Social and emotional well-being has been linked to young people’s schooling outcomes, their social development, their capacity to contribute to the workforce and the community, the rate of youth suicide. The WHO has estimated that depression alone will constitute one of the greatest health problems worldwide by the year 2020. Of increasing concern is the growing rate of suicide among young males. Deep unhappiness, disordered mood, feelings of hopelessness and thoughts of suicide are common among young people. This lowered mood may be risk factor for long-term social problems and depression.Eolas Soileir and its partners took a positive approach to the promotion of emotional health among young people by carrying out two projects for youth workers and young people to address these needs by understanding and developing their skills at building resilience, empowerment & positive mental health both within themselves and the young people they work with.Using Non Formal methodologies we developed the creative competences, specifically in the topics of positive mental health, resilience & empowerment for youth, in 27 youth workers from Ireland, Greece, Slovenia, Spain, Kosova, Romania, Belarus, Poland, Armenia & Estonia, in an 8 day training course held from 4th to 11th of August 2017 in Wexford Ireland. Further we ran a Youth Exchange in the topics of positive mental health, resilience & empowerment for 20 young people aged between 18 & 30 from Romania, Spain, Lithuania, Estonia and Ireland from the 17th to 22nd of August 2017 in Wexford Ireland & 6 youth workers.The emphasis was on various ways young people might cope with stressful or difficult life events and challenges and we focused on personal coping skills & creative skills for expression and self reflection. The objectives and results of the projects were: 1. The participants on the TC came away with concrete methods and ideas that helped develop their own sense of empowerment, resilience & positive mental health and are now more competent in putting into action ideas and methods to increase positive mental health in the young people they work with.2. The young people on the YE came away with concrete methods and ideas to help develop their own sense of empowerment, resilience & positive mental health and incorporate these into their lives.3. The pax on the TC and the young people on the YE explored the potentials of creative methodologies as a way for self-discovery, stress reduction, creativity, empowerment, resilience and positive mental health.4. The participants on the TC and the young people on the YE were part of an intercultural learning experience.5. The pax on the TC facilitated their exchange of experience regarding their work with their own young people.6. The young people on the YE are better able to understand both themselves and other young people thereby feeling less isolated, better able to understand positive mental health and understand what they can do to encourage it within themselves and others.7. The pax on the TC were encouraged to develop European co-operation in the youth field.These objectives were fulfilled in relation to the objectives of Erasmus + youth mobility:• We supported the acquisition of skills of youth workers & young people on their personal & professional development and improving their employability. • We helped improve the language skills & intercultural learning of the participants. • This project also addressed E+ youth Inclusion and Diversity strategy as the TC & YE sought to combat poor mental health particularly in disadvantaged young people and those facing social, economic and educational difficulties. • We promoted the international cooperation & intercultural dialogue between partner and programme countries. • We also built up key competences and skills of young people including young people with fewer opportunities through the acquisition of skills by the youth workers and directly with the young people in the youth exchange. • Through youthpass we ensured better recognition of competences gained through their learning periods abroad, • Promoted active participation in civil society and develop a sense of European citizenship • Youth workers increased their professional development in the field with a view to innovating and improving the quality of Youth work across Europe & in their country. • They increased their motivation and satisfaction in daily work through the strengthening of their mental health.The methods used were: mindfulness and creativity, theatre, art & creativity, nature & outdoors, music, conversation, all took place in a context of improving resilience, positive mental health and empowerment. Long term benefits are an environment where people can be more open, understanding and positive in their attitudes and behavior towards mental health and an increased knowledge of how to achieve this.

"During ""Theater of the oppressed as an anti-discrimination tool (TOAT)"", a training course that explored discrimination through Theatre of the Oppressed, Forum theatre and Legislative theatre, we spent five intensive days exercising our resistance to discrimination.Participants explored the challenges and obstacles for marginalised young people through theatre of the Oppressed methodology and planed how to use these methods in their work. During this training we have worked on:• Creative drama workshops where participants have learned about Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed and how it can be integrated into the participants’ anti-discrimination youth work practice.• Participants have created Forum theatre pieces that reflected the issues relevant to the participants and their young people. Specifically the group explored how this methodology could be used to explore discrimination of LGBTQ community, refugees, ethnic minorities, gentrification and ageism.• Gave the participants a chance to practice their facilitation skills and more specifically how to be a 'joker' in Forum Theatre.• Gave the participants a template to create local and international projects with their young people.• Learned more about the funding possibilities of the Erasmus+ Key Action 1 .The venue was in Wójtowice, Poland, in a rural setting in mountain area. The duration was 5 days and 2 travel days.The countries involved were Poland, Ireland, Lithuania, Romania, Armenia, Belarus, Russia.The number of participants and people involved was 30 in total (27 pax, 2 trainers and 1 support/logistics/documentation person).The implemented activities were Non-formal learning through workshops/group work using drama methodologies, games, team building, intercultural activities, planning and networking.The result of the training is 28 educated and motivated youth workers ready for anti-discrimination work with Augusto Boal's methods and already working to spread the methods in their environments."