Tell Your Mind: Voicing mental health conditions and promoting socio-emotional well-being in secondary schools
TYM
is a KA2 Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership project coordinated by ELA
TYM aims to shine a light on mental health-related experiences and challenges among secondary school students and teachers. Nowadays, it is acknowledged that mental well-being plays a crucial role in educational achievement and overall quality of life. The objective of the project is to foster an environment where individuals feel empowered to address their mental health needs openly and seek assistance when necessary.
By encouraging open dialogue and sharing experiences, TYM strives to create a supportive school environment where mental health is prioritized, stigma is reduced, and everyone feels valued and supported in their journey towards well-being.
Project overview
Project info
Action: KA220-SCH – Cooperation partnerships in school education
Project code: : 2023-1-ES01-KA220-SCH-000165096
Duration: 2023 – 2026
Themes addressed
Social inclusion, diversity, mental health, well-being, social emotional learning
Partners of the project
Erasmus Learning Academy SL (ES)
ELA SICILIA (IT)
Inicijativa – Centar za edukaciju (HR)
Jelgavas Valsts gimnazija (LV)
Muzicka skola Stevan Hristic (RS)
Project Outcomes
To achieve the primary objectives of the project, the partnership will design and develop five outcomes tailored specifically for teachers, psychologists, social workers in secondary schools, trainers, and students aged 14-18.
Implementation of a cycle of open webinars
The organization and execution of a cycle of 5 open webinars covers pertinent topics concerning mental health and well-being. These webinars are designed to enhance awareness and understanding of mental health conditions, cultivate empathy skills, and inspire innovative ideas for establishing peer support initiatives within schools. Additionally, they aim to offer fresh insights into the role of mental health professionals, explore new tools for fostering stress management, and motivate participants to contemplate the use of music and arts in their practices to promote mental well-being.
Elaboration of a training course on mental health and emotional well-being in schools
The training course, titled “Promoting Mental Health and Emotional Well-being in Schools,” comprises a 25-hour program divided into 5 modules. The course aims to equip educators with competencies pertaining to the recognition of signs and symptoms of mental health conditions, addressing biases, promoting help-seeking behaviors, cultivating effective stress management and coping strategies, and fostering positive communication and empathy in relationships.
Creation of a game-based Toolkit
The game-based Toolkit comprises 15 innovative and gamified teaching activities tailored for secondary school teachers focusing on mental well-being, social and emotional learning, resilience, and positive psychology. The Toolkit aims to provide educators with concrete resources to enhance their ability to establish a socio-emotional learning environment that supports and includes students with mental diseases or troubles. These activities are designed to foster active engagement among all students in the classroom.
Implementation of a workshop on mental health storytelling
The workshop emphasizes the storytelling methodology, which can help individuals overcome personal barriers to discussing mental health struggles in public. This, in turn, fosters a more supportive environment and reduces the stigma associated with mental illnesses.
Creation of a collection of Video Testimony Lessons
The collection of Video Testimony Lessons is based on real experiences concerning mental health challenges, methods of overcoming them, and the support received, accompanied by discussion prompts for students. These testimony videos are intended to establish mechanisms where listening to the story of someone who has faced similar struggles fosters recognition and cultivates silent peer support. Ultimately, this provides motivation for addressing similar struggles and developing coping strategies.
What’s going on in the project?
We published a collection of Video Testimony Lessons!
Explore our TED-Ed video lessons series on mental health, based on real student experiences. Each video shares personal stories about challenges, ways of overcoming them, and the support received — helping you better understand mental health in a meaningful way.
These Video Testimony Lessons are designed to create connection: by listening to someone with a similar experience, you may find recognition, feel less alone, and gain motivation to face your own challenges and build coping strategies.
