Unlock

Unlock: Social Prescribing for Young People’s Mental Health and Health Literacy

An innovative approach to promoting mental health, inclusion, and access to resources among young people in vulnerable situations.

The project Unlock: Social Prescribing for Young People’s Mental Health and Health Literacy aims to contribute to the multilevel integration of young people experiencing vulnerabilities, through the development of an innovative solution based on the approaches of social prescribing, health literacy, and behavioural change. With a focus on promoting mental health, fostering more inclusive pathways, and improving access to available resources, the project seeks to strengthen intersectoral coordination and to develop an intervention with multi–NUTS III scale, that is, covering several sub-regions of the Northern Region of Portugal.

The initiative aims to address complex challenges affecting young people in more vulnerable contexts, promoting responses that are more local, integrated, and centred on their needs. By acting on the social and behavioural determinants of health, the project seeks to generate a positive impact on well-being, social inclusion, and equity in access to community and institutional resources.

OBJECTIVES

The project’s overall objective is to contribute to the multilevel integration of young people experiencing vulnerabilities, through the development of an innovative preventive solution with the potential to generate a positive impact on the promotion of mental health, on more inclusive pathways, and on equity in access to available resources in the Northern Region of Portugal, namely in territories such as Alto Tâmega, Ave, Cávado, and the Porto Metropolitan Area.

Its specific objectives are:

Strengthen the skills and resources of young people to cope with the challenges of their personal and professional development, optimising access to existing community services;
Enhance the competencies of multidisciplinary professionals with an active role in supporting young people, promoting more collaborative methodologies and personalised care;
Foster intersectoral coordination and the complementarity of services, promoting integrated provision across areas such as social action, health, education, justice, and social reintegration;
Maximise existing services in the territories and promote initiatives that are more local and continuous, following a preventive approach that promotes health, well-being, and social support;
Assess the implementation process of the pilot social prescribing initiatives, the project’s transformative potential, and support the scalability and sustainability of the solution.

CONSORTIUM AND COORDINATION

Coordinating Institution: NOVA NSPH
Principal Investigator: Sónia Dias

FUNDING

Fund: European Social Fund Plus (ESF+)
Operational Programme: Northern Regional Programme 2021–2027 (NORTE 2030)
Managing Authority: Steering Committee of the Northern Regional Programme
Funding Reference: NORTE2030-ESF+-00510600
Total Investment: €144,193.39
Financial Support from the European Union: €98,051.50

EXPECTED RESULTS / IMPACT

The project aims to contribute to the promotion of young people’s mental health, the enhancement of health literacy, and the development of more integrated and inclusive responses in the intervention territories. It is expected that the solution developed will strengthen coordination between sectors, support professionals and young people in vulnerable situations, and generate useful evidence for future strategies on scalability and sustainability.