Problem addressed

Young adults in the Netherlands face growing mental health challenges, with around one in three experiencing psychological problems, while existing support is often fragmented, difficult to access and poorly aligned with their daily lives. Help frequently arrives late, focuses mainly on symptoms rather than underlying causes and is limited by rigid rules, siloed funding and lack of regional coordination. Many promising local initiatives struggle to scale or sustain their work because they run up against institutional barriers and short-term project financing. As a result, young adults aged 16–35 risk not receiving timely, appropriate and affordable support to stay mentally healthy, recover and participate fully in society.

Innovative solution

Ruimte voor Geestkracht is a long-term national programme of FNO that works for ten years with young adults, regional networks and national stakeholders to create a society in which young adults have space to be and remain mentally healthy. The programme combines regional collaboration in five areas with strong youth participation, ensuring that young adults do not just give feedback but actively co-decide on priorities and solutions. Through Team Geestkracht, a dedicated youth panel, young adults advise, set agendas and support regions in organising meaningful youth involvement. Ruimte voor Geestkracht focuses on reshaping rules, systems and financial flows, looking beyond healthcare alone to address root causes of mental health problems and build sustainable, integrated support structures.

Key results and benefits

Ruimte voor Geestkracht strengthens regional networks that work on mental health in ways that genuinely fit young people’s lives, improving the quality, accessibility and affordability of support for those who need it. Young adults become co-owners of the programme, ensuring that their perspectives shape decisions, interventions and long-term system change rather than being treated as an afterthought. Valuable local initiatives gain support to overcome barriers such as fragmented rules or insecure funding, increasing their capacity to continue and grow. By targeting underlying causes and focusing on durable collaboration, the programme contributes to more resilient young adults and a more coherent mental health ecosystem.

Potential for mainstreaming

The Ruimte voor Geestkracht approach shows how long-term, system-focused programming can align youth participation, regional practice and national policy in the field of mental health. Its model of multi-year collaboration with regions, combined with a formal youth panel that actively co-decides, offers a replicable framework for other countries or policy domains seeking to embed meaningful youth involvement. Working simultaneously on practice, rules and financial flows creates conditions for structural change rather than temporary project gains. The programme’s focus on early intervention, cross-sector cooperation and sustainable organisation and financing resonates strongly with wider European ambitions on mental health promotion, social inclusion and prevention.