CyberHealthY holds its first in-person consortium meeting in Brussels
Finnova coordinates WP5 — Dissemination and Sustainability within the Erasmus+ CyberHealthY project
Six partner organisations from five European countries met in Brussels for the project's official launch
CyberHealthY will train 30 youth workers as Cyberanimators to build safe online communities for young people
Thursday, 28 May 2026. Brussels. Finnova participated on Monday in the first in-person consortium meeting of CyberHealthY, an Erasmus+ project that trains youth workers to protect young people's mental health in digital spaces. The meeting took place at Passa Porta Bookshop in Brussels, bringing all six partner organisations together for the official launch of the project. Representing Finnova were Pilar Santamaría, Director of Communication and Public Affairs, and EU Communications Assistants Samaya Safarli and Camila Delmar. As coordinator of WP5 — Dissemination and Sustainability, Finnova presented the project's brand guidelines, logo, rollup design, and next steps to ensure CyberHealthY's results reach as many young people as possible across Europe.
WHAT CYBERHEALTHY DOES
Young people across Europe face growing mental health risks online: cyberbullying, isolation, digital overload, disinformation. Youth workers are best placed to help — but until now have lacked structured tools to do so in digital environments. CyberHealthY fills that gap.
Funded by the Erasmus+ programme with a budget of €250,000 over 24 months (January 2026 — December 2027), the project trains 30 youth workers as Cyberanimators: certified professionals who create and manage safe, supportive online communities. These Cyberanimators will establish five national cybercommunities on the CyberMentalHub, a free multilingual platform, engaging at least 75 young people — including 25 with fewer opportunities. Core project resources will be freely available in five European languages under Creative Commons licences.
CyberHealthY builds on EDCyber, a validated predecessor project now being scaled. It is a pioneer initiative in Europe specifically training youth workers in digital mental health facilitation through Cyberanimation.
A PROJECT TAKES SHAPE IN BRUSSELS
The meeting began the evening before with a partners' dinner — an informal setting that allowed the six organisations to connect before the formal work began.
The following day opened with a presentation of each partner organisation. DREAMY then led an introduction to the Cyberanimation methodology and a full overview of the project's structure and objectives. Finnova followed with the presentation of WP5 — Dissemination and Sustainability, unveiling the brand guidelines, logo, rollup design, and a concrete communication strategy with defined next steps.
The second part of the day shifted to project governance. Volonteurope led the session on WP1 — Project Management, establishing the structures and reporting frameworks that will guide the consortium over the next 24 months, followed by WP2 — Field Research and Analysis, setting out how partners will map young people's digital mental health needs at national level.
The second day focused on timeline review, alignment on next steps, and a final evaluation before an informal farewell lunch.
FINNOVA'S ROLE: MAKING THE RESULTS TRAVEL
As WP5 lead, Finnova is responsible for ensuring that what CyberHealthY produces reaches far beyond the consortium. The dissemination plan spans podcasts, social media content, newsletters, awareness sessions, and short videos across the five participating countries. Finnova also plays an active role in the project's implementation in Belgium, working alongside project coordinator Volonteurope to engage youth workers and local communities.
A PROJECT BUILT ON A CLEAR METHODOLOGY
The Cyberanimation methodology applies community animation principles to digital spaces. The Cyberanimator acts as facilitator, communication hub, and mediator within online communities — creating the conditions for young people to build genuine connections and wellbeing together. The approach focuses on awareness and prevention, not clinical intervention. As Piotr, Secretary General of Volonteurope and project lead, stated during the meeting: "There is no health without mental health."
CyberHealthY (project number KA220-YOU-AE68DBA5) is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. The consortium brings together six organisations: Volonteurope (Belgium, coordinator), DREAMY Association (Italy), Action Synergy SA (Greece), FINNOVA Foundation (Belgium), Fundacja Cooperacja (Poland), and Cerebro Corazón (Spain). The next consortium meeting will take place in Greece.
More information: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cyberhealthy/posts/?feedView=all