Mission and vision

Mission 

We are here to help children and youth and all those involved in their education and development to deal with anxiety and stress. Fear and stress are part of life, but sometimes they can take over to such an extent that children and youth struggle to develop in a healthy way. In reality, severe anxiety often goes unnoticed by those around us for a long time. As a result, problems can then accumulate in such a way that intensive specialized help is needed, or complaints have a lasting impact on functioning.  

We want to prevent anxiety and stress from escalating like this. We develop and share new methods to recognize signs of increasing anxiety and stress as early as possible, so that young people can quickly receive accessible, effective help. We contribute to the normalization of feelings of anxiety and stress by making them discussable from an early age, at home and at school. This helps to recognize, understand and make feelings of anxiety and stress manageable and it removes barriers to seeking help. We develop interventions for those who take this first step towards help, with this we can tackle anxiety symptoms early and effectively to prevent escalation.  

To make this possible, we are working on a stronger connection between education and youth care. We support schools in recognising and dealing with stress and anxiety in pupils and bring help for young people closer to school. We do this by sharing our knowledge, expertise and interventions. Our scientific research focuses on innovative methods to improve the care for young people with anxiety and stress. At the same time, we are committed to challenging narrow thinking and fixed labels, in collaboration with partners from education, youth care, health care and government. We train students who are able to build bridges between these worlds and apply the latest scientific insights in practice. 

Vision 

We are working towards a society where anxiety and stress in children and youth can be discussed just as openly as issues like homework, concentration, or physical complaints. Young people learn to understand and handle these feelings while teachers and educators know how to support them in this. A safe learning climate is central to education, in which children are given the space to take on challenges, make mistakes, and endure or overcome fears. During their training, teachers learn how they can guide this process and be a role model in it.  

Nevertheless, there will be young people for whom fear and stress get the upper hand. In an open and supportive climate, they feel safe to talk about it. Teachers are aware of signs of increasing anxiety and stress, and students can receive extra support within the school when these feelings threaten their development. When more support is needed, action can be taken quickly and those involved work together inside and outside the school. Which 'pot' the money comes from should not matter for access to the necessary care.  

The care for students with severe anxiety symptoms is based on scientific research. If existing treatments are not appropriate, alternatives are sought and additional problems are addressed simultaneously, if necessary, in collaboration with other professionals. 

We work towards these goals through the following activities: 

• Sharing knowledge via our website, social media, newsletters and attendance at events
• Providing presentations, workshops and training for education and youth care professionals
• A telephone advice line that is available daily between 9:00 and 17:00 for questions and advice
• Developing training and interventions for children and young people with anxiety and stress
• Collaborating with education and youth care to identify needs to improve early identification and guidance to help