the international department
The International Department was established in 2024 in response to increasing global interest in headspace Denmark. Through international collaborations, we aim to expand the reach of the non-specialist, volunteer approach to new settings, learn from others to improve our offering within Denmark, and advocate for increased commitment and investment in civil society approaches to youth mental health. Some of our key projects are described in the section below.
Projects and International Engagements
Ukraine today faces profound social, economic, and political fragility after more than three years of war. The conflict has created widespread uncertainty, with children and young people facing some of the most severe challenges. Many live under extremely stressful conditions and are affected by the trauma of war.
In 2022, Olena Zelenska launched the “All Ukrainian Mental Health” program, aiming to improve mental health services for children and young people through prevention efforts and by breaking down barriers to seeking help. Recognising the importance of accessible early intervention, Zelenska sought collaboration with headspace Denmark to address not only the horrors of war but also issues like loneliness, bullying, social isolation, and negative experiences on social media.
The partnership between headspace Denmark and Ukraine was officially established in the autumn of 2024 through a two-year agreement with the Olena Zelenska Foundation, the Coordination Center for Mental Health, and Ukrainian civil society organisations.
This collaboration has been built on mutual visits and meetings, laying the groundwork for a meaningful and long-term partnership. In April 2024, Olena Zelenska visited headspace Denmark, followed by headspace Denmark’s participation in the Fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen in Kyiv, where founder and patron Poul Nyrup Rasmussen delivered a keynote speech. Most recently, a Ukrainian delegation visited Denmark in November 2024 to outline a strategic plan. In 2025, we will host Ukrainian professionals for training in our counselling model, and volunteer recruitment, training and management practices.
Youth Space 12-21 will be modelled on headspace Denmark’s approach, which uses volunteer-led support to promote and prevent mental health issues among young people. headspace Denmark will spearhead capacity-building activities to empower local Ukrainian staff, focusing on volunteer management, service design, delivery, and engagement with public systems. Youth Space 12-21 will then take the lead in establishing the service, supported by partnerships with public authorities and other local stakeholders.
By October 2025, the first five Youth Space centres are set to open, with plans for national scaling following the pilot phase. Support from Sagitta Charity Foundation and Stubkjær Family Group make this project possible, and headspace Denmark and our Ukrainian partners are making important progress toward creating safe spaces for young people in Ukraine.
Photo: Anton Kulakowski
Det Sociale Netværk at the Fourth Summit of First Ladies in Gentlemen
In September 2024 a delegation from Det Sociale Netværk, led by founder Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, visited Kyiv for the Fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen. The mental health of children and young people was high on the agenda, including recent research that demonstrated the significant psychological toll of the war on young people and the need for accessible early intervention services, such as what headspace Denmark offers.
In his speech, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen highlighted the urgent need and the opportunity for headspace Denmark to provide support: “Russia’s war against Ukraine has put the country’s children and young people under daily pressure, and there is therefore a need for new and greater special help. Here, headspace Denmark can offer a collaboration that we know works and that can be built and expanded to all of Ukraine.”
Read more about The Fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen here.
Bergið in Iceland, Mental Helse in Norway and headspace Denmark have agreed to collaborate on improving children’s and young people’s wellbeing across the Nordic region. The collaboration has four primary goals:
- To ensure that health promotion and prevention take a much more central position in youth mental health support.
- To advocate for the essential involvement of civil society in providing support to children and young people, in collaboration with the public sector.
- To advocate for sustainable and long-term financing of civil society proposals such as headspace throughout the Nordic region, allowing us to focus on helping young people rather than seeking funding; and
- To expand our approach to all the Nordic countries, adapted to local conditions and traditions.
The Nordic collaboration aims to revolutionise the Nordic welfare models in order to reverse the trends of mental distress among children and young people. One of the means is a stronger commitment to collaboration between the Nordic governments, municipalities, and civil society in the Nordic countries. Increased support for contributions from civil society can also alleviate the shortage of qualified labour within public health services in the Nordic countries.
Every year we gather for our annual international conference, which we host on a rotating basis.
Let’s invest in mental health, 2024
In November 2024, headspace Denmark hosted the conference titled, Let’s invest in mental health. The event took place at Copenhagen’s Royal Danish Theatre and brought together researchers, politicians, business leaders, and young people from across the Nordic countries to discuss the importance of investing in youth mental health.
