Youth Mental Health Lab#1 - Slovakia

Organised by Technical university of Košice, Košice, 19. 11. 2024

Connecting Minds for Youth Mental Health in Košice

At the Technical University of Košice, we recently hosted a dynamic workshop as part of the MEET project’s Living Labs initiative. The event brought together a remarkable mix of stakeholders—psychologists, educators, academics, and, most importantly, the youth themselves. Among them were six high school students who volunteer at Linka Detskej Dôvery (Helpline for Children), offering invaluable insight into peer challenges through their work on the helpline’s chat platform.

The workshop began with a detailed introduction to the MEET project and the innovative Living Labs concept. Participants then broke into three groups for a co-creation session, where discussions about the key challenges of the youth in the Košice region led to identifying six critical issues: family problems, performance pressure, low self-esteem, bullying, lack of resources, and strained peer relationships.

In the second half of the workshop, we unveiled the project’s Best Practices Catalogue- a resource developed to inspire actionable solutions across regions. Participants explored selected practices, analyzing their relevance and potential for implementation in our local context. While they recognized the catalogue’s value, they also expressed concern about adapting some of them due to local barriers.

The workshop concluded with a forward-looking presentation on upcoming MEET project activities, including a proposal for ongoing collaboration to follow on quality work done.

This event reaffirmed the power of diverse voices coming together to address shared challenges. Together, we’re hoping to create and foster stronger support systems and better mental health outcomes for youth in Košice region.