Evidence based ways to support the mental well-being of young people in Finland, Portugal, Greece, and Slovenia

According to UNICEF (2023), more than half of young people in Europe believe that the extraordinary events and crises of recent years have affected their mental health. These events have caused anxiety in about half of young people. Nevertheless, almost half of them would like to receive mental health services in educational institutions and peer-to-peer support. Therefore, in wExchange partner meeting in Lisbon 10 and 11 May 2023 partners presented some evidence-based ways to support the mental well-being of young people in Finland, Greece, Portugal and Slovenia. Let us name just a few interventions.

For example, in Finland there are several interventions and initiatives that take place to promote mental health of young people such as “Nuorten Ystävät” (Friends of Youth) program that focuses on promoting mental health and well-being among young people in Finland. It trains and employs young peer support workers who offer guidance, mentorship, and a listening ear to their peers. The program is rooted in the idea of shared experiences and aims to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health. In Slovenia, for example, program “Mira” (Peer Support Program for Mental Health) is an evidence-based peer support program developed by Slovenian National Institute of Public Health. It focuses on enhancing mental health literacy among young people and empowering them to support their peers effectively. The program includes training modules that cover various aspects of mental health, communication skills, and supportive interventions. In Greece there are several interventions and initiatives that take place to promote mental health of young people, such as PROMEHS program in which Greece is part of a 7 European countries consortium with the aim to promote mental health at school. The consortium is developing resources for different target groups of the school communities (teachers and school leaders, pupils, parents, policy makers and scholars). To promote Mental Health Well-Being, the Portuguese School Health National Program, in the strategy 1 “Empowerment – Mental Health and socioemotional competences”, the interventions topics are risk behaviors, namely consumption of psychoactive substances, the problems of anxiety, depression and suicide risk and self-inflicted injuries, among others, emerge in this age group and require specific interventions at the level of assessment and treatment.

It is important to note that these evidence-based peer programs have been implemented with specific contexts and cultural considerations in mind. By learning from the experiences and practices in Finland, Portugal, Greece, and Slovenia, we can advance our understanding of how evidence-based peer programs can effectively support the mental health needs of young people. These programs not only provide vital support but also contribute to reducing the stigma surrounding mental health and promoting a more inclusive and empathetic society.