Faced with the mental health problems experienced by adolescents, the Forest4Youth project, co-funded by Interreg North-West-Europe, is proposing an innovative solution: exploring the therapeutic power of forests to improve teenagers’ well-being.
Today, 17.5% of young people in North-Western Europe suffer from mental disorders such as depression, anxiety or addiction. Mental health services are struggling to meet this growing demand. It is therefore essential to rethink therapeutic support by integrating varied, more accessible and sustainable approaches.
The forest, a natural recovery area
Research shows that forest immersion has a direct and beneficial impact on mental health, particularly on symptoms of depression and anxiety, reducing stress, improving mood and promoting concentration. Yet these natural therapies remain under-exploited.
More than 20% of North-Western Europe is covered by natural areas that could be used for the benefit of adolescents living with mental health problems.
The Forest4Youth project improves the integration of the forest in therapeutic devices thanks to the following results:
- Identification of pilot therapeutic forests in several European countries
- The development of a care protocol combining real immersion in the forest and virtual reality
- Accompanying adolescents in therapeutic forest programs
- Training for mental health professionals and foresters
- The creation of reference training centers
A transnational approach for a lasting impact
Forest4Youth is based on an unprecedented collaboration between mental health professionals and the owners and managers of forests and green spaces. The aim is to develop accessible solutions that can be implemented on a large scale, so that young people can benefit from these therapies.
The project also calls on public decision-makers to integrate these solutions into health and regional planning policies.
At a time when the mental health of young people is becoming a societal emergency, natural spaces represent a precious and widely available resource: exploiting them for their well-being is a necessity.
The partnership
The Forest4Youth project was developped accross 5 different countires - Belgium, France, Ireland, Germany and Luxembourg - which will enable the care protocol to be designed in a more realistic and context-sensitive way. Through transnational and cross-sectoral collaboration—spanning health, forestry, and education—it will support the co-design and local validation of forest-care solutions.
In total, it brings together 9 project partners:
| Centre Neuro-Psychiatrique Saint-Martin (CNP) | BE | https://www.cp-st-martin.be/ |
| UNature (UN) | LU | https://www.unature.org/ |
| The Royal College of Surgeons In Ireland RCSI) | IE | https://www.rcsi.com/dublin/ |
| Société Royale Forestière de Belgique (SRFB) | BE | https://srfb.be/ |
| Association Elan Argonnais (AEA) | FR | https://www.elan-argonnais.fr/ |
| Bruxelles Environnement - Forêt et Nature (BE) | BE | https://environnement.brussels/ |
| Landesforst MV- Waldservice und Energie GmbH | DE | https://www.wald-mv.de/landesforst-mv/struktur-und-organisation/waldservice-und-energie-gmbh/ |
| Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) | BE | https://www.ulb.be/ |
| Etablissement public de santé mentale de la Marne (EPSM) | BE | https://www.epsm-marne.fr/ |
And 9 dedicated associated partners:
| BioCon Valley GmbH | DE | https://www.bioconvalley.org/ |
| Union Nationale de Familles et Amis de Personnes Malades et Handicapées Psychiques (Marne) | FR | https://www.unafam.org/marne |
| SIMILES Wallonie asbl - Familles et amis de personnes atteintes de troubles psychiques | BE | https://associationsimiles.org/ |
| European Federation of Associations of Families of People with Mental Illness (EUFAMI) | BE | https://www.eufami.org/en |
| Forest Therapy Hub | PT | https://foresttherapyhub.com/pt/fthub/ |
| Confederation Européenne des Propriétaires Forestiers | BE | https://www.cepf-eu.org/ |
| Centre de Référence en Santé Mentale | BE | https://www.cresam.be/ |
| Feidhmeannacht na Seirbhíse Sláinte, Sláinte & Folláine (HSE) | IE | https://www.hse.ie/ |
| Teagasc | IE | https://www.teagasc.ie/ |
| Fondation EPI | LU | https://fondationepi.lu/ |
For more information on the project's development, updates and achievements, be sure to follow along.