From the success of European initiatives Build and I.YOU, a new adventure begins with EmpowerYOUth, a project that brings together youth, mental well-being, non-formal education, and a digital learning environment.
In recent years, youth mental well-being has become an increasingly pressing issue. According to the Health at a Glance 2022 report, about 50% of young Europeans have reported unmet psychological support needs. In response to this growing concern, EmpowerYOUth was created. It’s a project funded by the Erasmus+ programme, aiming to improve the quality of youth work and provide concrete tools to support the emotional well-being of adolescents. EmpowerYOUth brings together partners from Iceland, Italy, and Bulgaria and will train youth workers with practical strategies while simultaneously developing accessible digital tools for young people and their families.
The beginning of the EmpowerYOUth activities saw a first meeting between representatives of the organisations involved to set the foundation and next steps for the project. This occasion was important to analyse the results of BUILD and I.YOU, two European initiatives that have demonstrated how targeted training can increase adolescent resilience and mental well-being. The discussion was further enriched by the findings of a survey conducted among young people aged 14-18 in the three participating countries. The results confirmed the urgent need for practical tools to help adolescents manage stress, social relationships, and negative emotions. Based on these insights, a roadmap has been outlined to guide the development of the next phases of the project.
The project will also develop a training curriculum for youth workers, structured into twelve modules focused on emotional intelligence, stress management, and relational skills. The training will be based on innovative educational methods and will provide practical tools to facilitate dialogue with young people and help them build effective strategies for emotional management. In parallel, a digital platform will be developed, offering educators, youth, and parents access to educational materials, practical exercises, and useful tools to tackle the daily challenges of mental well-being. A key component of the project will be the active involvement of families, with workshops designed to equip parents with knowledge and strategies to better support their children.
The EmpowerYOUth journey has just begun: follow the project’s Facebook page to make sure you don’t miss the next steps.
EmpowerYOUth: Enhancing Youth Mental Wellbeing is a project funded by the Erasmus+ programme KA220-YOU – Cooperation partnerships in youth.
Partners
- Coordinator: Píeta Ísland, Iceland
- NORTH Consulting ehf, Iceland
- Centro per lo Sviluppo Creativo Danilo Dolci – ETS, Italy
- Natsionalna Shkola Pomenidzhmant, Bulgaria
For more information, visit the project’s Facebook page or contact Salvatore Duminuco: salvatore.duminuco@danilodolci.org.