Every September offers an important opportunity to bring the issue of suicide prevention and, more broadly, mental health back to the centre of public debate. It is an issue that concerns society as a whole, but it becomes particularly significant when we speak about adolescents and young adults.
Behind a smile, a photograph shared on social media, or an ordinary day at school or university, there may be a story that others cannot see. Loneliness, anxiety, fear of the future, family difficulties, academic pressure, economic uncertainty, social isolation and relationship problems can all coexist with an apparently normal everyday life.
For this reason, talking about mental health means, first and foremost, learning to look beyond what is visible.
A generation facing new forms of vulnerability
Being young today means growing up in a society characterised by enormous opportunities, but also by extremely rapid change.
Digital transformation, constant exposure to social media, pressure to perform, economic and employment uncertainty, the consequences of the pandemic, wars, environmental crises and a broader sense of instability are profoundly affecting the way adolescents and young people build their identities and imagine their future.
This does not mean identifying one single cause or portraying an entire generation as fragile. Rather, it means recognising that psychological well-being is shaped by the interaction between individuals and the environments in which they live.
Family, school, university, work, relationships, community and the digital environment can become protective factors or, when support and listening are missing, contribute to increasing distress.
International data confirm the need to pay greater attention to this issue. According to the World Health Organization, around one in seven children and adolescents in the WHO European Region lives with a mental health condition. WHO also highlights that suicide is among the leading causes of death among young people and stresses the importance of early intervention.
Europe facing a new responsibility
Young people’s mental health can no longer be considered exclusively a healthcare issue.
It is also an educational, social and cultural issue.
Recent WHO Europe analyses involving adolescents across numerous countries have highlighted increasing school pressure and a decline in perceived family support among part of the youth population, with significant differences also linked to gender and socioeconomic background.
These are signals that require us to broaden our perspective.
Prevention certainly means guaranteeing accessible psychological and healthcare services, but it also means creating environments in which a young person can feel listened to before a difficulty develops into a crisis.
It means educating people about emotions.
It means tackling bullying and cyberbullying.
It means addressing loneliness.
It means building positive relationships in the places where young people spend much of their daily lives.
And it also means learning to recognise that asking for help is not a sign of weakness.
Italy also needs a network that is closer to young people
In Italy, increasing attention to adolescent psychological well-being is gradually encouraging institutions, organisations and services to rethink existing models of intervention.
In recent years, national and European initiatives have also been developed to improve access to mental health and psychosocial support services for adolescents, with particular attention to the ability of local stakeholders to work together.
And this is precisely one of the most important aspects.
No single institution can address youth distress alone.
What is needed is an educating community capable of connecting families, schools, universities, healthcare services, associations, Third Sector organisations, public authorities, sports organisations and places of social participation.
Prevention also begins with small actions: a teacher noticing a change in behaviour, a parent being willing to listen without judgement, a friend deciding to ask one more question, accessible services being available, and a young person being able to find a safe space in which to speak.
Listening without judgement
One of the most important tools remains listening.
People going through a difficult period do not always manage to talk openly about what they are experiencing. Fear of judgement, shame, the belief that they must deal with everything on their own, or simply the inability to find the right words may prevail.
Creating a culture of listening therefore means building spaces in which it is possible to say “I am not okay” without feeling wrong or inadequate.
It means avoiding superficial responses, minimising other people’s difficulties or comparing their suffering with someone else’s.
Listening does not necessarily mean immediately having a solution. Sometimes it simply means being present, acknowledging another person’s difficulty and helping them reach those professionals who have the appropriate skills to support them.
From Prevention Month to a year-round commitment
September can be an important symbolic moment for talking about prevention, but mental health cannot become a subject of discussion only during a dedicated awareness month.
The real challenge is to transform attention into policies, services, education and everyday relationships.
We need to promote greater mental health literacy in schools, strengthen community-based services, guarantee accessible listening and support spaces, train educators and professionals, and directly involve young people in designing the interventions that concern them.
The World Health Organization also emphasises the importance of early intervention and the meaningful participation of young people in the development of services dedicated to their mental health.
Above all, however, we need to rebuild a culture of human connection.
Ask someone how they are.
Stop and listen to the answer.
Notice when someone is becoming isolated.
Do not judge.
Encourage people to seek professional support when necessary.
These may appear to be simple actions, but they can contribute to building communities in which nobody feels forced to face a deeply difficult moment alone.
Because young people’s mental health does not concern young people alone.
It concerns the kind of society we are building and our ability to care for one another.
Talking about it matters. Listening is essential. Building networks capable of acting before distress becomes an emergency is a collective responsibility.
And this responsibility cannot end in September: it must continue throughout the year.
From awareness to training: Stella Marina APS’s commitment
It is precisely within this perspective that the commitment of Stella Marina APS takes shape. For many years, the organisation has been active in youth work, European project design, inclusion and the development of pathways designed to strengthen the skills of those who work every day in educational and social contexts.
