This year at Zavod Voluntariat, we’re embracing an experimental spirit. We’re launching two exciting pilot projects that explore the crucial topics of emotional well-being and mental health support for young people.

Project “How Are You Feeling?”: A Community-Led Approach to Youth Mental Health

In a world where children and young people are facing unprecedented mental health challenges, providing effective support has become more critical than ever. We’re seeing a troubling rise in self-harm, suicidal ideation, and peer violence. Our new pilot project, “How are you feeling?”, aims to address these issues head-on by focusing on early intervention and building emotional resilience.

This project, with Voluntariat’s focus on the NGO and youth sector, is all about strengthening the support systems in the everyday lives of young people. We’ve partnered with three youth centers to map out and connect with key local stakeholders who work with children and adolescents. The goal is to build a foundation for creating referral protocols that ensure young people get the help they need within their own communities. Tackling such a big challenge requires taking small, deliberate steps on a local level, and that’s exactly what this project is designed to do.

Photo credits: Maja Dominič, Zavod Voluntariat

Learn more: https://www.zavod-voluntariat.si/en/projekt/how-are-you-feeling/

Project DEFY: The Story Continues

The collaborative journey of Project DEFY continues, bringing together four organizations — Suas/STAND (Ireland), Comhlámh (Ireland), finep (Germany), and Zavod Voluntariat (Slovenia) — to explore the powerful role of emotions in education. DEFY isn’t just about theory; it’s about actively inviting discomfort as a way to achieve deeper understanding and emotional growth.

We’re exploring emotional fluidity through creative mediums like poetry, visuals, sound recordings, and somatic practices. At the heart of this pilot is a group of 24 educators from Ireland, Germany, and Slovenia who have been participating in the long-term pilot training program, “Shifting Edges,” since January 2025. This inquiry-based process is designed to help them better understand and navigate the emotional landscapes within their educational settings.

Got questions or want to learn more? Feel free to reach out to the.defy.collective@gmail.com and/or koordinacija@zavod-voluntariat.si.

Photo credits: Maja Dominič, Zavod Voluntariat

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/the.defy.collective