News

On 20 October, the conference “RETHINK: New ways of approaching mental health in young people” was hosted in the Coimbra Business School – ISCAC, as part of the BALANCE project. This event, which was attended by various experts, institutions and projects, aimed to reflect on local realities, the importance of education and active listening to young people, and to present good practices in mental health. The organisation was carried out by the Intermunicipal Community of Coimbra Region, in partnership with Cáritas Coimbra. Of note was the speech given by Professor Manuel Antunes, Chairman of the Board of Cáritas Coimbra, at the opening session, where it was briefly presented the BALANCE project and reinforced the importance of working on young people’s mental health as an investment in the future and in building a more conscious, supportive and resilient society.

On 21 and 22 October, Cáritas Coimbra welcomed the consortium for the 2^nd transnational meeting of the project, with the aim of reviewing the goals and defining the next steps. There was also an opportunity to present the local ecosystem and some of the region’s good practices, including visits to the S. José Community Centre (Cáritas Coimbra) and the Silva Gaio Leisure Activities Centre (Cáritas Coimbra). The programme also included the presentation of several projects by the Intermunicipal Community of Coimbra Region and a visit to the University of Coimbra.

Through a diverse methodology, which includes training sessions, artistic workshops and practical activities, BALANCE aims to raise awareness and facilitate peer learning on mental health. The project will also promote awareness-raising and training activities for educators and families.

BALANCE is funded by the European Union’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme – CERV and has 4 official partners: Cáritas Coimbra (Portugal),  Intermunicipal Community of Coimbra Region (Portugal), Fundació Ajuda i Esperança (Spain) and Fundesplai (Spain), the project’s coordinator.