Young Delegates and Alumni Club Joint Meeting Explores Youth Health and Mental Well-being Through Sport and Climate Action
On 8 December 2025, ENGSO Youth brought together the Young Delegates and Alumni Club members for a joint online meeting dedicated to the topic of Health, with a special emphasis on youth mental well-being and the role of sport for sustainable development. The session featured expert speakers, project showcases, and interactive discussions that highlighted the growing importance of mental health and climate action in youth sport across Europe.
The meeting started with an official welcome, setting the tone for an engaging and insightful evening. Participants were invited to reflect on the interconnectedness of physical activity, psychological well-being, and youth development—an overarching theme woven through all presentations.
State of Play: Youth Sport and Psychology
The programme began with Tabea Werner – sport psychologist and a coach, who provided a comprehensive “state of play” overview of youth sport and psychology. Her intervention outlined current trends, challenges, and opportunities faced by young people in sporting environments. Tabea highlighted increasing mental health pressures among adolescents and stressed the importance of equipping youth leaders, coaches, and organisations with the right tools to foster safe, inclusive, and supportive sport spaces.
Move4Nature Train-the-Trainers Workshop: Connecting Physical Activity, Sustainability and Mental Health
Following this, Polona Fonda introduced the Move4Nature project, using information from the trainers’ toolkit to showcase how the initiative connects physical activity, hiking, nature, and mountains with mental well-being and environmental awareness. She emphasised that nature-based movement not only benefits young people’s mental health but also strengthens their sense of agency and care for the environment—an approach increasingly recognised as best practice in youth development.
As this section was a train-the-trainers capacity-building event, Polona also shared how participants could organise their own Move4Nature events and discussed examples of actions already implemented. The examples highlighted the project’s inclusivity and encouraged young delegates and alumni to be creative and reach out to groups that may not be active or involved in the community. Attendees were then challenged to complete the online Move4Nature Quiz to test their sustainability and climate action knowledge. To close this section, Polona shared that whilst the project is coming to an end, Move4Nature actions can still be completed and logged on the project’s website.
HOORAY Project Outcomes: Youth Mental Health Through Physical Activity
One of the key highlights of the meeting was the presentation of the HOORAY project by our Young Delegates from the Health Working Group Rodrigo Dudas and Pedro Valente. They shared the project’s final outcomes by testing the knowledge of the participants through a kahoot quiz.
Insights from the YouMind Guidelines
Last but not least, Erik Van Haaren – sport psychologist presented key insights from the YouMind Guidelines, focusing on mental health in individual youth sports. He addressed the psychological demands faced by young athletes in team and individual sport settings, offering practical strategies, tips and recommendations for coaches on how to support the youth athletes and make sure that the sport is beneficial for their mental health. Erik emphasised the value of early identification, open communication, and holistic support systems.
Closing and Next Steps
The meeting concluded with reflections on the discussions and a reminder to make sure that we take care of both our mental well-being and planet in a coordinated effort for a better and healthier world. Participants were encouraged to continue promoting health and well-being in their own contexts, building on the knowledge and tools shared during the session.