Wellbeing4Youth: Turning a Youth Exchange intoPractical Tools for Mental Wellbeing
How can young people learn to take better care of their mental wellbeing while also building creativity, confidence and meaningful connections with others?
This was the central idea behind Wellbeing4Youth, an international Erasmus+ youth project
bringing together young people from Poland, Italy, Greece, Romania and North Macedonia.
The project responded to a challenge that is becoming increasingly visible across Europe:
young people experience high levels of stress, pressure and uncertainty, while access to
practical mental health support and wellbeing education is still limited in many communities.
Rather than focusing only on discussions about mental health, Wellbeing4Youth was
designed to give participants practical tools that they could use in everyday life and
later share with others.
Learning wellbeing through experience
The main international activity was a seven-day youth exchange organised in Teresin,
Poland, with 30 participants from five European countries.
The programme was based on non-formal education and learning through experience.
Participants explored different approaches to wellbeing through workshops, creative
activities, discussions and outdoor sessions.
The programme included mindfulness and meditation, breathing and relaxation techniques,
stress management, yoga in nature, art-based activities, creative workshops, personal
reflection and the PERMA model of wellbeing. Participants also explored the relationship between mental wellbeing, social connections, physical activity, creativity and sustainable lifestyles.
An important element of the project was international learning. Participants worked in mixed- country teams, took part in intercultural evenings and reflected every day on what they had learned and which competences they were developing.
From workshops to practical resources
The project was designed so that the learning would not finish when the youth exchange
ended.
Participants and partner organisations worked together to transform the knowledge and
methods explored during the programme into resources that can now be used by young
people, youth workers, educators and schools.
One of the main results is the Wellbeing4Youth E-book, which brings together practical
approaches to mindfulness, meditation, stress management, creativity, social support,
physical activity and personal development. The publication includes accessible exercises and tools such as breathing techniques, progressive muscle relaxation, visualisation, the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique, the PERMA model, Ikigai, gratitude exercises, journaling and reflective methods.
To make the resource accessible to a wider European audience, the e-book is available in
several languages: English, Polish, Italian, Romanian, Greek, Macedonian and Spanish.
Learning through play
Another important result is the educational board game “Out of options?”
The game invites players to explore challenging emotional and social situations and discuss
possible ways of responding to them. Players work with cards presenting different problems and potential solutions. The format encourages discussion, reflection and exchange of perspectives rather than simply searching for one “correct” answer. QR codes incorporated into the game provide access to additional digital wellbeing tips, connecting the physical game with further learning resources.
Resources for young people, educators and schools
Wellbeing4Youth also produced an E-Brochure containing practical wellbeing
recommendations and an Infographicpresenting key messages in an accessible visual
format.
A particularly important result is the School Policy Brief – “Bringing Youth Mental
Wellbeing Practices into Schools.” The document was created for school directors, teachers, educators and youth professionals who would like to introduce simple wellbeing practices into educational environments.
It presents approaches that can be implemented with limited resources, together with
recommendations concerning safety, ethical implementation, monitoring and long-term
integration of wellbeing practices into school life.
This allows the impact of the project to move beyond individual participants and into
institutions working with young people.
Extending the impact beyond the exchange
The project demonstrated that international mobility can be much more than a one-week
experience. Participants developed practical techniques for managing stress and supporting their wellbeing, but they also improved teamwork, intercultural communication, creativity and digital competences. The final evaluation showed a very positive response from participants, while project materials and communication activities reached a much wider online audience.
The resources created through Wellbeing4Youth are intended to remain available after the
end of the funded activities so that other young people, youth workers, educators and
organisations can adapt and use them in their own communities.
Explore the Wellbeing4Youth resources
Visitors to the Wellbeing4Youth website can explore the multilingual e-book, educational
board game, e-brochure, infographic, School Policy Brief and materials developed through
the project’s communication campaign.
Together, these resources reflect the main message of the project:
mental wellbeing is not only something we should talk about when problems appear.
It is something that can be supported every day through small practices, supportive
relationships, creativity, reflection and community.
Wellbeing4Youth aimed to give young people the space to discover these practices together — and to transform what they learned into tools that can now be shared with others.
PROJECT RESULTS:
E-book:
Project website:
Board Game – “Out of options?”:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kr4BRizL5-CaC_1G8Xkq_TvCItac09nY?usp=share_link
E-Brochure: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1el0f9OsIJHU2tIiTxoNfGnLR6ZGSKbhg/view?usp=share_link
Infographic:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10Uwdp4zP-U6hMZL8LMppg1BX7NFXTt0f/view?usp=sharing
Social Media Campaign:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19dxrygiyfj-qS0i3YFDe1QU7HP70ANL0?usp=sharing
School Policy Brief – “Bringing Youth Mental Wellbeing Practices into Schools”: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XLBGVfrxNEAJ9bBbIxzAWGY3PooY44dX/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=114402531914321980969&rtpof=true&sd=true
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