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City Reset

2026-1-EL02-KA152-YOU-0003936372026Mobility of young peopleongoing
Countries: EL|HU|RO|RS|BG · Grant: €46,460
Research and innovationPhysical and mental health, well-beingPromotion of alternative forms of participation

Objectives

We want to implement our project now because we see Gen Z struggling with low mood, depressive symptoms, loneliness in crowds, digital overload, and "write" all of this on their bodies with psychosomatic signals, and we know that young people need practical tools that work in real life, not just nice words. The basic idea came very naturally to us, because we are an informal group of young people from Crete who grew up in a strong sense of community, outdoor activities, and student life, and we have members from medical school specializing in psychiatry, psychology, and biology. We hear about these issues from friends and fellow students, we see them in our own lives, and we encounter them in our activities with young people. We chose Athens because it encapsulates the urban rhythm and pressures that affect mood, body, and habits, making it an ideal field for experiential learning, for role-playing games in a safe environment, but also for moments outside, in parks and on trails, where we put what we learn into practice. With our project, we want to achieve three things that are meaningful at the end of an exchange. First, to give young people a clear understanding of depression and practical mental resilience so that they can better cope with difficult periods in their studies, work, and relationships. Second, to strengthen the mind-body connection so that young people can recognize psychosomatic signals in a timely manner and have small self-regulation practices that fit into their daily lives. Thirdly, we want to build a culture of help seeking and peer support, with clear boundaries, respect for privacy and consent, and safe language of support, so that we do not remain silent when someone is struggling. And because we want to make a real difference in the local community, we will turn the results into tools that can be used by other young people and youth workers after the exchange, through our three deliverables: the digital City Reset Toolkit, the City Reset Social Media Pack with ethical communication notes, and the Athens City Reset Map as a model that can be replicated. From the perspective of youth work practice, our goals are clear and practical. We want to develop an applicable, non-clinical youth work framework for depression, resilience, and mind-body, which can be safely implemented in youth groups without becoming therapeutic and without creating exposure. We want to strengthen young people's ability to actively participate in non-formal learning and co-create tools for their peers, so that we can move from the model of the simple participant to the model of the multiplier. We also want to test and document a methodology that combines classroom and fieldwork, role games, city mapping, short interviews, and design sprints, because this provides quality, rhythm, and real application. We will incorporate structured reflection and Youthpass on a daily basis so that learning becomes visible and recognized, and we will improve inclusion practices for young people with fewer opportunities through safe space, right of pass, participation roles, and a stable supportive team structure. Our specific goals are to increase depression literacy with myths and truths, signs, protective factors, and clear help-seeking pathways, develop peer support and communication skills through real-life check-in scenarios, enhance mind-body awareness and psychosomatic awareness, learn and try five- to fifteen-minute micro-resets and design a personal resilience plan, support sleep routines and responsible digital attitudes as complementary protective factors, and produce and use the three deliverables as tools for transfer to the community. For us, success in terms of youth work means that young people leave with tangible skills and tools, are able to apply them and transfer them to their peers through small follow-up actions, and that our organizations have a quality model of activities that can be replicated in other cities.

Project partners (5)