The Danish Finance Minister Nicolai Wammen opened the conference with a speech emphasising the importance of prioritising mental wellbeing, not only as a minister but also as a father.
A key topic was the inclusion of young people in decision-making processes. The day’s debates included discussions on young people’s expectations of the labour market, presented by Christine Ravn Lund of the Danish Youth Council and Falck CEO Jakob Riis. A youth panel also shared their perspectives on challenges such as future uncertainty, finances, and well-being.
The conference featured international contributions, including insights from Professor Martin Knapp, who highlighted the economic benefits of investing in mental health, and WHO’s Cassie Redlich, who showcased effective health initiatives.
A heartfelt thanks to all participants and moderator Nynne Bjerre Christensen for an inspiring day that strengthened collaboration on youth mental wellbeing both in the Nordic region and globally. As founder Poul Nyrup Rasmussen concluded: “Those who give much, receive much.”
Image: Poul Nyrup Rasmussen and the panel of young people at the Nordic Conference 2024
The Nordic Collaboration’s focus in 2025: mental health in the workplace
Challenges with finding employment, or with their current job, are common reasons that young people seek support from headspace in Denmark, Norway and Iceland. Further, disengagement from education and work is a growing challenge and a political priority across Europe. For this reason, workplace mental health is the Nordic collaboration’s priority for 2025, and we are exploring partnerships to scaffold young people’s transition into the workforce, promote wellbeing and prevent disengagement from young people in employment, and build the capacity of employers to promote mental wellbeing among their young employees.
headspace Denmark is excited to once again participate in the International Association of Youth Mental Health conference, hosted in March 2025 in Vancouver, Canada. The event is a valuable opportunity to share some of our exciting work:
- Initial results from the recent evaluation of headspace Denmark, presented by Trine Hammershøy, CEO of headspace Denmark
- The goals and opportunities for the Nordic Collaboration, presented by Nina Moss, Head of the International Department
- The headspace Family pilot program, presented by Trine Hammershøy, CEO of headspace Denmark
- The When Something Makes You Happy board game, designed to promote reflective conversations about wellbeing, presented by Nadia Kamber Aa, project manager at headspace Denmark
- headspace Denmark’s health promotion outreach activities
- The mindU program, promoting wellbeing among young people preparing for confirmation
In collaboration with MEP Christel Schaldemose, Vice President of European Parliament, we hosted a working lunch in January 2025 titled: a cross-sectoral, collaborative approach to youth mental health and the role of civil society in health promotion, prevention and early intervention. This event brought together 60 delegates from the European Parliament, European Commission, the World Health Organisation, the World Economic Forum, NGOs across Europe and young people for an engaging discussion on opportunities for civil society in improving the mental health of young people across Europe.
Image:MEP Christel Schaldemose, MEP Villy Søvndal and Trine Hammershøy
The event opened with an address from MEP Christel Schaldemose, identifying the importance of youth mental health on the European Parliament agenda, and stories from two young people: Anna-Sophie Albrink Hautopp, who shared her experience of counselling support from headspace Denmark, and Misha Meijers, a young peer volunteer at @ease in the Netherlands. Dr Mark van Ommeren, Head of the Mental Health Unit at the WHO Headquarters, then highlighted the value and effectiveness of non-specialist approaches to mental healthcare across the world, and Dr Ruma Bhargava, Global Lead of Mental Health at the World Economic Forum, recognised the importance of public-private collaboration to meet the mental health needs of young people. The important and effective contributions civil society is already making in this area were then clearly demonstrated by Poul Nyrup Rasmussen and Trine Hammershøy of headspace Denmark, Britta Lange of the Guldborgsund Municipality and Therese van Amelsvoort from @ease. We concluded with a lively discussion about next steps.
You can see the program and key messages here.
Image: Britta Thomsen, Trine Hammershøy, Sophie Prober, Anna-Sophie Albrink Hautopp and Britta Lange
Contact Us
Interested in collaborating, or want to learn more? Reach out to the team below.
Nina Moss
Head of the International Department nimo@detsocialenetvaerk.dk
Julia Adelsten Olsen
Project Consultant jaol@detsocialenetvaerk.dk
Sophie Prober
International Consultant sopr@detsocialenetvaerk.dk
