Professionals and institutions have been pointing to the increase of people suffering mental illnesses in Europe and worldwide for decades. The Covid-19 pandemic and the various measures it has generated have impacted on the mental health of the entire population, including children and adolescents. Certain signs of deterioration in the mental health of adolescents (demotivation, dropping out of school, withdrawal, anxious school refusal) have also been noted by professionals.
However, mental health problems are still widely stigmatised by society and among the population. Young people have been particularly affected, as the incidence of mental health problems among people aged 15-24 has doubled in most countries during the pandemic. The seriousness of the problem is also underlined by the fact that suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people in Europe.
We want to contribute to the fight against the stigma of mental health at European level. This project aims to raise awareness among youth workers on the issue of adolescent mental health. We want to encourage them to set up awareness-raising and prevention actions by using innovative digital mediation tools. In this way, we will work to increase their digital skills, which are currently required in most professional sectors and in particular the education and training sector, and thus increase their chances of professional integration.
Project results:
- A prevention kit for youth workers and adolescents, which will include a collection of 25 good practices in Europe ; a prevention guide for youth workers; a plain language booklet for teenagers; a set of illustrated posters and 6 infographics.
- 30 educational sheets
- A self-assessment quiz of 15 questions for youth workers to situate their knowledge at national and European level on the issue of mental health.
- 5 interactive stories on the theme of “Changing your view on…” (e.g., autism, anxiety, panic attacks, mental illness, isolation and discrimination…)
- A creation kit for interactive stories.