RAY: Resilience and Adaptability in Youth

Name and description of the project: RAY - Resilience and Adaptability in Youth: Raising awareness and developing skills amidst the Covid-19 crisis aims to bolster the mental health of youth impacted by Covid-19 crisis, especially those with fewer opportunities.

Duration, programme, funding (Cerv or Erasmus+) and partnership: the project started on October 2022 and it ends in October is funded by the European Commission by the program Erasmus+ - Small-scale partnerships in youth (Key Action 2); the Municipality of Cinisello Balsamo is involved as a partner together with the Finnish organization “Helsinki Pioneers" and the lead organization from Cyprus "KOKEN". 

Specific objectives of the project: the specific objectives of the projects are: 
 Raising awareness of the impact of Covid-19 crisis on mental health in various
contexts (e.g. workplace, education);
 Helping youth workers and the youth identify and recognize mental health issues;
 Improving adaptability and resilient skills of youth workers and youth;
 Enhancing the use of non-formal methods to cope with potential mental health issues associated with Covid-19 crisis;
 Improving the capacity of partner organizations to work on a European level via developing new networks;
 To improve the quality and appreciation of the youth worker profession.

Project Activities: In the coming months the following activities will be developed:

 Transnationals Coordination meetings among the partner organizations: the first of which will be hosted by the KOKEN organization in Cyprus while subsequent meetings will be held online;
 A Focus Group to be organized locally by each partner organization with the aim of creating a moment of discussion on mental health on youth, analyzing the impact Covid-19 has had on them. The focus group will consist of four youth workers, two mental health practitioners, and four young people (ages 18-25); the topics that will be discussed are the awareness of mental illness, how to recognize it, and how to deal with it. The results of the Focus Group will provide insights and content for the development of Project Outcomes R1 and R2, which correspond to the creation of the Youth Worker Toolkit and the Survival Manual for youth, respectively;
 A training seminar that will build on the content of the Toolkit for Youth Workers" (R1) and related activities will be aimed at improving the knowledge, skills and abilities of youth workers using non-formal education methods. The purpose is to reflect on effective ways to connect with vulnerable youth, to overcome mental health stigma, and to promote online reference tools and resources (such as the Survival Manual for youth and the Toolkit for youth workers).

Final products:
 R1. Youth Worker’s Toolkit
 R2. “Survival Manual” for the youth
 R3. Online Mental Health Awareness Campaign