We wanted to achieve better support for young people with mental health issues by improving our services and strengthening the skills of youth workers, especially through volunteering. Our main goals were to exchange good volunteer practices between partners, develop new or improved activities, and help young people become more stable, confident, and socially active through volunteering, peer support, and non-formal learning. We also aimed to collect our methods and experiences in an E-Book, so other organisations working with young people can use and adapt our approaches. We also wanted to strengthen our organisations by building closer cooperation, improving staff competencies, and developing funding strategies to make our work sustainable after the project ends. Through trainings, job shadowing, and shared learning, we aimed to give youth workers practical tools to better support mental health in everyday work. Overall, we wanted to create lasting positive change for young people while building stronger organisations and a shared European approach to youth mental health. We truly believe we achieved and even exceeded all expectations because our results are practical, useful and meaningful.
We applied for this project in response to the growing mental health challenges among young people and the increasing pressure this creates for youth organisations. Our organisations, Gemeinsam leben und lernen in Europa, SOSPED, and Pista Mágica, work directly with young people who struggle with stress, anxiety, and depression. At the same time, professional mental health services are limited, and many young people cannot access the support they need. This often makes youth workers the first point of contact, even though staff does not always have enough tools, training, or shared methods to respond effectively. Through Mental Matters, we aimed to strengthen our organisations and improve staff skills by learning from each other and exchanging best practices. The project helped us develop better approaches to support young people with mental health issues, improve our services, and build stronger cooperation between partners. By sharing knowledge and practical experience, we created changes that will last beyond the project and can also support other NGOs working with young people facing similar challenges.