Mental health and democracy don’t obviously go hand in hand, but we’ve discovered that they are intimately linked: people with mental health problems may feel disconnected from their local communities and may lack the political optimism, energy, trust, or interest to participate in democratic life.
Unfortunately, young people are at an even higher risk of social exclusion: the European Youth Strategy for 2019-2027 showed that 19% of 16-29 year olds are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, 15.9% are unemployed, and 4.9% of young people in the EU experience moderate to severe symptoms of depression.
The COVID-19 pandemic further complicated matters by severely impacting young people’s ability to participate in the social-political environment around them at critical stages of their transition into adulthood. A generation’s ability to develop essential life skills, find their place in the world, develop socio-political optimism and active citizenship, trust in the institutions around them, and transition into adulthood and working life were severely impacted.
YOUTHWELL aims to promote well-being, social inclusion, democratic participation and resilience, and network-building among marginalized groups, youth workers, trainers, youth leaders, and staff of youth organisations.
YOUTHWELL is important and necessary. The project will empower young people to take their future into their hands by helping them set up their own initiatives and projects that advocate for mental health and active citizenship. We will collaborate with youth workers, youth groups, and young people across Europe, building a trans-continental network for like-minded people to connect, network, and collaborate. We will train youth advocates to become project ambassadors, invite young people to attend the European Youth Exchange in Barcelona (Spain), and train youth workers at the Transnational Competency Building Training in Belgrade (Serbia). We will create podcasts that destigmatise mental health and raise awareness on the important intersection between mental health and democracy.
To learn more about YOUTHWELL visit https://youthwell.eu/, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
About the project
YOUTHWELL: Working Together for Resilient and Democratic Youth is a project funded by the European Commission Erasmus+ programme.
Partners
- CARDET – Cardet Centre for the Advancement of Research & Development in Educational Technology (Cyprus, coordinator)
- Cyprus Youth Clubs Organisation KOKE (Cyprus)
- KMOP – Education & Innovation Hub Non-Profit Company (Greece)
- CESIE ETS (Italy)
- OBREAL – Global Observatory (Spain)
- Rightchallenge Associacao (Portugal)
- The Rural Hub Company Limited by Guarantee (Ireland)
- WEBIN – Western Balkans Institute (Serbia)
For further information
Read more about the project, visit https://youthwell.eu/, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Contact Ritti Soncco: ritti.soncco@cesie.org.
