THEMATIC CONFERENCE: MENTAL HEALTH IN YOUTH AND EDUCATION
Stockholm. 29-30th September 2009
Together with the further four thematic conferences, this thematic conference has been a a key element in the implementation of the European Pact for Mental Health and Well-being. The event was organised by DG SANCO and the Swedish Public Health Department (SE-PH), as an event under the Swedish Presidency.
The conference pursued three objectives:
- To raise awareness about the importance of promoting mental health and well-being and of preventing mental disorders in youth and education
- To enable an exchange at EU-level on policy activities, good practices by stakeholders and research projects in Member States, supported by a Commission database;
- To endorse an implementation framework for the Mental Health Pact in the field of mental health in youth and education.
The conference focused on five themes:
- Parents and the early years;
- Educational settings and learning;
- The community environment;
- The role of media, internet and new technologies;
- The role of health services in promotion and prevention.
A variety of presentations from different perspectives will be ensured. Invited presentations covered policies in Member States and at EU-level; practical experiences from programmes or projects; research activities; and also the point of view of young people.
Preparatory work forthe conference:
- Consultation
An interactive preparatory process involved researchers, Member States and relevant stakeholder organisations. Both DG SANCO and the SE-PH guided preparations, with support from an Advisory Committee consisting of major EU-level actors in mental health in youth and education.
- Conference documentation: Background document in Youth and Education:
The Background Document was developed through the consultation of Member States, stakeholders and research experts from all relevant sectors. This consultation was carried out by DG SANCO in cooperation with a Technical Secretariat at the Health Department of the Government of Catalonia (Spain). The document also built on the Consensus Paper "Mental health in Youth and Education", which was prepared for the 2008 High-Level Conference, by adding options for implementation within the 5 sub-themes.
- Database of good practices
As part of the implementation process DG SANCO has developed a database of good practice and policy examples with the aim of collecting and disseminating relevant examples of good practice and policy in mental health for the priority area “Mental Health in Youth and Education”. This is to allow Member States, regional authorities and non-governmental partners to present and access good practices in this area, thereby promoting the exchange of solutions across the EU. The instrument will include information on different types of actions, such as policies, action programmes, campaigns and training courses that are being developed at the national, regional and/or EU level.
More information can be found on the EC mental health pages for this event: http://ec.europa.eu/health/mental_health/events/ev_20090929_en.htm
the Thematic Conferences in Mental Health for the European Commission, DG SANCO.
The Consortium is lead by the Department of Health, Government of Catalonia (Gencat), working in collaboration with the
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), the London School of Economics (LSEE),
the Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health (SDC) and the Research Institute of the Red Cross (FRK).