💡 Each video invites you to:
🧠 Learn something new about mental health
💭 Reflect and answer key questions
🤝 Join the discussion and share your thoughts
▶️ Try all 5 videos here:
🔗 Video 1 https://ed.ted.com/on/r4e2WiK1
🔗 Video 2 https://ed.ted.com/on/tSjgtP91
🔗 Video 3 https://ed.ted.com/on/8hM7XcqA
🔗 Video 4 https://ed.ted.com/on/myAAEwYj
🔗 Video 5 https://ed.ted.com/on/2PiQzR8i
Mental Health Storytelling Workshop in Puerto de la Cruz
We recently held our Mental Health Storytelling Workshop in Puerto de la Cruz, Spain, in collaboration with the local community LaGoodind. The workshop brought together 15 participants in a safe and supportive space for reflection, sharing, and connection.
The session included creative and meaningful activities such as the 3 layers of the personal story, Story Dice, the main one – Tree of Life, and guided storytelling exercises designed to encourage self-reflection and empathy. Participants were invited to share at their own pace, helping create an atmosphere of trust, openness, and mutual understanding.
The workshop received very positive feedback, with participants highlighting the value of the activities and the opportunity to connect with others through storytelling. We are grateful to everyone who took part and contributed to making the workshop such a positive and enriching experience.
The Third Transnational Project Meeting
From 16–18 February 2026, partners of Project TYM met in Palermo, Italy, for the Third Transnational Project Meeting, hosted by ELA SICILIA.
Over three intensive working days, the consortium reviewed the progress of storytelling workshops implemented in partner countries, analysed participant feedback, and reflected on how the activities strengthened connection, empathy, and openness among students and teachers. Special attention was given to the “Tree of Life” activity, which proved particularly impactful in helping students and teachers share personal experiences and build mutual understanding.
Partners also evaluated the mental health video testimonies recorded in schools and agreed on how to implement it later in TED-Ed video lessons. In the next months the Lessons will be finished and students and teachers can benefit from them.
The meeting further addressed dissemination goals, stakeholder engagement, website reach, and the organisation of multiplier events planned for May–July. Sustainability strategies were explored to ensure that project materials continue to be used in school curricula, teacher training, prevention strategies, and informal education contexts.
With excellent evaluation results and clear timelines for the final months, the Palermo meeting marked a significant step toward consolidating the project’s impact and strengthening its contribution to socio-emotional wellbeing in secondary schools across Europe.
Testing Mental Health Storytelling and Game-Based Toolkit Activities
During Erasmus Days 2025 (13–18 October 2025), ELA Sicilia, based in Palermo, organised a pilot testing of its Mental Health Storytelling Workshop and Game-Based Toolkit activities. Erasmus Days is a Europe-wide celebration that highlights the positive impact of Erasmus+ projects and promotes collaboration, inclusion, and innovation in education
The testing involved eight participants, including educators and youth workers, who experienced creative storytelling exercises focused on emotional wellbeing, as well as playful, game-based methods designed to engage students in mental health topics.
After the activities, participants shared highly positive feedback. They expressed that they were happy with the workshop’s atmosphere and appreciated its interactive approach. Many highlighted that they now clearly see how these activities can be implemented in their own schools to foster a more supportive environment for students’ mental health and emotional development.
Through this initiative, ELA Sicilia once again demonstrated its commitment to promoting wellbeing and inclusion in education. The testing showed that storytelling and game-based learning can be powerful tools to address mental health in schools, and Erasmus Days offered an inspiring platform to share this experience across Europe.
Second TPM
The second Transnational Project Meeting was organised in Zagreb, Croatia during 28-30/04/2025. The project continues to progress successfully, with key activities now moving into testing and feedback phases. A game-based educational toolkit has been developed and is currently being piloted in local settings, particularly in schools, to gather insights that will help refine the materials before they are translated into all partner languages.
An international training course also brought together participants from diverse countries and organisations, fostering exchange, collaboration, and hands-on learning around inclusive methodologies and storytelling. Initial feedback highlights the quality of the training and the value of shared experiences.
Preparations are underway for the upcoming Training of Trainers, which will build on these results and further strengthen the project’s impact. Future workshops and video testimony lessons will incorporate participant feedback and continue to promote inclusive, creative, and reflective learning practices.
Free Training for Educators!
