Forest4Youth
Luxembourg nonprofit UNature launches EU-wide collaboration to create innovative solutions for improving adolescent mental health.
A 2022 study of the health behavior of nearly 8,000 Luxembourg youth aged 11 to 18 revealed a deterioration in life satisfaction, as well as an increase in problematic social media use and feelings of loneliness. The rates of youth suffering from mental disorders in Luxembourg aligns with young people from around North-Western Europe—17.5% of whom suffer from mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, or addiction.
Now, the UNature team is partnering up with organizations across five EU countries to do something about it. The unprecedented collaboration, called Forest4Youth, has secured €5.5 million in funding from the Interreg EU program for an initiative to develop innovative forest-based mental wellness tools for adolescents.
These tools, grounded in scientific evidence linking forest immersion with positive mental health, will aim to support adolescents and families, as well as the mental health professionals who are struggling to meet a growing demand for care.
The four-year project will result in the development of forest-based psychological interventions to enhance adolescent health and well-being. The goal is to deepen adolescents’ engagement with nature in Luxembourg and regionally, helping to safeguard them against mental health challenges, as well as improving their psychological, emotional and social well-being. This will be achieved through the following activities:
Identification of pilot therapeutic forests and interventions in several European countries
The development of a care protocol combining real immersion in the forest and virtual reality
Accompanying adolescents in therapeutic forest programs
Training for mental health professionals and foresters
The creation of reference training centers
The project also calls on public decision-makers to integrate these solutions into health and regional planning policies.
UNature is proud to work with Interreg North-West Europe and its partners to tap into the the therapeutic power of forests—developing actionable interventions that can improve adolescent well-being.
