Fit to belong: Design and implementation of teaching and learning materials to mitigate loneliness in youth.

Topic(s) addressed

This project focused on addressing loneliness, belonging, mental health, emotional wellbeing, and promoting an inclusive and supportive school climate.

Target group(s)

The target group included students aged 14 to 16, teachers, youth workers, school psychologists, and researchers.

Methodologies

The activities were carried out through close collaboration among students, teachers, youth workers, school psychologists, and academic researchers. To design the project’s framework, researchers paired with students to conduct interviews. They supported partner organisations by providing theoretical insight into the project’s topics and guidance throughout the project. The activities and the project’s app were created through weekly discussions and reviews, designed with active student involvement, and tested in partner organisations, as well as in some neighbouring schools.

Innovation environment

The most innovative aspect of the project lies in targeting of young people experiencing negative feelings. The project’s team offered interventions to the schools and youth centres with the aim to reduce loneliness among the participants. The project was also innovative in the targeting of school-going adolescents, the social group that research has shown suffers most from loneliness.

Teachers’ role

Teachers initiated and researched the project, identified the needs in their community and contacted the right partners to collaborate with. They were the leaders and decision-makers in their institutions. The effective implementation of project activities and the extensive dissemination of its results were possible owing to their collaboration, problem-solving and networking skills. Teachers demonstrated remarkable creativity and adaptability, designing innovative activities that engaged students and addressed their emotional wellbeing.

Impact and output

The collaborative efforts of staff and students to tackle loneliness in their community fostered a culture of solidarity within the project’s target group. Therefore, the project was a community wellbeing initiative, which continues to inspire young people to consider both their own and their peers' emotional well-being. Participants have submitted new Erasmus+ applications to further their work on mental health. Students who participated in the exchanges and online events continue to pursue additional networking opportunities.

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