MindBoost Academy: Mental Health & Youth Work

MindBoost Academy is an international Erasmus+ training course that brings together youth workers, youth leaders, educators, trainers, volunteers, and other professionals from the Netherlands and Serbia active in the field of non-formal learning and youth work.

Across Europe, youth workers increasingly encounter young people experiencing stress, anxiety, loneliness, burnout, and other mental health challenges. While youth workers are often a trusted source of support, many feel they lack practical tools and confidence to respond effectively. MindBoost Academy has been designed to strengthen their competences through experiential learning, international cooperation, and the exchange of good practices.

A central outcome of the training is the co-creation of the MindBoost Toolkit—a practical collection of methods, activities, facilitation guides, and resources that participants will design together throughout the week. Rather than simply testing existing materials, participants will actively contribute their own experiences, ideas, and expertise to develop tools that can be adapted and implemented in youth work settings across different communities.

During six days in Breda, participants will:

- strengthen their understanding of youth mental health and wellbeing;

- explore practical, non-formal education methods for promoting resilience and emotional wellbeing;

- develop facilitation, mentoring, and peer-support skills;

- learn how to recognise challenges and respond appropriately within the role of a youth worker;

- co-create the MindBoost Toolkit, ensuring it reflects diverse experiences and practical needs from both partner countries;

- build lasting connections with fellow youth workers and organisations.

The programme is based on non-formal education, combining interactive workshops, simulations, reflection, peer learning, teamwork, creativity, and intercultural exchange. Every participant is expected to actively contribute to discussions, group work, and the collaborative development of the toolkit.

This training is open exclusively to participants residing in the Netherlands and Serbia. Applicants should be actively involved in youth work or non-formal learning, including youth workers, youth leaders, trainers, educators, NGO staff, and volunteers who work directly with young people and are motivated to strengthen their competences in promoting mental health and wellbeing.

MindBoost Academy is not a clinical or therapeutic programme. Instead, it provides practical educational approaches and resources that participants will help create and can confidently implement within their own organisations and local communities after the training.