Forest4Youth - Nature Based therapies

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.

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:

ü  Identification of pilot therapeutic forests in several European countries

ü  The development of a care protocol combining real immersion in the forest and virtual reality

ü  Accompanying adolescents in therapeutic forest programs

ü  Training for mental health professionals and foresters

ü  The creation of reference training centers

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.

"Reconnecting teenagers with nature gives them a chance to improve their mental health," explain the project's initiators.

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.