Symposium: Focus on Mental Health

The mental health of children and adolescents has deteriorated since the pandemic began. The symposium “Growing Up Healthy in Daycare, School, and the Neighborhood – Focus on Mental Health” therefore addresses this issue with a focus on these settings. The symposium has been organized since 2019 as a joint event by the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS and the Coordination Office for Health Equity (KGC) in Bremen.

The mental health of children and adolescents has deteriorated since the pandemic, as the 2025 COPSY study once again makes clear. The Robert Bosch Stiftung’s latest School Barometer also shows that one-quarter of students currently suffer from mental health issues.

For Bremen and Bremerhaven, the relevance of this issue is highlighted, for example, in the 2024 State Health Report, which documents an increase in mental health issues. Furthermore, the Bremen Youth Advisory Council Conference identified mental health as a central issue for young people in Bremen this year.

Social and health inequalities play a central role in the development of resilience and the promotion of mental health and can negatively influence the risk of psychological distress. To address these challenges, tailored and low-threshold support services for children and adolescents are needed. The settings in which children and adolescents grow up play an important role in this regard.

The symposium “Growing Up Healthy in Daycare, School, and the Neighborhood – Focus on Mental Health” therefore addresses this topic with a focus on these settings. Following an introductory keynote speech and an overview of Bremen’s structures, there will be four parallel workshops that will delve deeply into the resilience and mental health of children and/or adolescents in daycare, school, and neighborhood settings, as well as the resilience and mental well-being of professionals. Participants will have the opportunity to gain new practical knowledge and engage in dialogue with one another.

Further information can be found here.