WHO visit at @ease walk-in center
We were honored to welcome Mark van Ommeren, Head of the Mental Health & Substance Use Unit at the World Health Organization (WHO), to the @ease walk-in center in Maastricht. His visit was not only a recognition of the work of @ease, but also highly relevant in the context of YOUTHreach.
Update of the Mental Health Advisory Group (MAG)
We held two MAG sessions towards the end of 2025. These sessions focused on helping us understand the different mental healthcare systems across countries within the YOUTHreach consortium.
YAG Update #3
Learn more about the work of the YAG in the last few months.
Recovery through building positive experiences
When life feels heavy, it can be hard to notice anything good at all. Stress, anxiety, or difficult past experiences can take up so much space that positive moments fade into the background. For many young people struggling with mental health issues, this isn’t because good things never happen, but because difficult experiences take up most of the mental and emotional space.
Supporting youth for a mentally healthier future
How can we get to a turning point, to a mentally healthier and happier generation and society? Lasting change takes time, political prioritisation, and structural investment, but a societal need and desire for change is evident.
YOUTHreach Consortium Meeting in Barcelona: Creating Waves Together
The second YOUTHreach consortium meeting kicked off in Barcelona, a city chosen, as coordinator Thérèse van Amelsvoort jokingly noted, “for the weather.” And while a storm raged outside, with Barcelona’s beach officially closed due to high waves, the YOUTHreach consortium focused on creating waves of a very different kind indoors.
Introducing Our HTA Work in YOUTHreach
At the heart of YOUTHreach lies a commitment to not only improve youth mental health care, but also to ensure that new solutions are effective, affordable, and sustainable across Europe. This is where our Health Technology Assessment (HTA) work comes in.
Quietly Struggling: Creating Space for Youth Mental Health with the SELFIE intervention
I move between two worlds: the therapy room, where I meet individual young people, and research meetings, where we talk about systems, data, and interventions. In both spaces I see the same reality: youth mental health is under pressure, and many young people feel left alone with their worries.
Learning from Early Intervention Models Across Europe and Beyond
Isaac Searle is a member of the YOUTHreach Youth Advisory Group and is a British student in Social Sciences studying in Brussels, Belgium. He attended the Nordic headspace 2025 conference with support from the University of Birmingham. Read his blog here:
Reflecting on a strong first project year
YOUTHreach is pleased to share its Year 1 Newsletter, highlighting the major milestones, activities, and achievements from the first year of the project.