MS&Friends 2: Mental health in focus

The “MS & Friends 2” is continuation of successful youth exchange implemented in summer 2025. This project focuses on raising awareness and sharing lived experiences of young people living with chronic health conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS), diabetes, Crohn’s disease, and other long-term physical conditions, often also called invisible, as well as the mental health challenges that often accompany them. Many young people with chronic illnesses experience anxiety, depression, stress, burnout, or emotional exhaustion as a result of ongoing health management, uncertainty, stigma, and barriers to participation in everyday life.

The project also intentionally includes “friends” — carers, family members, friends, peers, youth workers, and community members — recognising that chronic illness and mental health challenges affect not only individuals, but also those who support them. These supporters play a crucial role in providing emotional stability, practical assistance, advocacy, and understanding, yet their experiences, needs, and emotional wellbeing are often overlooked.

By facilitating exchange between those living with chronic conditions and those supporting them, the project seeks to create a supportive, understanding, and inclusive community where everyone has equal opportunities to learn, participate, and engage in international mobility experiences.

By bringing together participants from diverse backgrounds — including young people with chronic conditions, as well as carers, family members, and friends — the project aims to foster empathy, solidarity, and mutual understanding but above all, provide space for learning and sharing of experiences.

Venue: Durdevac, Croatia
Dates: September 2026
Conditions: 5 young people age up to 30 + 1 group leader, no age limit. If possible, the team needs to have participants with any chronic health condition.