When Youth Work Becomes a Space for Mental Wellbeing

Youth work has always been about people before programs. About listening before teaching. About creating spaces where young people can breathe, experiment, fail, learn and grow. The Toolkit for Youth Workers developed within the training course Transferring the LifeComp Framework into Youth Work to Foster Positive Mental Health Among Disadvantaged Youth speaks directly to this essence.

Created through an international training course held in Madrid in December 2025, this toolkit is closer to a travel companion. One that walks alongside youth workers, educators and facilitators while they navigate complex realities such as exclusion, emotional vulnerability, uncertainty and the everyday pressures young people face.

At its core lies the LifeComp Framework, a European reference that focuses on personal, social and learning competences. But instead of staying abstract, this toolkit translates those ideas into lived experiences. It shows how self regulation can be explored through personal boundaries. How empathy can be felt through communication challenges. How learning to learn can emerge from play, reflection and even from frustration.

What makes this toolkit stand out is its honesty. It openly acknowledges that mental health is not something to fix in one session. Growth happens over time, through trust, repetition and reflection. That is why the activities are designed to be flexible. Youth workers are invited to adapt them to their groups, their contexts and their own facilitation style. There is no right way, only thoughtful ways.

The activities themselves cover a wide range of realities. Some are quiet and introspective, like drawing a River of Life to reflect on personal journeys. Others are dynamic and social, such as communication games that reveal how easily misunderstandings happen and how deeply they affect emotions. There are also activities that address very current challenges, like the influence of social media algorithms on self image, attention and wellbeing. These moments often spark powerful conversations, especially with young people who rarely get the chance to question what shapes their digital world.

Throughout the toolkit, one message remains constant. Emotional safety comes first. Participation is always voluntary. Sharing is an invitation, never an obligation. Youth workers are positioned not as experts with answers, but as facilitators who create space, ask questions and hold the process with care.

This toolkit is an open door. It invites you to step inside, explore, adapt and make it your own. Because when youth work meets empathy, reflection and intention, real change begins quietly, one meaningful interaction at a time