JA MENTOR External Stakeholder Board holds its first meeting

The Joint Action MENTOR – Mental Health Together held the first meeting of its External Stakeholder Board on 30 January 2025. The meeting marked the formal launch of the Board as a consultative body supporting the strategic direction, relevance and long-term usability of the Joint Action’s outputs.

JA MENTOR (2024–2027) brings together 20 participating countries and a consortium of 43 institutions to strengthen mental health across Europe through the Mental Health in All Policies (MHiAP) approach. The project focuses on mental-health promotion and prevention, improved access to services, and support for vulnerable groups, while fostering cross-sectoral cooperation.

The External Stakeholder Board was established to ensure that project activities and results reflect real policy needs and practical conditions across different national and organisational contexts. Its role is advisory rather than administrative, providing structured feedback on priorities, feasibility, sustainability and opportunities for integration into existing systems.

During the meeting, participants were introduced to the structure of the Joint Action, its work packages and early results, as well as the mandate and working modalities of the Stakeholder Board. Two major issues formed the core of the exchange:

• Priorities and challenges in mental health at national and organisational level, and how JA MENTOR can best support addressing them;
• Long-term value and integration, focusing on which project outputs should be sustained beyond 2027 and the conditions required for their adoption.

Stakeholder contributions highlighted the importance of grounding project outputs in practical realities and long-term policy processes. The discussion provided valuable input for refining ongoing work and strengthening the sustainability dimension of the Joint Action.

JA MENTOR would like to thank all stakeholders for their active participation and for dedicating their time and expertise to this exchange.

The meeting concluded with agreement on next steps, communication channels and future opportunities for stakeholder engagement as the Joint Action progresses.