A Young Adults Exchange Project between Finland and Gibraltar took place recently and its purpose is to improve active citizenship, social inclusion and equal opportunities for young  adults who are recovering from mental illness.

Clubhouse Gibraltar hosted a  group of eight young adults and two workers from  Suvimaen Klubitalo in Jyvaskyla, a Clubhouse in Finland, who spent a week in Gibraltar. 

The trip was funded by ERASMUS+ and Aqua Gib (a donation to Clubhouse Gibraltar Young Adults Programme). The groups stayed at the Europa Retreat Centre.  The week aimed to promote awareness about mental health in young adults and how to address recovery within our different cultures. 

During the visit, a number of activities were held including a trivia quiz, sightseeing, a dolphin tour, an empowerment day with workshops focusing on photography, hopes and dreams collage, creative writing and physical activities, and a National Day celebration followed by a barbecue. 

A spokesman for Clubhouse Gibraltar said: "We plan to disseminate the results of our project through local and international media, and to present our findings and outcomes showing the growing needs of young adults with mental illness at Clubhouse European Conference 2018.

"The objectives were determined by the young adults themselves, as areas that they would like to improve on as a result of attending this international exchange. These included;

• improving self-empowerment & self-esteem, 
• active citizenship, enhancing inter-cultural awareness, 
• improving foreign language competencies and increasing motivation for future education and/or meaningful employment. 

"In preparation for the exchange the young adults held Skype meetings and documented the run-up to the trip on a blog (yaeproject.wordpress.com).  We hope to promote awareness about mental health in young adults and how to address their growing needs in their different cultures." 

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