Young people (in their adolescence and their tween-age, aged 13-20) are in the process of identity formation, and this is the time when their self-esteem, self-efficacy is also built. This process is connected to their feeling of agency – their feeling of control over their lives (Zimmerman and Cleary, 2006). Being an agent in your life has a clear connection of seeing why to finish school and be able to work. Rates of early school leaving in the EU is increasing (12,1% EU average, with a peak of 12,5% in Hungary, 14% in Italy), as well as of youth unemployment (14,9% in the EU).

Schools, and especially teachers have a very important role in both tackling these challenges of social background as well as tackling the everyday phenomenon of bullying within school. However this is a field, where teachers feel unsafe, as original teacher training is less focused on this area.

Teachers face that usually there is not enough psychological / mental health help for young people, even less at the countryside, and they have to deal with these issues themselves if they want or not. They themselves feel helpless often, and need support.

This project aims exactly that: assisting teachers who are working with young people facing these problems, to gain methods, including peer-mentoring, which can be used in the difficult peer-to-peer situations. During our project, after analysing what can be well implemented locally, we develop a reference frame / national adaptation plan for schools, a toolkit for teachers, a teacher training curriculum, and run pilots. Finally, we develop a website especially for teachers from where they can download materials and case studies, based on storytelling, symbolwork, folk tales and other non-formal educational approaches.