Sometimes, when young people say “I’m fine,” there is much more hidden behind those words.
Behind them may be stress, loneliness, anxiety, pressure, low self-esteem, or a feeling that no one truly hears them. These experiences may vary across countries and communities, but many young people share a similar need: to be seen, heard, and supported before the burden becomes too heavy to carry alone.
This was the starting point of the MEET project final conference From Ideas to Change: Supporting Youth Mental Health, which brought together project partners, experts, practitioners, organizations, and other stakeholders from the Danube Region.
At the conference, we explored what young people need, how we can better support vulnerable youth groups, and what we learned through the MEET project pilot activities. Partners presented practical tools, local experiences, and reflections on topics such as stress and anxiety, emotional literacy, self-esteem, relationships, empathy, peer violence, digital safety, and social inclusion.
The conference emphasized that supporting youth mental health cannot be provided by a single organization or a single professional. Connected systems, safe spaces, trusting relationships, and collaboration among education, youth work, social welfare, healthcare, and local communities are needed.
The MEET project journey has shown that small, practical steps can become part of broader change when they are shared, adapted, and supported by the commitment of people and organizations.
