As part of the YOUTHreach project, researchers and young people across participating countries are working together to prepare and implement three youth-friendly mental health interventions. One of these interventions is an online therapy platform designed to support young people’s mental health and wellbeing. In Ireland and Australia, this platform is known as MOST, while in the Netherlands it has been adapted and launched under the name ENYOY. Across the YOUTHreach consortium, local teams are now preparing the platform for use by tailoring its content to their own cultural and national context.

As PhD researchers at Amsterdam UMC, Fenna Hellegers and Esmée Otten have been closely involved in this inspiring and engaging process. A key part of this work focused on translating and localizing content originally developed in Australia to fit the Dutch context.

Esmee: “For example, we recorded new audio fragments in a professional studio, including guided meditations that we recorded ourselves. We also produced new video content, featuring coaches who provide psychoeducation and peers with lived experience who openly shared their personal stories. In addition, animated videos were translated and subtitled to make them accessible and engaging.”

Fenna: “Being so actively involved in content creation made this a unique and rewarding experience for us as researchers. It was not only meaningful from a research perspective, but also on a personal level. We were especially inspired by the honesty and strength of the young people who shared their experiences.”

We are proud of what we have co-created together with Dutch youth and look forward to seeing how young people will engage with ENYOY in the near future. At the same time, this work reflects the wider ambition of YOUTHreach: to co-create, adapt, and implement youth-friendly mental health support across countries, together with young people themselves. It is exciting to be part of an international effort in which shared knowledge, local adaptation, and youth participation come together to make meaningful support more accessible for young people across Europe and beyond.

Follow ENYOY in the Netherlands via LinkedIn (@ENYOY onderzoek).