Create a municipal youth mental health support protocol
Disclaimer
This is an example entry created for demonstration purposes. It does not refer to a specific Legislative Theatre session, municipality, health service or approved policy process. The text is intended to illustrate how a policy proposal generated through Legislative Theatre could be documented and tracked in Decidim’s Accountability module.
Description
This policy proposal emerged from a Legislative Theatre session focused on the barriers young people face when trying to access mental health support.
In the theatre scene, young people showed how emotional distress, anxiety and loneliness are often treated as individual problems rather than as issues connected to education, housing, family pressure, discrimination, digital life and lack of accessible support services. The scene represented a young person trying to ask for help but being passed between school staff, health services and municipal youth services without receiving a clear response.
During the participatory discussion, participants identified the municipality, schools, youth centres, public health services and community organisations as key actors involved in this issue. They also pointed out that many young people do not know where to go, fear being judged, or only receive support once the situation has become urgent.
In the proposal drafting phase, participants called for a coordinated local protocol that makes it easier for young people to access early, confidential and non-stigmatising mental health support.
The proposal asks the municipality, schools, youth services and local health providers to create a shared youth mental health support protocol. This protocol should include clear referral pathways, accessible information, first-contact guidance for youth workers and teachers, and coordination with specialised services when needed.
The expected result is that young people can ask for help earlier, know where to go, and receive a coordinated response instead of being left to navigate the system alone.