Our project aimed to professionalise the approach to mental health within international voluntary service (IVS). The core objectives were: 1. Updating the web Handbook with a dedicated subpage containing educational videos, expert articles, and a practical mental health checklist. 2. Capacity building for staff and trainers to bridge the gap between theoretical mental health knowledge and practical youth work. 3. Establishing a weekend-long Creative Hub where experts and experienced campleaders from the Czech Republic and Germany could meet, discuss together the topic of mental health at workcamps, and co-produce authentic, relatable educational materials. 4. Training Czech and German campleaders through workshops on the topic of mental health, integrated into regular preparatory trainings and evaluation meetings. 5. Disseminating results across international networks of IVS organisations like Alliance and SCI to impact the wider European youth work sector. All the aforementioned objectives were fulfilled thanks to the project.
We initiated this project, as a consortium of three organisations, to address the deteriorating mental health of young people attending international volunteering projects (organised by Czech INEX-SDA for over 30 years and German IBG for over 60 years), a trend significantly accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Statistics from our partner, Nevypusť duši (Czech NGO working in the area of mental health), reveal that 75% of adult mental health issues begin before age 24, directly impacting our core target group of volunteers and campleaders (aged 18-30). We identified a critical lack of specific mental health training for campleaders of international workcamps, who often feel overwhelmed by both the psychological needs of participants as well as the amount of responsibilities they face during the workcamp. By addressing these needs, we aimed to make international volunteering more inclusive and ensure that both leaders and employees of our organisations who support them are equipped with accessible tools and knowledge to foster safe, supportive environments.