On 28 and 29 August 2018, the city of Reykjavik (Iceland) hosted the first meeting between the seven partners forming the UPRIGHT consortium.

The UPRIGHT project, “Universal Preventive Resilience Intervention Globally implemented in schools to improve and promote mental Health for Teenagers”, aims to promote mental well-being and prevent mental illnesses by increasing the resilience capacity of teenagers. The project, which has received funding from the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme, focuses on teenagers between the ages of 12 and 14. This age-group is exposed to risk factors that may lead to the development of mental health disorders and risky behaviour. In this context, working on resilience may become a very valuable tool to improve their ability to address adverse situations and thus promote their mental well-being.

The purpose of this first meeting was to review the advances achieved since the project started in January 2018 and to reach decisions to define the work route for the next months. During the first phase of the project they have actively concentrated on the development of the resilience programme aimed at teenagers, their families, and education professionals at their schools. The UPRIGHT programme strives to increase the teenagers’ self-confidence and cognitive function, empowering them in coping skills, improving their socio-emotional state and reducing school drop-outs. Furthermore, the programme seeks to reach the teenagers’ immediate environment to improve the levels of well-being of their family, their teachers and their entire school environment. Five European regions (the Basque Country, Trent in Italy, Lower Silesia in Poland, Denmark, and the Reykjavik area in Iceland) will jointly implement the UPRIGHT training programme, providing a European framework and validating the effectiveness of this programme pursuant to its development over three school years.

On 30 and 31 August, Iceland also hosted a meeting with the UPRIGHT programme trainers to share on the implementation in schools.

Kronikgune coordinates the UPRIGHT project, with a consortium made up of seven European partners: the Bruno Kessler Foundation (Italy), the Silesia Health Department (Poland), the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the Aarhus University (Denmark), the Health Department of Iceland and the University of Iceland (Haskoli Islands). Furthermore, in collaboration with Osakidetza (Basque Public Healthcare), it is responsible for analysing the results obtained pursuant to the evaluation of the programme at the pilot centres. 

In the Basque Country, Kronikgune will monitor the pilot programme with a multidisciplinary team made up of professionals from the fields of healthcare and education. The UPRIGHT programme will be implemented in six schools from Vitoria-Gasteiz (Miguel de Unamuno HS, Los Herrán HS, San Prudencio School, Presentación de María School, Samaniego IPI, Ikasbidea Durana IPI) during the 2018-2019 academic year.

For further information about the project UPRIGHT, click on the following link: https://www.kronikgune.org/upright/