMC and IQ Magazine.
Audiences worldwide are invited to join the conversation on how to cultivate mental well-being and build connections in the digital age. Drawing on the “Life is Live” campaign, the World Mental Health Day program will offer practical insights into how creativity, music, and community can become real tools to support young people’s mental health, and how lasting change grows from sustained dialogue, trust, and concrete steps toward living more harmoniously with modern technologies.
The panel begins at 3:00 p.m. CET and will be streamed live here.
