The main objective of this project was to promote awareness of anxiety and mental health among staff and students within higher education institutions. A key focus was to provide staff with the necessary tools, resources, and expertise to identify, address, and support students dealing with anxiety. Through targeted training sessions, the project aimed to enhance students' ability to manage anxiety by fostering emotional competence and cultivating positive attitudes. Moreover, the initiative sought to create a more inclusive environment for anxious students by improving the knowledge and skills of their peers and the broader campus community.
We applied for this project to address the need of increasing anxiety/mental health awareness among Higher Education Institutions’ staff and students. Students suffering from symptoms of mental health disorders, especially anxiety often feel excluded from the HE Institutions environment, since their issues are not recognized by other peers, staff and HE authorities, and in general HE institutions do not have mental health services to provide them support. Mental health in higher education and society at large has been for too long a neglected topic and has not gained enough spotlight until recent years. The project focused on starting active work, advocate and push forward for positive systematic changes that addressed the mental health of students and staff on both national and European levels in the academic setting. This project supported HEI staff in recognizing and working with anxiety among students by providing needed tools, resources and knowledge to recognize, manage, and support students with anxiety. It also developed and improved anxiety management skills among students.