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.
Within YOUTHreach, walk-in centers such as @ease form one of the three core interventions being implemented and evaluated across multiple countries. These centers are designed as low-threshold, youth-friendly access points where young people can seek support early before difficulties escalate into more severe mental health conditions. A central ambition of YOUTHreach is to bridge the gap between evidence, practice, and policy by studying how such models function in real-world settings and how they can be sustainably embedded in national systems.
The interest from the WHO aligns closely with this mission. Global mental health policy increasingly emphasizes early intervention, community-based support, and scalable models of care. The @ease model, combining peer support with professional backup in an accessible, stigma-free environment, reflects the type of integrated approach that YOUTHreach is examining at European level. In addition, the @ease model has been highlighted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as a best practice example in youth mental health. This recognition strengthens the evidence base underpinning this YOUTHreach intervention and underscores its relevance beyond national borders.
Together, the WHO’s interest and the OECD’s recognition reinforce the broader goal of YOUTHreach: generating solid scientific evidence for scalable, youth-centered mental health support models that can inform policy development across Europe and beyond.
Find out more about @ease via:
Find out more about the OECD report via:
🔗 https://youth-reach.eu/mental-health-promotion-and-prevention/
📷 On the picture from left to right: Mark van Ommeren (undefined undefined), Arianne Westhuis (Director of @ease Netherlands), Prof. dr. Thérèse van Amelsvoort (co-founder of @ease and coordinator of the YOUTHreach study), Renske Thomas (Location Manager @ease Maastricht), and Casper Crombach (PhD candidate within the YOUTHreach project).
📷 Peer volunteers at @ease in Maastricht.
📷 Moodboard of volunteers.
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