Supporting youth well-being does not only mean organising activities directly for young people. It also means investing in the preparation of professionals, volunteers, trainers, educators and youth workers, so that they can recognise situations of vulnerability, create safer and more inclusive environments and understand their role when they encounter someone experiencing difficulty.
Within this framework, Stella Marina APS is taking part in Train The Trainer 2, an international training pathway developed within the European project EYES – Youth Well-Being & Mental Health, together with the other international project partners.
The course, delivered entirely online and led by international experts and trainers, is specifically designed for professionals working with young people and enables participants, upon successful completion of the full learning pathway and required activities, to receive a certificate of completion within the European project framework.
The purpose is not to train therapists or to assign clinical competences to professionals whose role is not clinical. On the contrary, one of the core principles of the course is learning to recognise the boundaries of one’s own role, while developing observation, first-response and referral skills so that participants can support young people appropriately and involve professional services whenever necessary.
Understanding new forms of youth distress
A significant part of the training focuses on phenomena that are becoming increasingly relevant in the everyday lives of younger generations.
Digital hyper-connectivity, FOMO – Fear of Missing Out, constant comparison through social media and anxiety about the future can deeply affect the way young people perceive themselves, their relationships and their future opportunities.
The course helps professionals understand these dynamics and recognise early signs of psychological distress that may emerge both in face-to-face educational activities and in online projects and virtual sessions.
It means learning to observe without labelling.
Understanding without attempting to diagnose.
Knowing when to listen and, above all, when professional support is necessary.
Caring for young people also means caring for those who support them
Train The Trainer 2 also addresses an aspect that is often underestimated: the well-being of the professionals themselves.
Working every day with people, vulnerabilities, difficult personal stories and emotionally demanding situations can also place a significant burden on educators, trainers and volunteers.
For this reason, the programme teaches participants to distinguish between burnout and compassion fatigue, helping each person develop personal self-care strategies and healthier personal and professional boundaries.
Learning how to say “no” when necessary therefore also becomes a professional competence.
Taking care of oneself does not mean withdrawing attention from others. It is one of the conditions required to support them in a balanced and sustainable way over time.
Creating psychologically safe spaces
Another key dimension concerns group management.
Not all young people participate in the same way. Some immediately speak up, while others remain silent. Some build relationships easily, while others may feel excluded, insecure or simply need more time.
The training therefore addresses calm and inclusive facilitation techniques, group dynamics, cognitive overload and participant energy cycles, offering tools that help professionals understand what is happening within a group even when it is not verbally expressed.
Through observation and what the programme defines as “invisible facilitation”, participants learn to better read relational dynamics and create spaces in which even more introverted, quiet or potentially excluded participants can feel recognised and involved.
Learning to recognise a crisis situation
Special attention is also given to recognising signs that may indicate a more serious situation, including panic attacks or episodes of dissociation.
In these circumstances, the course introduces the Look – Listen – Link Psychological First Aid approach: observing, listening and connecting the person with appropriate resources and professional services.
One principle runs throughout the entire training pathway and deserves to be clearly emphasised:
the trainer is not a therapist.
The purpose is not to replace psychologists, doctors or specialised services, but to enable those working with young people to recognise a potentially critical situation, respond appropriately and facilitate access to professional support.
This distinction is essential both for protecting the young person and for protecting the professional.
An international, practical and fully online learning pathway
Train The Trainer 2 is structured as a genuine learning journey rather than a simple sequence of theoretical lessons.
The programme includes six self-paced video modules, divided into short sections and supported by presentation slides, information packs, learning outcomes, full written scripts, reflection activities and practical assignments.
The practical activities include developing a personal Self-Care Recipe, a Group Energy Recovery Plan, a Crisis First Aid Card, an Inclusive Space Checklist and a 12-Month Well-being Sustainability Plan to be applied within youth projects.
The asynchronous modules are complemented by two live Zoom sessions with the international trainer: the opening session held on 25 September 2026 and the final session scheduled for 8 October 2026.
To complete the programme, participants are required to progress through all sessions in sequence, complete the reflections and practical assignments, attend the live sessions and complete the final course evaluation.
Training those who work with young people to build more aware communities
This is the perspective through which Stella Marina APS understands its commitment within the EYES project.
Not only talking about mental health, but building skills.
Not only raising awareness about distress, but providing professionals with tools to recognise it.
Not only intervening when difficulties arise, but working so that educational, training and community settings can progressively become more inclusive, attentive and capable of listening.
Training professionals and volunteers represents, from this point of view, an investment with a multiplier effect: every competence acquired can be transferred into groups, activities, projects and communities in which each participant works.
And this is precisely the challenge posed by the contemporary condition of young people.
Building around young people a network of adults and peers who are more aware, better prepared to listen, capable of recognising signs of difficulty and responsible enough to understand when professional intervention is needed.
Because prevention, well-being and inclusion do not come from a single initiative.
They are built through the quality of relationships, the preparation of people and the ability of communities to ensure that no one is left alone.
