Youth information minding young people’s mental health

<< Background >>A prolonged negative impact on youth mental health had been noticed since the COVID-19 pandemic. Isolation, paired with precarity, uncertainty, and vulnerability, had significantly increased youth mental health issues. Although more young people had reported mental health struggles, frontline workers often lacked the skills and knowledge to identify issues and provide first-hand support. The war in Ukraine posed new challenges that were expected to impact young people's mental health, for which youth services were not yet prepared. YiMinds had developed resources to equip youth information workers with the knowledge and tools to identify youth at risk and redirect them to mental health experts when necessary. Youth with mental health conditions often suffered stigma and discrimination in their communities, that’s we also developed resources for them as well. Young people were not only seen as a target; they had been actively involved throughout the project. Encouraging mental health among young people by young people was key and lay at the core of YiMinds.<< Objectives >>We wanted to achieve the following objectives:- Enhance the mental health literacy of youth workers- Equip youth workers to identify youth mental health distress, provide first-hand support, and refer them to specialised services if needed- Foster cooperation among mental health experts, youth and youth workers- Share good practices to learn from experiences in different countries- Fight against the mental health stigma- Foster a peer-to-peer approach to mental health- Guide the adoption of measures at different levels to support youth mental health<< Implementation >>We implemented the following activities:- A survey (2.1) for youth workers to identify mental health literacy levels- A guide (2.2) for youth workers on identifying youth in distress, providing first-hand support, and knowing when to refer them to specialised services- 4 podcasts episodes (2.3) for youth workers produced by experts and young people, available on Spotify and YouTube- Screening young people's mental health needs (3.1) through focus group sessions - An online campaign (3.2) to reverse the mental health stigma- A mental health resilience toolkit (Mind Matters Toolbox) (3.3) to empower young people by providing resources that help them understand mental health better and equip them with the knowledge and tools to handle mental stress effectively.- a joint seminar (4.3) with stakeholders to present the project outcomes and have a panel discussion about young people's mental health- Stakeholders’ recommendations (4.4) to advocate for young people's mental health<< Results >>YiMinds had developed resources to equip youth workers to identify youth at risk and provide first-hand support through a guidebook*, leaning on the results of a survey on youth (information) workers’ mental health literacy and needs. The specific needs of more vulnerable groups (i.e., those from difficult family backgrounds, refugees, migrants, minorities, individuals with disabilities, etc.) had been carefully considered. The involvement of young people throughout YiMinds, particularly in the podcasts, mental health resilience toolkit*, awareness-raising campaign*, policy recommendations*, and seminar, had contributed to European youth's active citizenship and participation.The seminar (4.3) and the stakeholders' recommendation (4.4) were the climax activities that gathered all outcomes data of the project.*Available in 7 languages: English, French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Greek, Estonian.