Young people’s health, mental health and psychological well-being have been the focus of the Youth Partnership’s work since 2020. It has published papers on the effects of Covid-19 on young people’s mental health and wellbeing in 2021 and 2022, and a volume of the Coyote Magazine #32: Well-being?! In 2022, the topic of mental health and well-being was addressed within the context of a Symposium Navigating Transitions: adapting policy to young people’s changing realities. A new T-kit on the well-being and mental health of young people is also being developed. 

In 2024-2025, the Youth Partnership is conducting research on young people’s mental health and well-being, which explores the different triggers that aggravate young people’s mental health and well-being, analyses existing policies at the European and national levels, and maps out available services for young people. Youth well-being is influenced by factors such as increased academic demands and expectations, socio-economic background and overall precarity facing young people’s insecure work life and financial stability, global conflicts and crisis situations, climate change and exposure to online content and interactions.

In this context the Youth Partnership organised a seminar on youth mental health and well-being on 18-19 March at the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg. The event brought together 46 participants including young people, youth workers, researchers and policy makers to discuss how is the youth sector responding to the mental health and well-being needs of young people. Preliminary findings of the study were presented with the participants, and the seminar offered space to various civil society and public sector actors to present the services they provide to young people in online, in-person and hybrid formats. Finally, the participants discussed the competences needed from youth workers and policy makers to meaningfully engage with this topic.

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