"Think about the future: empowering Ukraine's youth through innovative solutions in the field of mental health"
Implementation period: May 2025 – April 2028
LHSI is proud to be the National Implementer of the three-year project "Mind the Future", supported by the International Business Agency of the Netherlands Government through the Ukraine Partnership Fund 2 (UPF2). This initiative is part of the broader recovery and reconstruction efforts in Ukraine and aims to support the mental well-being and resilience of young people affected by war and internal displacement.
Mind the Future — a three-year international program aimed at systematically strengthening the field of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in Ukraine. The project is implemented in partnership between international and Ukrainian organizations and aims to increase the accessibility and effectiveness of local mental health services for youth affected by full-scale war.
The target groups of the project are:
- young people of age 12–26 years old, who is in a vulnerable position;
- mental health professionals;
- educators;
- social workers;
- representatives of communities and local governments.
LHSI is national project implementer in Ukraine and coordinates the implementation of key program components at the national level.
The purpose of the project
The project contributes to the restoration of Ukraine and the sustainable development of its society by:
- increasing the psychological resilience of Ukrainian youth;
- expanding access to quality mental health services;
- development of the potential of local communities;
- supporting young people as active participants in the country's socio-economic recovery.
Main areas of activity
Integration of innovative MHPSS models
Promoting the integration of modern approaches to mental health into existing service delivery systems and the development of partnerships between the public, public and private sectors.
VR-psychosocial support for youth
Ukraine is implementing a psychosocial support methodology adapted to the national context using virtual reality (VR) technologies, which has been successfully used in the Netherlands.
The project involves:
- adaptation of VR methodology;
- training of Ukrainian VR coaches;
- conducting VR sessions for young people.
Mobile psychosocial support teams
Mobile teams operate in communities, providing preventive and corrective psychosocial support to youth, especially in remote and hard-to-reach settlements.
Strengthening community capacity
In Kyiv, Vinnytsia and Odessa regions, training events are being held for community representatives dedicated to:
- mental health;
- overcoming stigma;
- psychological first aid;
- development of self-help skills;
- creating local psychosocial support systems.
Training of specialists
The project increases the capacity of:
- psychologists;
- social workers;
- teachers;
- community specialists
through training in modern trauma-informed approaches to working with youth.
Practical materials
The project has developed a series of practical materials for communities, professionals, and facilitators to help implement psychosocial support at the local level.
The library includes:
- Community-level psychological first aid toolkit
- Toolkit "Stress, Trauma and Mental Well-Being in Crisis"
- Facilitator's Guide
➡️ View all guides and download materials
Expected results
By the end of the project, it is planned to:
- 6 300 young people will receive psychosocial support using VR;
- 6 000 young people will receive support through mobile teams;
- 120 MHPSS professionals will be trained in trauma-informed approaches;
- 350 Community representatives will participate in seminars and public workshops.
The role of LHSI
LHSI, as the only Ukrainian project implementer, leads the adaptation and implementation of all innovations, using its experience:
-
Over 20 years of experience in the field of health care, child protection and youth development.
-
Partnership with 75 cities and communities, implementation of projects with over 30 social service centers.
-
A trained national team of social workers, psychologists, and medical professionals.
LHSI facilitates the integration of project tools into national systems and ensures long-term sustainability through partnerships with local authorities and service providers.
Project partners
International:
-
ICDI (Netherlands) – lead partner and project coordinator
-
De Veranderkamer (Netherlands) – VR technologies and learning
-
PRO-FIL (Poland) – mobile consultation points and cross-border exchange
In Ukraine:
-
Service for Children and Family Affairs of the Kyiv City State Administration
-
Vinnytsia Regional Center of Social Services
-
Social Protection Fund for Persons with Disabilities, Odessa Branch
Financing
The project is funded Ukrainian Partnership Fund (UPF) – a program of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. UPF supports recovery and reconstruction projects for the public and private sectors, contributing to the sustainable reconstruction of the Ukrainian economy and society in the areas of healthcare, water supply, circular reconstruction, sustainable energy and agriculture.