Happy #InternationalYouthDay 2026!
On 12 August 2026, we celebrated the potential, creativity, and resilience of young people around the world. Together, let us empower youth to overcome barriers, realize their full potential, and lead the way toward a more inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous future for all.
In our latest video (below), we highlight the life and experiences of a young adult living with ADHD.
🎨 Meet Lydia Maria Peets, an 18-year-old from Tallinn, Estonia, who proudly says:
“I’m just some kid who’s really good at art.” (^â–½^)
As a young person speaking up alongside academia through ADHD research and ADHD Europe, Lydia shares her lived experience of ADHD and the role it plays in her journey. Currently completing her final year of high school, Lydia hopes to continue her studies in art. She is a co-creator on the R2D2 Mental Health Project, where she contributes both her creative talents and personal insights.
Using her beloved iPad, affectionately named Dear Child, Lydia creates digital artwork, including illustrations for researchers’ presentations. When she’s not creating art, she enjoys rollerblading to loud music, watching movies with her family, and spending time with friends who describe her as sweet, caring, fun, and sometimes a little “from outer space”! 🚀
Lydia is joined by:
🔹 Dr. Giorgia Michelini
Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Neurodiversity and Mental Health at Queen Mary University of London and leader of the TREND Lab. Dr. Michelini’s research focuses on ADHD, neurodiversity, and mental health, with a strong commitment to collaborating with individuals with lived experience to improve understanding and support for neurodivergent young people.
🔹 Tori Wright
Specialist Study Skills Tutor, Inclusive Practice Educator, PhD Researcher at the University of Exeter, and staff member at Leeds Beckett University. Tori’s research explores teachers’ responses to ADHD learners and the development of ADHD-informed training and classroom strategies. As an AuDHDer and parent of neurodivergent children, she brings valuable lived experience to her work.
🔹 Chantel Fouche
Volunteer, ADHD Europe, supporting initiatives that amplify the voices of people with ADHD and promote greater understanding, inclusion, and advocacy across Europe.
Watch now on YOUTUBE