ESTEEM – YOUTH WORK IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WELL-BEING OF YOUNG PEOPLE

March 24, 2023

ESTEEM – Youth Work is Responsible for the Well-being of Young People is an innovative 24-month Erasmus+ cooperation partnership project implemented by five organizations in Latvia, Estonia, Bulgaria, and Spain.

The ESTEEM project focuses on the well-being of young people and measures that can be developed and offered in youth work to improve and strengthen their well-being. As there is no single definition of well-being, we have studied existing models and defined a model that retains elements of the Ryffi and Seligman models and, in our opinion, is best suited to youth work and, specifically, the objectives and means of this project. We do not claim that this is the only correct model, but rather consider it to be the vision of our partners, based on years of experience working with young people in youth centers, non-governmental organizations, and mental health
institutions.

The European Youth Goals define well-being and mental health as the most important aspects of a young person's life. These are fundamental areas that require thorough attention when developing up-to-date policy initiatives and youth work responses. Mental health and well-being are fundamental values of life and prerequisites for a young person's continuous development of potential, readiness to take responsibility, and care for their own life. This includes building healthy relationships, choosing education and
professions, and being an autonomous and active member of society. In addition, the COVID-19 crisis has significantly impacted the mental health of young people. The mental health of young people (aged 15-24) significantly deteriorated in 2020-2021, and in most countries, mental health problems in this age group have doubled or more. With sufficient support and timely intervention, young people can recover from the COVID-19 crisis, but there is a risk that the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis will continue to cast shadows over young people's lives and their mental health.

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