Do you want to create an inclusive and stigma-free school environment? Join our training sessions and gain essential skills to promote mental health and well-being in schools! ?✨
MODULE 1 Understanding and Recognizing Signs and Symptoms of Mental Disorders
07/02/2025 | 14:00-18:00 CET
MODULE 2 Tackling Prejudices About Mental Disorders
07/03/2025 | 14:00-18:00 CET
MODULE 3 Encouraging Help-Seeking and Preventive Measures
? 12/03/2025 | 14:00-18:00 CET
MODULE 4 Strategies for Stress Management, Coping Skills, Resilience, and Positive Thinking
18/03/2025 | 14:00-18:00 CET
MODULE 5 Building Positive Communication, Active Listening, and Empathy
24/03/2025 | 14:00-18:00 CET
✨ Join the training sessions!
Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from experts and transform your school community. Download the full program now!
Now the Report!
“Tell Your Mind” webinar series report on mental well-being is finished! This comprehensive document is designed to help educators, parents, and students promote socio-emotional wellness in secondary schools.
? What’s the report all about? The report captures the essence of our webinar series, where we discussed vital topics related to mental health and education. It serves as a guide, offering practical insights and best practices for fostering a supportive and healthy environment for teenagers.
? Inside the report, you’ll find:
1. A summary of each webinar, including who conducted it and the experts who spoke.
2. Topics covered
3. Feedback
4.Links to presentations: access the material shared during the webinars.
We believe this report will be an invaluable resource for anyone interested in creating a healthier, happier school environment. You can download the full report here! ?
New YouTube Channel!
The cycle of five webinars as part of the TYM project has finally concluded! hese webinars aimed to share best practices in the field of mental well-being among secondary school teachers. The webinars covered a range of topics related to Mental Wellbeing, such as: the role of music and the arts in promoting mental well-being; active listening and empathy; the importance of social-emotional learning, self-awareness, and self-control; stress management and resilience. Each session included expert contributions, practical classroom tools, and interactive discussions. Now that they have concluded, we can finally affirm their complete success! We have received significant positive feedback, participation, and appreciation for the knowledge and practical strategies shared. For this reason, we have decided to extend the reach of this knowledge by making it accessible to all educators committed to improving mental well-being in schools; we have published the webinar recordings on the project’s YouTube Channel!
Free Webinars
We are excited to announce a series of webinars as part of TYM. The project partners are getting ready to host an open cycle of webinars to foster the sharing of best practices in the field of mental well-being among secondary school teachers. The webinars will provide a space and time for secondary school educators to not only listen to valuable expert contributions but also to share their experiences and inspire each other on themes related to mental well-being. Contributors will give a brief project presentation, deliver their speech to share their knowledge in the webinar field, and encourage discussion through prompts and interactive tools. Five open webinars are planned, so… Read the programselect the webinars that are most interesting to you, and register for one, more, or the whole webinar cycle by filling out the form!
First TPM in Tenerife!
The TYM project team gathered for the first TPM (Transnational Project Meeting) from March 25-27, 2024 in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife. During these three days, all partners from Spain, Italy, Latvia, Serbia and Croatia focused on getting to know each other, building strong connections and creating a good team spirit. The agenda included a comprehensive overview of the project’s objectives and outcomes, and a discussion on the general implementation process of the project talking about Financial Management, Project Management tools and the Dissemination Plan. The participants also planned the first activities, specifically the organization of the cycle of open webinars and the Awareness campaign, delineating tasks and responsibilities for each partner.
Open Web Conference
Who takes care of the project
Those among our team have worked and continue to work with the goal of being able to finalize the project
Sara Natalini
Contatta Sara per saperne di più sul progetto e sulle iniziative a cui puoi prendere parte sul territorio locale
Serena Sciarrotta
Contatta Serena per saperne di più sul progetto e sulle iniziative a cui puoi prendere parte sul territorio locale
Elena Lukashevich
Contatta Elena per saperne di più sul progetto e sulle iniziative a cui puoi prendere parte sul territorio locale
The European Commission’s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.