ContextA 2017 IPPR report revealed that mental illness amongst YP leaving school has risen almost fivefold in the past decade. There was also an increase in alcohol & drug misuse, self-harm & vulnerability to suicide. In 2016 about 250,000 children were receiving mental health care in England, the vast majority of those being teenagers. And there is no doubt that older school children are now in environments that make mental health worse. A recent stem4, survey of 500 12- to 16-year-olds revealed anxieties, including exam worries (41%), work overload (31%), friendship concerns (28%), lack of confidence (26%), concerns over body image (26%) & feelings of being overwhelmed (25%). While anxiety may have always been encountered in adolescence, academic, social hierarchy & performance worries are more of a modern-day phenomenon, & the feeling of insecurity in YP is intensified by the number of adults suffering from mental ill health. These experiences are being echoed around Europe. Our partners comment: ‘Recent evidence from Lithuania & Romania shows that upper school aged children are particularly vulnerable to social risks compared to adults. 0.5 m Children and students (18% of population) face factors such as emigration of parents, (often for work reasons) substance abuse, bullying, violence, institutionalization & reluctance to mental health services. Besides this, Lithuania has one of the highest suicide rates in the world particularly amongst students. Objectives of the projectThe project developed, tested & disseminated a modular curriculum and training course, & support materials delivered flexibly in a broad range of settings from secondary School to colleges and Universities. The course focuses on a broad range of issues that our research has highlighted to be problematic for students. During the training each issue is discussed, myths dispelled & students are reassured by the experience of teachers and tutors. The course uses a blended learning technique which features extensive use of ICT in order to identify with YP, & encourage them to be as interactive as possible. This includes making instructional videos, self-completion work books, and international interaction over a purpose built learning platform. Students had many opportunities to be actively involved in developing the materials and promoting them to their peer groups. Target groups & needs to be addressed Pupils and students aged 13 -21, at Schools, colleges and Universities were the primary target group as they are particularly vulnerable to mental health issues according to statistics & reports quoted above. We engaged at least 3000 students, 95 parents and 178 teachers. The target group specifically focused on students where more practical involvement in ICT could upskill them, and students in danger of dropping out of school. In addition we engaged 21 outside organisations as associate partners. Schools, school staff and parents were also target groups particularly for providing contextual research to build the modular curriculum from, to provide support to students both at school and at home. And local expert organisations in mental health were consulted. All organisations and individuals were tasked and encouraged to disseminate the project. Activities 1. Seven national pieces of primary research were undertaken to establish the priority fields of Youth mental health issues, which focused on the needs of the target groups. 2. A developed curricula in the form of a modular course on understanding and practical application of wellbeing issues for young people, broken down into 16 separate units, to be delivered to YP in schools, universities, colleges and a broad range of non formal settings 3. A set of 16 introductory instructional videos which allows remote learners to have a taster of the course and encourage them to become involved with the curriculum. 4. An interactive platform for students to contribute to and use as a learning aid, to interact with local and international students, and to improve ICT skills 5. A set of 16 worksheets to complement the course and the instructional videos. 6. A series of multiplier events held in The UK, Sweden, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, Portugal & Italy, held both in person and remotely to promote the intellectual outputs and disseminate the whole project. ImpactWe calculate that at least 1360 people directly benefited, the majority c1090 being students, others including parents, teachers, schools, and partner organisations. In the region of 7-8,000 have indirectly benefitted so far. The project was disseminated to educational establishments, community groups, as well as local mental health support organisations, and will be sustained by networking, continuing with a website and social media campaigns and looking for complementary projects and other funding.