The Working Group on Mental Health, established in Autumn 2023, aims to facilitate knowledge sharing between regions in wider Europe. The group is chaired by Daniel Schützer County Councillor from Värmland (SE), who is supported in his engagement by Kaltum Hussein as the Seconded Officer for the Working Group.

The Working Group works closely with the Youth Regional Network, which has been invited to contribute and share their perspectives, findings and experiences from the inception of the Working Group. All members of the Working Group can suggest and take the lead on the organisation of an activity (conference, workshop, study visit, webinar…)

Below is a recap of the activities which were organised in the context of the Working group, between June 2023 and June 2024.

Current Work in Progress

• Members of the working group are collaborating with the Youth Regional Network to facilitate a workshop on mental health on the occasion of the AER Summer Academy in Nordland (NO), in August 2024 (registrations open until 10 July 2024)
• A conference on “Mental Health Challenges in Today’s Youth: A Regional Perspective” will be organised on 22-23 October 2024 in Primorje Gorski Kotar

A Moving Virtual Study Visit to Odesa – 23 April 2024

The AER Working Group on Mental Health organised a study visit to Odesa, to respond to the wish Members of the Working Group to hear more about regional policies and practices via virtual study visits. This enables policymakers, and field specialists to:

• learn from each other
• learn about regional specificities
• discover new perspectives and angles for policymaking
• understand the rationale and approaches used in the development of mental health policies
• learn about implementation challenges and elements of success.

Several actions, either at the Odesa Mental Health Center, or at the Center for Psychological Support for Veterans and their Families, are preparing families and inhabitants in general to actively support the reintegration of veterans by exercising empathy, managing expectations, and adapting communication modes.
Based on the request of members of the working group, the Odesa team focused the online study visit on the measures for children, be it in mental rehabilitation or education. It has to be said however, that the region is also implementing specific measures to support women and prevent gender-based violence.

Regions, organisations and individuals who would like to help Odesa can check this page which provides further elements about the situation in the region and lists very practical needs.

Workshop on “Fostering resilience, making health a priority” – 29 November 2023

The first workshop of the AER Working Group on mental health took place in Lower Austria (AU) and was organised together with the AER Youth Regional Network.

The workshop examined the following questions:

• Why are we seeing such an increase in the need for mental health support?
• How to create more resilience and what would it mean to be strong nowadays?
• How can this be used for prevention?
• How to make health and wellbeing a priority across policies?

Kick-off Meeting – 27 October 2023

The AER Working Group on Mental Health kicked off activities on 27 October 2023 online. Members of the group discussed what they hoped to find in this group, and what they could share. While circumstances vary greatly across regions, all participants shared the observation that there is an increase in the need for mental health support and care, in particular for young people. They also nominated Daniel Schützer, Värmland (SE) as Chair of the Working Group.

Adoption of the proposal to create a Working Group on Mental Health – June 2023

The proposal to develop a working group on mental health was presented to the AER General Assembly in Barcelona, in June 2023 by Värmland (SE), with the support of Alba (RO), Arad (RO), Kharkiv (UA), Odesa (UA), Norrbotten(SE), and Vojvodina (RS). Since then several other regions have joined the activities of the group.

About the Working Group on Mental Health

It’s possible to join anytime! All AER regions are welcome to join the group, please fill in this form to become a member of the Working Group, get updates and be able to contribute and shape the activities of the group.

The group addresses mental health, a pressing concern for regional policymakers, with the World Health Organization noting that one in four Europeans will experience a mental health problem in their lifetime. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated issues like stress, anxiety, and depression, with significant economic impacts estimated at over €600 billion annually by the European Commission. Addressing youth mental health is particularly crucial, as half of all mental health disorders begin by age 14.

An intersectional approach is necessary to tackle systemic issues such as discrimination and economic inequality. This group focuses on crucial topics like traumatic events, addictions, resilience, prevention, research, and dealing with bullying and hate speech.

It currently includes 12 regions: Norrbotten (SE), Donegal (IE), Brussels Capital (BE), Värmland (SE), Alba (RO), Västra Götaland (SE), Jönköping (SE), Zurich (CH), East Slovenia (SI), Västerbotten (SE), Poltava (UA), Odesa (UA). Several regions joined via the Youth Regional Network (Wallonia, Dibra, Tirana, Innlandet, Donegal, Salaj, Nordland, Donegal).

It is possible to create an AER Working Group on any policy area, the mission of such groups and processes are explained on the Working groups page. For more information please contact AER Coordinator for Policy & Knowledge Transfer Johanna Pacevicius.