About AMITY network

Amity network, founded in the summer of 2022 as a an informal group of civil organizations Europe wide, is the culmination of years of dedication from its original members who had been developing and testing mental health and related non-formal methods, both online and offline, for over a decade. The primary goal of the network is to provide a dedicated space and time for the well-being, recreation, and resilience-building of young people, as well as for their youth workers, psychologists, social workers, teachers, and youth leaders.

Our guiding philosophy, our 'ars poetica,' is centered on helping individuals find inner balance, cultivate healthy relationships in life and in their work, lead sustainable lives, and develop the ability to resource themselves and others. The need for establishing this organization arose from the structural and global changes brought by the pandemic and its profound impact on young people, especially those with fewer opportunities, and their dedicated supporters, including youth workers, social workers, and psychologists. The prolonged emergency situation led to increased exhaustion, anxiety, and a loss of professional and personal motivation.

Today, the convergence of environmental crises such as global warming, human crises including wars and pandemics, and the prevailing 'hustle culture' has amplified the need for nurturing healthy relationships with oneself, with others, and with the natural surroundings we inhabit.

The founders of Amity network aimed to create international projects that support a wide range of youth target groups and their supporters, including youth workers, youth leaders, young role models, social workers, teachers, psychologists, trainers, and their respective communities and organizations. Our thematic approach includes providing a platform for mental health professionals, organizations, trainers, researchers, youth workers, youth leaders at the European level, and policy and decision-makers through non-formal educational programs.

Our activities include:

• Fostering connections between youth and social workers, sharing methods and ideas across the resilience spectrum with the common goal of championing and improving individual and organizational mental health and resilience through open communication, sharing best practices, and extending EU networks, knowledge, and learning.

• Advocating for informed and influential positions on all aspects of resilience and mental health, including environmental sustainability, resulting in local, national, and EU-level policy recommendations.

• Acting as a hub that brings together ideas, information, and resources from numerous organizations and experts supporting and promoting mental health, resilience, and sustainability, offering non-formal educational development opportunities for youth workers and their target groups.

• Collecting and providing materials for education, research, and the development of well-being and resilience among the young generations.

• Promoting sustainability and the longevity of community work, ensuring a safe planet for future youth generations, with a focus on environmental sustainability along with healthy living.

Our diverse range of methods draws from various sources of non-formal education, including coaching, mentoring, outdoor experiential learning, online learning, environmental education and biology, art and movement expression, basic psychoeducational tools, cultural mediation, and storytelling on resilience and burnout, as well as oriental movement techniques for healthy lifestyles.

The network is funded by the European Union EACEA Funds under the grant agreement: Project: 101121897 — Amity — ERASMUS-2023-CSC-OG-SGA