From Gwent to Helsinki: A Mental Health Exchange

In September 2026, nine of our Mind our Future Gwent Peer Service Designers travelled to Helsinki for a week of shared learning with Finnish youth organisation Yeesi, funded by Taith.

Written by Lexy, Peer Service Designer, Mind our Future Gwent

Background on Mind our Future Gwent

Mind our Future Gwent (MoFG) is a five-year collaboration between ProMo Cymru and Mind in Gwent, funded by The National Lottery Community Fund. We work in partnership with youth services and local Minds across Gwent.

I’m one of the project’s Peer Service Designers. We’re young people aged 16 to 24, paid the Real Living Wage, and we guide the project. Together, we co-design better approaches to mental health support in our area.

So far, we’ve:

• Created mental health training that we deliver ourselves to professionals and young people
• Run the @KeepInMindGwent Instagram account
• Worked with local services to make support easier for young people to access

In September, we took that work to Finland. Here’s how our week went, day by day.

Day 1: Arriving in Helsinki

On 2nd September, our team met for an early start, full of excitement, nerves and high hopes. Two planes, a train and two trams later, with a quick stop at Schiphol in Amsterdam, we arrived at the EuroHostel, our home for the week. The hostel was hosting a creative writing workshop, so we joined in. Then we headed into the city for our first meal, before a well-earned rest.

Day 2: Meeting Yeesi

After a restful morning and a Finnish breakfast, we met our hosts, Yeesi, for a buffet dinner at the Factory Restaurant below their offices. They showed us around their space, which is designed around their young people, with vibrant colours, comfort and a warm, welcoming feel.

Yeesi then presented their work. They support young people to explore mental wellbeing in creative, positive ways, so they can look after themselves and support their peers. They also:

• Help young people celebrate Pride safely and openly
• Run online sessions, so young people from across Finland can take part
• Raise money for new projects that young people help design and run
  

Next, two of our Peer Service Designers, Lexy and Lucy, presented four years of Mind our Future Gwent. The project began with research that put the voices of over 200 young people at its heart. From that research, we developed training workshops, campaigns and a wide network of stakeholders. We shared our achievements and our challenges. We also explained how the training we built helps young people, professionals, and parents and carers have meaningful conversations about mental health.

Day 3: Learning from Helsinki organisations

We met three more organisations. The first was Koala, which uses art, digital and social media to inspire young people to talk about positive wellbeing. Their young people even design their own memes to promote it. Koala also runs arts, crafts and creative writing events, and has created opportunities for people to gain a degree that was designed to support young people with their mental health.

We then visited Helsinki Girls House, the first in Finland, and Helsinki Boys House.

• The Girls House works with girls and women, including anyone who identifies as female. It offers a safe space and support with identity, housing, mental wellbeing and advocacy.
• The Boys House offers similar support to boys and young men, with a strong focus on gender equality.

Both showed us what’s possible when people are accepted as they are, and when equality and equity are considered.

In the afternoon, our Peer Service Designers delivered our professionals’ training workshop. The audience included university lecturers, health professionals and staff from the organisations we’d met. The scenario-based activity got everyone involved. We also learnt about the challenges Finnish professionals face when talking to young people about mental health.

We ended the day exploring the shops, then singing karaoke with Yeesi. There was some serious musical talent on show!

Day 4: Training with Yeesi’s young people

After a slower morning, we met Yeesi’s young people to deliver our young people’s training workshop. The Peer Service Designers who weren’t delivering it joined in and learnt alongside them. It was a chance to compare mental health support for young people in Finland and Wales, and to start building friendships.

Afterwards there was badge and bracelet making, good conversations and a lot of pizza. We learnt about each other’s cultures and languages, then finished with a competitive round of mini golf.

Day 5: Exploring Helsinki

Together with Yeesi, we visited the Lapinlahden Lähde Mental Health Museum. It’s a former mental health hospital that shows how Finland’s mental health policy has changed over time. It includes artwork by former patients and stories from patients and staff.

In the afternoon, a boat tour of Helsinki’s archipelago showed us the city’s historic islands. It also showed a growing friendship between two projects from two countries.

Day 6: Parliament and goodbyes

On our last day with Yeesi, Member of Parliament Fatim Diarra gave us a personal tour of the Finnish Parliament. She explained Finland’s history and how its Parliament works. It was an amazing experience!

We finished at Oodi, Helsinki Central Library, which has everything from books, music and art to 3D printers and quiet spaces. It was the perfect place to reflect on our week and say goodbye, for now.

Days 7 and 8: The long way home

Our journey home had some unexpected challenges. In Amsterdam, we were caught up in the air traffic control disruption affecting flights to the UK, and had to stay an extra night. Emotions ran high, but we looked after each other. Project staff in Amsterdam and back home thought on their feet to get us home as quickly as possible.

After just four hours’ sleep, we took a taxi to Brussels, caught the Eurostar to London, then a train home to Wales. That was six countries in two days, so quite the adventure, but we stuck by each other and faced the challenges together!

Diolch

A huge thank you to Taith for funding this exchange, and to Yeesi and their young people for being brilliant hosts.

A big shoutout to Sarah, Daniele, Kim and Jane from ProMo Cymru, Mind in Gwent and Meic for supporting us throughout.

Most of all, thank you to the Peer Service Designers who made this an adventure worth remembering. Da iawn pawb!