The StepForME project, led by iSocial, is part of the Erasmus+ program and involves the participation of 10 organizations from different countries.

During the week of October 2 to 6, the iSocial Foundation traveled to Austria to coordinate a meeting with ten European entities participating in the StepForME project. This project, within the framework of the Erasmus+ program, is an international exchange of best practices in the field of youth mental health. It was initiated in 2021 and is led by iSocial. The project also includes Chance B (Austria), Aunua Global (Ireland), Tenenet (Slovakia), and the Center for Studies and Research for an Inclusive Society (CERSIN) from the Autonomous University of Barcelona as partners, along with Catalan entities Support Girona, Ampans, Atra Group, El Maresme Foundation, Joia Foundation, and Resilis Foundation as collaborating entities in the local area.

After the first meeting in Dublin last year, the participating entities in the project met again this year in Graz and Gleisdorf, Austria, hosted by the local organization Chance B. The meeting aimed to define the final steps of StepForME and its conclusion, as well as to refine the resulting documents, which will constitute a useful open-access resource for anyone working in the field of youth mental health or those interested in it.

During the various meetings held these days, topics such as the appropriate use of new technologies in the treatment of youth mental health issues, the employment inclusion of this group, and a community-based approach to this reality were discussed. The responsible entities for developing each of the planned training modules presented them to the other participants, and the contents were jointly discussed for refinement.

We also had the opportunity to visit the facilities of Chance B and their Organic Bio-Social Farm, an inclusive project where people with disabilities and mental health issues work, and which serves as an example of best practices.

In the meeting we also settled the final text for the StepForME Handbook of Technology-based Practices for the Intervention with young people with emotional well-being issues, which is already available on the project’s website. The training modules will be available in the website as well shortly.