In modern times young people are exposed to an unprecedented amount of negative information. Through their short life’s they have seen constant war while living under the threat of an environmental disaster. We know this has undoubtedly affected young people’s mental health. We know young people also face a wide range of personal challenges in their lives from family breakdown to bullying. We know resilience has dropped in young people in the last 10 years. It is no surprise that mental health affects 1 in 10 young people. This includes depression and anxiety. Alarmingly, however, 70% of young people who experience mental health problems have not had appropriate interventions at the time of crisis and haven’t developed the coping mechanisms to deal with these crisis's. The emotional wellbeing of young people is just as important as their physical health. Good mental health allows young people to cope with whatever life throws at them and to grow into active and motivated adults. Young people are going to find themselves in a difficult situation in their life, we know this. But what this project aims to deliver is coping mechanisms in the form of play to support young people through their development and utilise their imagination for later in life. Scientists have established resounding evidence that playful behaviour has very powerful and positive effects on the brain. So powerful, indeed, that the amount of play a young person does influences the young person’s ability to learn. Play is essential to development it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of young people. Building play into young people as an everyday activity can support better outcomes for young people and ultimately create a better and more inclusive society. Young people become more creative and understanding to others when they play. In humans, playfulness is associated with positive behaviours that enhance quality of life, including: Creativity, productivity, flexibility, optimism, empathy, social altruism, cooperation, problem solving, an increased ability to manage stress, and decreased mental illness. The main objectives of the project are; •To Empower youth practitioners/volunteers to explore and integrate different innovative and creative approaches, tools, methods and resources in their work with young people, in relation to building playful young people. •To inform youth practitioners/volunteers about mental wellbeing and the impact building play in young can have. •Empower practitioners to create impactful play sessions with young people to build confidence, belief and optimism for the young person’s future. •Empower youth practitioners/volunteers with ability to understand young people emotions and connections. •To explore the youth mental health and well-being landscape that exists in Europe with a focus on Scotland and the partner countries. During this project we will work with the participants using several strategies of non-formal education to understand play. We will aim to develop youth work practitioners who are strong minded and independent that can pass on the knowledge they have learned to a wide variety of young people. The Project will provide participants methods to use in their partner countries with their peers to share good practice that will have a meaningful impact on young people. The project will build up a network of informed practitioners who will have extensive training in play sharing their ideas and strategies with young people. Mental illness does not see class, gender, age, or race. It affects us all. The project will boost skills and employability in the participants as it will give them more knowledge on mental health and methods to use to build play in young people. It will impact them as individuals, focussing on how they can have the greatest impact while living their life to the full and being playful adults to boost their creativity and emotional well-being. It is no secret that mental health education needs modernised, this project will teach methods related to play that are impactful in tackling mental illness. ‘The Importance of Play’ is young person cantered; it focuses on building play in young people to create happier young people who are positive and driven. Play forges social connections and creates a sense of community and belonging. Young people will be impacted greatly because of this project. Youth workers and their peers will have developed skills to build play in themselves and the young people they work with. Creating a generation of strong-minded young people who are ready to change the world for the better. Strong minded young people who are ready for what barriers may be put in their way. Strong minded young who are motivated to develop themselves in education or work. Young people who get the chance to be impacted by this project will impact others. Young people will become active citizen who are empowered and actively using their voice.