Synapse – Pakistan Neuroscience Institute, with the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi and the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVS), today announced Unplugged 2026: Karachi Bol!, a concert for youth mental health to be held on Saturday 7 November 2026 at IVS, Karachi.
Now in its fourth year, Unplugged is one of the world’s only annual concert series focused on youth mental health, and the flagship event of Karachi Bol! (“Karachi, speak!”), Synapse’s two-year campaign (2026 through 2028) for the mental health of the city’s young people. The need is urgent. Pakistan’s new National Mental Health Policy 2026-35, launched on 1 October, estimates that 32.4 million people in the country need mental health care and only about 5% can access it. Two in three Pakistanis are under 30, and a 2025 national survey found that only 3% of people had sought professional help for their mental health in the previous six months.
From Idea to City-Wide Youth Movement
Unplugged began in 2023, when teenagers from the Youth Circle of Synapse (YCS) decided Karachi needed a space dedicated to youth mental health, and built it themselves. The first edition, at the Pakistan American Cultural Centre, sold out a week early with 250+ attendees. In 2024, at IBA City Campus
it drew 400+ people and launched Ab Chup Nahin (“Silent No Longer”), Synapse’s youth mental health campaign, with more than 100 public pledges to act. In 2025, hosted by the Aga Khan University Brain & Mind Institute with IBA and IVS, it reached 650+ attendees and 120,000+ viewers online.
Karachi Bol! grows out of Ab Chup Nahin, and out of what young people told Synapse: they want conversations about mental health that are rooted in Karachi and led by Karachi’s own youth. The campaign asks the city’s families, schools, universities and institutions to speak, and to listen.
What Happens on 7 November Young singers aged 14 to 26 from across Karachi will perform with a professional live band led by a music therapist. The evening includes a communal
art canvas created on the night and a pledge wall where young people write what they wish adults understood. Up to 450 seats are set aside free of charge for young people from partner organisations, including The Citizens Foundation, Kiran Foundation, NOWPDP, Parents Voice Association’s Ujala
Centre, Zindagi Trust, Durbeen, KDSP, and GoRead. The venue and programme are designed to be accessible and disability-friendly. Partners include IVS, IBA Karachi and Habib University; Geo News is the Official Media Partner.
Attending: tickets for the general public are available at Ticketwala (https://ticketwala.pk/event/unplugged-karachi-bol-7552) for Rs 2,000 each. Doors open at 7:00 pm. Press passes may be issued to members of the media covering the event; please contact the media contact below.
➢ “As President of IACAPAP, I see the youth mental health crisis from a global vantage point. Karachi Bol! is our answer here at home: campaign that starts by listening to young people, not just talking about them. Our theme of Karachi Bol! which is primarily because our youth
have very clearly told us that they want to highlight Karachi’s youth mental health concerns and they want that the solutions also come from Karachi’s youth” Dr Ayesha Irshad Mian, Founder and CEO, Synapse; President, IACAPAP
➢ “The purpose of this event is to raise not just awareness but an understanding of what mental health issues actually are. IBA is proud to stand with Synapse and IVS so our students know that talking about how they feel, and asking for help, is normal.” Dr S Akbar Zaidi, Executive Director, IBA Karachi
➢ “For the first time, Unplugged will be hosted at IVS. We are especially excited because at IVS we believe strongly in nurturing creative expression and talent among young people. This is intimately linked to the emotional and mental wellbeing of young people, which makes this
an incredibly important cause.” Dr Faiza Mushtaq, Dean and Executive Director, IVS
➢ “Unplugged started because we wanted a space where young people could talk about mental health without being judged. Karachi Bol! represents the development of that idea for our city, by our youth.” Raanya, Youth Circle of Synapse President and Unplugged organising team lead.
