The two-day Youth Gathering on June 17 and 18, 2023, marked the conclusion of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Initiative’s (CAMHI) Youth Engagement Scheme (ΥΕS) for the 2022-2023 school year. YES aims to create a safe and structured space to listen, in a systematic way, to the voices of young people on issues related to their mental health, so that CAMHI’s educational activities always remain informed by the perspectives of children themselves.
Both youth and adults left the participatory two-day convening feeling invigorated. What was shared during the event showed a way forward for carefully planning next steps aiming at activities that can improve the mental health of young people in Greece by including their voices at each step of the process. Listening to young people allows us to highlight new needs and to improve the development of training content, activities, and other necessary institutional interventions under the CAMHI.
For the 2023-2024 school year, YES will be implemented in Athens, Thessaloniki, Ioannina, Alexandroupoli, and Heraklion within the framework of the CAMHI.