About MINDBLOOM
Every child has the right to be heard in decisions that affect their life. For children who are unaccompanied or living in care, opportunities to speak up can be harder to access. Feeling safe, finding the right support and trusting that their views will be taken seriously all matter.
Participation, wellbeing and change
MINDBLOOM works with children, professionals and organisations to create better ways for children to learn about their rights, share their views and help shape change. The project brings mental wellbeing and participation together: children need supportive spaces in which they can speak, and adults need to listen and respond.
MINDBLOOM stands for Mental Health, Inclusion, and Democratic Participation: Building a Learning and Outreach-Oriented Model for All Children. The project runs from 1 February 2026 to 31 January 2028 and is funded by the European Union’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme under grant agreement #101253577.
Our objectives
MINDBLOOM wants children’s voices to shape the places, services and decisions that affect them. To make that possible, we will:
Build confidence and knowledge
Help children learn about their rights and find ways to express their views.
Make participation feel safe
Bring attention to mental wellbeing and shape activities around children’s experiences and needs.
Make listening lead to action
Create opportunities for children to advise on decisions and see what happens with their ideas.
Support the adults around them
Help professionals and organisations make participation more inclusive and strengthen safeguarding.
Turn ideas into change
Support children to lead community initiatives and put their proposals into practice.
How MINDBLOOM works
Children help shape MINDBLOOM from the start. They will share what matters to them, help design activities and tell us what works. Their feedback will guide changes as the project develops.
The journey begins with the Child Participation Academy, where children can explore their rights and practise sharing their views in accessible ways. Activities will connect participation with mental wellbeing, peer support and safeguarding shaped with children.
Children who want to take a further role can contribute through the Child and Youth Advisory Council, bringing their perspectives into project decisions and policy conversations. With support from adult mentors, they will also be able to develop ideas for their communities and put selected ideas into practice.
Taking part will be voluntary and suited to each child’s age and needs, with care for privacy, accessibility and emotional wellbeing. Our “You Said → We Did” updates will show what children told us and how their input influenced the project.
What MINDBLOOM aims to create
MINDBLOOM will turn children’s ideas and experiences into learning opportunities, practical resources and changes in how adults listen and respond. Planned results include:
Learning shaped with children
a Child Participation Academy and accessible resources connecting children’s rights, participation and mental wellbeing.
Safer ways to take part
safeguarding guidance and training informed by children’s experiences.
A stronger voice in decisions
opportunities for children to contribute through an advisory council and join discussions with decision-makers.
Ideas put into action
community initiatives developed by children with support from adult mentors.
Tools others can use
materials and recommendations to help organisations make participation more inclusive and meaningful.
We will share these results here as they are developed and ready to use.
Who MINDBLOOM is for
Children aged 14–18 who are unaccompanied or living in care are at the heart of MINDBLOOM. Their experiences, needs and ideas will help shape the project. Activities will be adapted to different languages, abilities and circumstances, so children can take part in ways that work for them.
MINDBLOOM also works with the adults who support children day to day: social workers, educators, guardians and mental health professionals. Together, they can make it easier and safer for children to express their views and be taken seriously.
Youth and civil society organisations, researchers and public authorities can use the project’s learning to improve how children participate in services and decisions beyond MINDBLOOM.
Follow the MINDBLOOM journey
Explore activities, stories and new resources as the work develops.