How to improve youth well-being in school and work? Responsibility cannot be shifted solely to individuals or social services
Increasingly younger individuals are experiencing burnout earlier in their lives, and particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic, absenteeism due to mental health issues has risen. The University of Vaasa studied in the "Mielihyvin duunissa" project which factors increase or decrease youth well-being in school, work, and during the transition to work. The aim of the study is to find ways to support youth mental well-being and also prevent mental health problems.
The project implemented a participatory phenomenon-based impact assessment and for it, utilised a method of Participatory Systems Mapping. As part of the method, workshops for young people and representatives from educational institutions and employers were organized.
– In the workshops, we discussed factors affecting youth well-being in school and work environments. Young people shared which factors impact their own well-being, while teachers and employer representatives considered which factors hinder or promote their ability to support youth well-being in their work, says senior researcher Paula Rossi from the University of Vaasa.
Foregrounding the voices of youth
The research resulted in systems mapping, which is based on a comprehensive dataset on factors and their interrelations affecting youth well-being in education and workplaces. The key findings have been compiled into policy recommendations, created in collaboration between researchers from the University of Vaasa and Diakonia University of Applied Sciences. The first recommendation was published in November 2024 and the second in February 2025. These recommendations provide concrete action proposals for policymakers to improve youth well-being and support smooth transitions from education to working life.
The first policy recommendation emphasises that strengthening youth well-being and work capacity requires systemic understanding as well as enhancing both inclusion and agency of youth. To achieve the goals of, we all must work together in practice. In addition, conducting participatory, phenomenon-based research increases systemic understanding, and this understanding helps to identify how factors related to youth well-being are interconnected and how the youth well-being is best supported at individual, organizational and institutional spheres of interaction.
– Instead of only holding individuals accountable for their own well-being, we need impactful measures, actions and decisions that strengthen well-being both in educational institutions and workplaces, as well as in societies. It is important to recognise that complex phenomena, such as the youth mental health crisis, do not stop at the boundaries of policy sectors, administrative fields, or services. Systemic understanding allows us to see how actions and decisions in communities and society affect individuals, explains Rossi.
The research highlights youth voices and experiences, which often receive little attention in decision-making.
– It is crucial that young people not only have a voice that is heard but also have the power to influence decisions and choices affecting them and their future in educational institutions, workplaces, and societies. At the same time, we develop a sustainable working life for everyone. Young people have been involved in all activities of the project, and our research method enabled us to engage them immediately – we did not conduct research for young people but with them.
Youth mental health and well-being are not supported solely by social and health services
The second policy recommendation examines three key well-being focal points where factors related to youth well-being converge. The first focal point is recognising youth individuality, which means placing their unique life situations, characteristics, and needs at the heart of organizational practices and decision-making. The second focal point is suitable work, which includes workplace practices such as clear flow of information, fair leadership, proper tools, and opportunities for recovery. The third focal point is youth agency in communities, which means equal and equitable opportunities for participation and influence.
– By targeting actions at these well-being focal points in workplaces, educational institutions, and society, we promote youth well-being and simultaneously build a sustainable working life.
Indeed, most factors affecting youth well-being in schools and workplaces are small but fundamental aspects related to everyday interaction, practices and behavior. In the Participatory Systems Mapping workshops where the data was collected, aspects such as sufficient communication, clear instructions and procedures, greeting others, respectful interaction and feeling of mattering were discussed.
– While for example mental health and substance abuse services are crucial for young people who need them, the youth mental health crisis cannot be solved solely by social and health services. Youth mental well-being is supported in communities and society, workplaces and classrooms, hallways and break rooms, in every interaction. For example, we can consider how to strengthen teachers' skills in supporting youth mental health, how to improve access to care for young people, how to reduce youth unemployment, or how political decisions regarding funding for educational institutions can ensure that teachers have sufficient resources to support young people in their daily school life, explains Rossi.
The "Mielihyvin duunissa" project began in 2023 and concluded in March 2025. The project was coordinated by Silta-Valmennusyhdistys and conducted together with Diakonia University of Applied Sciences, Rehabilitation Foundation, Finnish Central Association for Mental Health, Tampere University of Applied Sciences, Valo-Valmennusyhdistys, University of Vaasa, and Väestöliiton Hyvinvointi Oy. The project was funded by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health through the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) as part of Finland's Sustainable Growth Program.
Photos by Annamaria Palsi-Ikonen