The project aimed to develop and evaluate an appealing, evidence-based and freely available online program for 12-15-year-old students to strengthen their mental health literacy, resilience and personal resources. By creating the program in a participatory manner with students and teachers from partner schools, we aimed to make it relatable, playful and sensitive to the diversity and needs of the students. We sought to address gaps in existing digital programs, which often lack adaptivity or accessibility. The main objective was to empower students to play an active role in caring for their mental well-being and reduce the barriers to seeking help. Specific goals included creating differentiated content (two levels of complexity), ensuring the design was user-friendly and accessible, and making the program adaptable to students’ needs. We expected the intervention group to show improvements in knowledge, well-being, stress reduction, mindfulness, and help-seeking behavior. By combining students’ voices with scientific evidence, the project aimed to expand the landscape of universal digital school-based prevention programs.
We applied for this project because promoting mental health in children and youth is essential. Research indicates that half of all mental illnesses begin in adolescence, and 16,3 % of European youth aged 10-19 show signs of a mental disorder (UNICEF, 2021). Preventive programs targeting this age group are therefore crucial. Our project addressed this need by promoting mental health literacy, resilience, mindfulness, help-seeking behavior and stress management combined with psychoeducational content about the most prevalent mental health issues in children and youth. While school based prevention has proven to be effective, most programs are developed face-to-face and not digitally inclusive to support all children. To make use of the benefits of digital tools for diverse learners (e.g. flexibility, anonymity, accessibility) we developed an evidence-based, digital, inclusive, diversity-sensitive program in co-creation with students and teachers from three countries to empower students to care for their well-being and establish a solid foundation for the promotion of mental health.