The EESC Civil Society Prize honours non-profit projects implemented by individuals, civil society organisations and companies. A different theme is chosen each year, covering an important area of the EESC’s work. The winner of the 14th Civil Society Prize, dedicated to mental health, is Ireland’s Third Age Foundation and its social engagement network AgeWell, which battles loneliness in old age.

On 7 March, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) rewarded five non-profit organisations for their outstanding contribution to fighting mental health disorders, which have increased dramatically in the EU.

The EUR 50 000 prize was shared among the five winning projects.

The Irish charity Third Age Foundation took home the first prize of EUR 14 000.

The four runners-up each received EUR 9 000 and were ranked as follows:

• 2nd place: Pro Lapinlahti association, FINLAND, for its community centre Lapinlahden Lähde
• 3rd place: Integra, SLOVAKIA, for its ‘Crazy? So what!’ initiative
• 4th place: Lilinkoti Foundation, FINLAND, for its The World of Recovery games
• 5th place: Animenta organisation, ITALY, for its project Telling Stories for Good

FIRST PRIZE WINNER

With its social engagement network AgeWell, the Irish charity Third Age Foundation helps older people who are isolated, frail and vulnerable. Their unique service is community-based, where people over 50 support at-risk and in-need older people. Using a combination of in-house visits and a smartphone-based mental health questionnaire, AgeWell thus offers companionship and emotional support and identifies health risks at an early stage.

OTHER WINNING PROJECTS

The second place went to the Finnish Pro Lapinlahti association and its community centre Lapinlahden Lähde or ‘The Spring of Lapinlahti’. The centre, built through the renovation of Helsinki’s Lapinlahti Hospital, organises various workshops and events related to mental health literacy, boasting 50 000 visitors each year. Declared a diagnosis‑free zone, it allows everyone to be who they are without being labelled, offering empowerment instead of paternalism.

Placed third is the Slovak organisation Integra, with its ‘Crazy? So what!’ initiative, which breaks down stereotypes by promoting a compassionate understanding of mental health among young people. It provides first-hand insight into what it is like to have poor mental health and into the road to recovery.

The winner of the fourth prize, the Finnish Lilinkoti Foundation, is on a mission to support mental health with its innovative and creative games called The World of Recovery. The games promote mental health recovery through goals that inspire a healthy self-image, personal autonomy and an active and meaningful life. While the first is a non-violent mobile game, the second is an award-winning table top role-play game. They target mental health and people in recovery from substance abuse, along with professionals, and are free to use.

The project Telling Stories for Good secured fifth place for Italy's non-profit organisation Animenta. With the project, Animenta is rewriting stereotypical narratives on eating disorders, which affect more than four million people in Italy alone, two million of whom are adolescents. Its prevention and awareness-raising programmes are carried out by volunteer professionals online and in schools across Italy.

The EESC launched this year’s prize in July 2023. By dedicating it to mental health, it wanted to recognise the crucial role played by civil society in mental health treatment and prevention. The winners were chosen from over 100 applications from 23 Member States.

Past topics of the prize include youth and help for Ukraine, climate action, gender equality and empowering women and migration. In 2020, the EESC replaced its Civil Society Prize with a one-off Civil Solidarity Prize dedicated to the fight against COVID-19. (ll)