In 2023, 64% of European youth were at risk of depression, 30%-80% were more likely to report symptoms of depression or anxiety than adults (WHO); 49% reported mental health care needs unmet (EU Consilium). More prone to peer pressure, delinquency, bullying, abuse and conflict, youth have, since 2016, experienced a rapid rise in loneliness. Suicide is the second leading cause of death (WHO). The last 15 years (two economic downturns; armed conflicts in Syria, Ukraine, Iraq, North Africa, Israel and Lebanon; COVID19 and misinformation on social media) have added to the burden. About 4.6 million IDPs and conflict widows entered the EU-28 ‘with a median age of 28.1 years’ (Eurostat); ‘nearly 40%, mainly female youth, unable to connect or access mental health support’ (WHO) endure depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and psychosis at ‘3 times higher than host populations’ (Montgomery, 2011; Reiss, 2013) and brings entanglement with ‘human trafficking, slavery, conflict victimhood, intolerance (IOM); forced marriage, female genital mutilation’ (WHO); organised crime and being radicalized (UN Human Rights Council). Youth workers serving these groups carry a ≥60% risk of compassion fatigue, ‘burnout’, or Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS). Risks accumulate with prolonged exposure to disadvantaged communities, or to trauma related challenges; where social isolation is a significant factor; where resources are constrained (Bride, 2016; Kizilhan, 2018; Plakas, 2016). Quality of care offered by youth workers drops, as mental well-being falls. A worker, fatigued or stressed, doesn’t have the buoyancy and resilience to make an engagement an attractive or lasting proposition for a young person, reducing the value of developmental spaces and opportunities for young people. Therefore, this project was assigned a sectoral priority ‘to promote young people's social inclusion and well-being’ and these four objectives: - Equipping youth workers with the ability to track and manage personal and work-related risks of mental ill-health, ranging from mild to severe, and enhance their resilience. - Improving youth workers' understanding and ability to assist young people they work with, particularly those facing disadvantage, trauma, conflict, violence, or abuse. - Promoting personal and professional growth through peer learning, cross-cultural exchange, and inter-organsational collaboration, aligned with the EU Youth Strategy (2019/21). - Enabling participating organisations to access and implement sustainable systems to monitor and address mental health risks among their youth workers. Each selected participant completed a survey at application stage, giving us a profile of their work, challenges, needs and their motivation to participate. This data shaped the project’s objectives, approach and educational content (see Annex 12). YOUTH WORK PRACTICE The statement: 'Youth work should be attractive, collaborative, co-created and responsive to the needs and interests of young people, whose participation is voluntary (‘Quality Youth Work - A common framework for the further development of youth work’, 2015) is correct. We also agree that the ‘relationship between the youth worker and the young person’ is central. This project assisted ‘youth workers in improving their practice and skills development through creating a structure and space for reflection, dialogue and action’ (‘Council conclusions on the contribution of quality youth work to the development, well-being and social inclusion of young people’, 2013) contributing to their resilience and thus the effectiveness of their work with youth in their care. Evidence is presented throughout this report. EU LIFEFONG COMPETENCIES Participant surveys repeatedly confirmed that the project delivered on three key EU Competencies very well. - 100% marked ‘Personal, social and learning to learn’§: ‘awareness of one's learning process and needs, build on prior learning and life experiences’, ‘learning autonomously, work collaboratively’, ‘share learning’, ‘organise own learning’, ‘act/think reflectively, build the ability to deal with change’‡ - 77% marked ‘Cultural awareness and expression competence’: ‘express and understand different viewpoints’, ‘a positive attitude and curiosity about the world’, ‘empathy, overcome prejudices’, ‘ability to engage effectively with others’ § - 62% marked ‘Citizenship competence’: ‘to share and compare experiences and ideas with peers from different cultures’, ‘able to see own reality from a broader perspective’, ‘promotion of culture of peace and non-violence’. ‡ The first two we were initially sure we could secure; success with the third competency was a welcome revelation. § (2018/EC 189/01) ‡ PISA Report (2005)