The 5 most important COMPETENCES (skills, knowledge and attitudes) that the youth exchange will develop in young people is the way the project will contribute to their personal and social development are: - recognizing signs of stress in one’s self and in others - recognizing causes of that stress - recognizing positive and negative coping strategies - reducing stigma around mental health issues - ability to share this learning with peers and family members How they contribute to personal and social development Many young people grow into adulthood and then live through it without being able to recognize the signs of stress on themselves. If they are to address it and live healthier lives then they need to first know how to recognise it. Once they acknowledge that they suffer from stress and poor emotional health, they need to know the causes so they can address them. Many people cope with stress and poor emotional well being in ways that exacerbate the problem. Excessive drinking affects the heart and wallet, punching a wall affects the hand and the wall. They need to recognise poor strategies as well as learning positive ones Statistics show that 25% of people will suffer mental health issues in their adult life. As young people grow into adulthood they need to know this so they can be prepared and so they will not judge their peers who suffer. Most mental health professionals put the statistic nearer to 100% at one time or another Having this new knowledge and enlightenment, the young people need to be able to transfer these skills from the learning environment into the life environments they find themselves in. This helps their ability to help themselves and their peers The 3 positive outcomes for organizations involved - cascaded learning from the attendees into the organisation - the natural analysis of the organisations environment that follows this new learning - education resources that can be shared The 3 positive outcomes for other young people and the local communities involved (in hosting country and sending countries) -positive role models, teaching enduring coping strategies through action - ripple effect learning as they learn from the course graduates - less discriminating towards members of those societies who have previously been stereotyped Objectives to fulfill: - to explore the causes and effects of mental well being issues - to develop positive coping strategies - to promote the outcomes of the learning to peers - to challenge stereotypes, attitudes and discrimination against people with mental health issues