Protecting Youth’s Mental Health Erasmus Project

Project Title

Protecting Youth’s Mental Health

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Health and wellbeing; Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

For many, the age of “youth” is an interesting time, but since it is full of changes and challenges, it can represent the trigger of anxiety, worry and uneasiness.

For example, it is estimated that 4% of those aged between 15-24 years old recognize that they might suffer from chronic depression, while 14% of the European youth between 18-24 feel alienated or anxiety. Women are more likely to have depression (Eurofound).

Unfortunately, young people sometimes do not recognise what is happening, where to find help or find it embarrassing, so these emotional strains might lead to deeper mental processes, depression or even suicide. Suicide is the second cause of death, among age group of 15-29, according to the WHO.

That is why, this strategic alliance (formed by Petrklíč Help, CWP and Permacultura Cantabria) decided to address this topic in the project “Protecting Youth’s Mental Health”, and contribute reducing this problem.

The project seeks, to gather tools for the identification of youth mental health issues, considering socio-economic and cultural factors; and on the other hand, it seeks their prevention, by learning how to design spaces and activities based on 8 main pillars, that are considered as favourable for a healthy mental health and relationships.

These pillars create a series of healthy habits that help prevent emotional issues, being topics of youth interest:

-Good Relationships.
-Self-esteem.
-Emotional Care and Management.
-Prevention of Addictions.
-Active participation in EU and social activities.
-Healthy Sports and Cooperation.
-Traditional culture (Traditional dances as cultural heritage).
-Adultism (from youth to adulthood).

Project’s objectives are:

-Create spaces for knowledge exchange and good practices that add solutions to the problem of youth depression.

Thus, the project has planned 2 participatory visits to Petrklíč Help (Czech Republic) and CWP (UK), to know the situation of the problem in each country, and their best practices to tackle it. Associated organizations will collaborate in these visits.

-Provide youth workers and participants with tools for creating healthy and collaborative spaces.

That is why, an 8-day course in Spain will be carried out and led by Permacultura Cantabria, to merge the tools to identify and prevent youth depression. With this, youth workers and young leaders will be better trained.

-Promote the dissemination of the project and its results in order to broaden its impact.

An exhaustive dissemination strategy was planned and divided into several phases (before, during and after the course) and tasks. Also, internal workshops will be replicated in each entity, to different relevant targets, expanding the project’s sustainability and impact.

All participants for all the project’s activities are members of the involved entities (youth workers or youth leaders) that will meet the required criteria and will attend the activities. 2 youth workers will be the project and dissemination coordinators who will attend all the transnational activities including the transnational meetings (in Spain and Czech Republic).

Four youth workers from each organisation will attend the 2 participatory visits (Czech Republic and UK) and the course in Spain, while 4 young leaders per entity will attend the course. Both youth workers and leaders will be in charge of the design and implementation of internal workshops, in each entity.

All of them will support the dissemination strategy and the correct development of the project and its activities, with their active participation.

During the project’s activities, the methodology will be flexible and participative, with practical and theoretical sessions.

The project aims to develop a non-formal training methodology for youth workers or educators, so that they can replicate and adapt it to their groups, according to their circumstances, in their regions. This will make the results of this project sustainable over time and have a greater impact.

Impact:

Youth workers will acquire tools to create healthy spaces, to prevent emotional risks or isolation; Recognise socio-economic and cultural factors; Contribute to the elimination of taboos to seek help; Improve their career prospects and linguistic skills, etc.

Young leaders will increase their awareness about depression and addictions, and have tools to support their peers or seek help. The project will help their passage to adult life, to better manage emotions, establish healthy relationships, increase self-esteem, intercultural dialogue, etc.

Involved organizations will become pioneers and references on the subject; will capacitate their staff; strengthen alliances and networks; have greater EU participation; design future related projects, etc.

Thanks to the dissemination, we will reach a wide multiplier audience, at all geographical levels.Thus, we expect the project results to help reducing depressive processes, discrimination and isolation, among youth.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 82236 Eur

Project Coordinator

Petrklíč help, z.s. & Country: CZ

Project Partners

• ASOCIACION CULTURAL Y MEDIOAMBIENTAL PERMACULTURA CANTABRIA
• Creativity Works Preston