At the end of January, the first face-to-face meeting of all the entities participating in the Balance project took place. It is the first time that the entity has participated in an international project with different partners, as part of its internationalization project. The objective of Balance is to promote a participatory, artistic and training process for adolescents so that they become active agents in promoting emotional well-being, both for themselves and for the other young people with whom they share spaces. This ambitious objective is to be achieved through the following activities:
- Training for educators and family members
- Theater workshops aimed at young people and with themes linked to emotional well-being
- Participatory and recreational activities aimed at adolescents and young people
- Youth-led review of existing emotional support channels specialized in this age group
- Dissemination of good practices
During the two-year duration of the project, until November 2026, the associated entities will organize these and other activities aimed at adolescents and young people. The project aims to conclude with the realization of a Iberian Youth Mental Health Festival, the compilation of recommendations from young people to better support their mental health as well as an analysis of the digital emotional support services that currently exist, such as the chat managed by Esperança en Línia I open Feel.
First meeting in Barcelona
Balance will develop its activities between Catalonia, where it leads Fundesplait (which brings together entities linked to leisure education with a desire for inclusion and social transformation and defense of the environment), and Portugal, where the entities collaborate Caritas Coimbra and the Intermunicipality of CoimbraThis project is co-financed by the European Commission through the programme Citizenship, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) and its actions will take place between this year and 2026.
During the first in-person meeting, all participating entities were able to learn about each of the areas in which they work and establish the bases for the implementation of the project. We were also able to learn about different programs of Fundesplai and the Catalan Leisure Federation, as well as visiting thePubilla Cases-Can Vidalet Play Area, in Hospitalet de Llobregat. To end the day, they first visited the Esperança en Línia headquarters in Barcelona to conclude with the attendance of the theatrical play After the Dawn Light, from the association Light, which aims to prevent suicide and self-harming behaviors among young people.
Balance promotes the training and empowerment of young people between 13 and 18 years old so that they become active agents in the mental health advocacy and emotional well-being. To achieve this, training, theatrical workshops and participatory processes will be carried out that will culminate in the celebration of the Iberian Festival for Mental HealthThe aim of the project is to involve more than 450 adolescents, educators and families from Catalonia and the Portuguese district of Coimbra.