Project

Y-REC

Youth for Resilient Communities

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Topics

Research and innovation

Date of implementation

Till 1 December 2025

Funding Institution

European Youth Together (2021-2027)

Webpage

Info & Contact

Aurelia Schera

YREC promotes youth mental well-being through urban restoration and environmental sustainability initiatives. The project combines mental health support with practical actions aimed at transforming degraded urban spaces into biodiversity-friendly community areas. Through training activities, international exchanges, and youth-led initiatives, Y-REC strengthens democratic participation, social inclusion, and community resilience while fostering sustainable urban development.

Beneficiaries

  • Young people, with a particular focus on those with fewer opportunities
  • Youth workers, educators, and facilitators
  • Local communities, public authorities, environmental organizations, and mental health stakeholders

Objectives

  • To establish and strengthen a transnational network of youth organizations promoting integrated initiatives on mental well-being and environmental sustainability.
  • To actively engage young people in democratic processes and community development through youth-led local projects.
  • To enhance the capacities of youth organizations to integrate mental health support, environmental sustainability, and non-formal learning approaches.
  • To involve young people in designing and implementing sustainable solutions aligned with the European Green Deal and the New European Bauhaus initiative.
  • To promote the fundamental values of the European Union, including inclusion, equality, human rights, and democratic participation.

Actions

  • Capacity-building activities for youth workers and youth leaders, including focus groups, training materials, transnational training courses, and methodological resources.
  • Establishment of local youth groups, participatory workshops, virtual exchanges, and collaborative project design activities.
  • Implementation of integrated urban restoration and environmental renewal projects combined with mental well-being activities, such as community gardens, mindfulness sessions in green spaces, therapeutic gardening, and biodiversity-friendly areas.
  • Development and management of a Digital Collaboration Platform to support networking, peer learning, and cross-border cooperation.
  • Awareness-raising campaigns, youth festivals, public events, and dissemination activities at local, national, and European levels.

Impact

  • Improved mental well-being, resilience, leadership skills, and civic engagement among at least 60 young participants.
  • Creation of a European network of youth organizations and local “Resilience Hubs,” engaging at least 10 young people in each partner country.
  • Implementation of 6–12 urban restoration and environmental renewal interventions, contributing to greener public spaces and stronger community cohesion.
  • Engagement of more than 150 young people and youth workers through the Digital Collaboration Platform and at least four transnational online networking events.
  • Outreach to at least 3,000 individuals through online and offline awareness-raising campaigns while promoting EU values and sustainable lifestyles.

Results

  • Youth Worker Manual focused on integrating mental health promotion, environmental sustainability, and youth leadership.
  • Youth Guide on Project Design and Implementation to support the development and management of community-based initiatives.
  • Digital Collaboration Platform facilitating networking, resource sharing, and peer learning among partners and participants.
  • Youth Initiatives Compendium featuring approximately 20 case studies of youth-led projects implemented during the project.
  • Good Practice Guide supporting the transferability and replication of the project methodology across Europe.
  • Six Youth Festivals and multiple awareness-raising campaigns promoting mental well-being, sustainability, and active citizenship.

Partners

Nº project

101244974