CARE - Supporting Mental Health and Wellbeing through Quality Youth Work

Themes: Our Partnership Building Activity will address the urgent theme of youth mental health and wellbeing, directly linked to Youth Goal 5 of the European Youth Strategy. Young people across Europe face challenges such as stress, anxiety, social isolation, and stigma around mental health, while youth workers often lack the tools, competences, and partnerships needed to respond effectively. Our project will provide space for organisations to exchange practices, co-create methods, and build sustainable cooperation to strengthen the role of youth work in this field.

Our PBA will begin by clarifying concepts of mental health, wellbeing, and self-care, recognising cultural differences and common challenges. A second theme will focus on mindfulness and embodiment routines as simple yet powerful tools to manage stress, build presence, and support emotional awareness among youth workers and young people alike. Participants will then explore stress responses and regulation, using accessible models such as “fight–flight–freeze” to reflect on behavioural patterns and develop self- and co-regulation strategies.

Creating safe spaces, setting boundaries, and fostering trust will form another central theme. Youth workers need to balance closeness and professional distance while safeguarding young people. Exercises on saying no, setting limits, and working with emotions will provide concrete strategies for this. In parallel, Nonviolent Communication will be introduced as a tool for conflict transformation, feedback, and dialogue.

A further theme is the coaching mindset, using tools such as the GROW model and self-coaching methods to support young people in setting goals and sustaining motivation, while also fostering youth workers’ self-reflection. Finally, the PBA will focus on intersectoral cooperation, mapping stakeholders such as schools, social services, health professionals, and municipalities, and developing joint pathways to improve support systems for young people.

The overall aim of the project is to strengthen the capacity of youth workers and organizations to support young people’s mental health and wellbeing (Youth Goal 5) through inclusive, empowering, practice-oriented youth work. We will bring together committed partners to share what works, co-create simple, ready-to-use tools (daily check-ins, short mindfulness/body routines, boundary-setting, compassionate communication), and agree on common “safe space” principles for our programmes. Our PBA aims to build a supportive network that embeds self- and co-regulation in everyday practice, links Youthpass reflection with the ETS competence model, and opens bridges with schools, social and health services. Each organization will leave with a small method pack, a local stakeholder map and referral flow, and a concrete action plan to pilot the tools at home—laying the groundwork for sustained cooperation and initiating follow-up Erasmus+ projects, specifically KA152 Youth exchanges, KA153 Training courses, KA210 Small-scale Partnerships and KA220 Cooperation Partnerships to pilot and scale the co-created approach.

By the end of the project, participants will:

• Define shared concepts of mental health, wellbeing, and self-care, and name 3 priority needs in their local context.
• Facilitate a 10–15 min daily check-in and a 5-minute mindfulness/embodiment routine with a youth group.
• Identify at least 3 signs of fight–flight–freeze and apply 2+ co-regulation strategies to de-escalate tension.
• Set and hold boundaries using clear, youth-friendly language and draft a short personal/professional boundaries statement.
• Run a 60-minute Nonviolent Communication micro-workshop (observation–feeling–need–request) and mediate a simple peer conflict scenario.
• Co-create inclusive safe-space agreements and adapt them for youth with fewer opportunities (accessibility & support measures).
• Map at least 5 local stakeholders (schools, social/health services, municipality, NGOs) and sketch a light referral/signposting flow.
• Contribute one micro-pilot idea (aim, target group, steps, timeline) to test at home after the PBA.

Join the transnational partner network and commit to next steps, including contributing to an Erasmus+ KA152, KA153, KA210 or KA220 project idea for follow-up.

The objectives of the Partnership Building Activity are:

• To build a common understanding of youth mental health, wellbeing and self-/co-regulation in youth work
• To strengthen the capacity of youth workers to create safe, inclusive spaces and uphold clear boundaries and safeguarding
• To share and co-create practical tools for everyday use (e.g. daily check-ins, mindfulness/body awareness, compassionate communication, coaching questions)
• To nurture a culture of care that supports youth workers’ own wellbeing and resilience
• To promote nonviolent, needs-based communication and constructive conflict transformation in groups
• To ensure inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities by adapting methods for accessibility and support
• To connect youth work with schools, social and health services, and municipalities, building supportive local ecosystems
• To adapt wellbeing routines into regular programmes and organisational practices
• To initiate Erasmus+ KA152, KA153, KA210 and KA220 partnerships for supporting mental health of young people and youth professionals.

The methodology of the PBA: Our PBA uses non-formal, experiential and peer-to-peer learning with a clear flow from community-building to co-creation and partnership planning. We start by creating a safe, inclusive space: shared agreements, accessibility checks, buddying, and simple daily rituals (short check-ins, mindful/embodied warm-ups) that support presence and wellbeing. Learning follows an experience → reflection → application cycle, keeping sessions practical and hands-on. We combine interactive practice labs (role-play, simulation, theatre of situations) with method co-creation. Participants try out and adapt everyday tools—mindful/embodied routines, boundary-setting, compassionate communication, and coaching questions (GROW)—then turn these into concise, youth-work-ready scripts. To shift from “good ideas” to cooperation, we run partnership design studios: world-café/fishbowl for mapping needs and strengths; stakeholder mapping for schools, social and health services, and municipalities; and small groups drafting micro-pilot concepts to trial at home. A marketplace and open-space slots allow partners to share practices and find matches for follow-up work. Reflection is woven through the programme with daily harvests, learning diaries and Youthpass moments that link personal learning to the ETS competence model.

Who can participate in the PBA:

• 2 youth workers per partner organisation (staff or long-term volunteers).
• Directly working with young people in daily basis, especially those with fewer opportunities.
• Experience in at least one Erasmus+ youth project (group leader, coordinator, or organiser).
• Motivated to strengthen youth mental health & wellbeing (Youth Goal 5) in everyday youth work.
• Open to practise and co-create wellbeing methods (daily check-ins, short mindfulness/embodiment, clear boundary-setting, compassionate communication/NVC, basic coaching/GROW) and embed them in programmes.
• Committed to safe, inclusive spaces, safeguarding and trauma-aware, ethical facilitation.
• Ready to reflect with Youthpass and connect learning to the ETS competence model, sharing and learning with peers.
• Able to build or deepen intersectoral links (schools, social and health services, municipalities).
• Eligible for Erasmus+ funding and/or accredited, and willing to contribute to follow-up KA210/KA220 initiatives.

Available for the full duration (6 full working days + 2 travel days) and able to work in English.