What emotions do you feel today? It’s okay to experience a mix of feelings! 🌱

Emotional awareness is the foundation of emotional intelligence (EQ), helping us navigate relationships, manage stress, and build resilience.

At EMBRACE, we help children understand their emotions and develop emotional literacy from an early age—an essential skill for lifelong well-being. Research shows that:

📚 Children with strong emotional awareness perform better in school – those with higher EQ have also shown 12% higher academic performance than their peers.
💡 Emotional intelligence reduces anxiety and depression, leading to better mental health in both children and adults.
🌱 Higher EQ means better stress management – people with strong emotional skills recover faster from challenges and setbacks.
👫 Emotional intelligence strengthens relationships by improving communication, empathy, and self-awareness.

💬 What emotion are you feeling today? Reflect on your feelings, and let’s work together to ensure the next generation gains the emotional skills they need to thrive.

📲embrace-future.eu

#EMBRACEProject #EmoțiiînCulori #EQForLife #EmbraceEmotions #ChildMentalHealth #EUfunded #EmotionalLiteracy #EmotionalAwareness #EmotionalIntelligence #ChildDevelopment #MentalHealth #EACEA

Our research highlights urgent issues impacting students across Romania 🇷🇴, including mental health struggles, absenteeism, bullying, discrimination, and limited student participation in decision-making.

Key Insights:

🧠 Mental Health Matters – Over 30% of students experience anxiety or deep sadness, yet 14% don’t know where to seek help when struggling emotionally.
🚨 Bullying & Marginalization – 33% of students have felt excluded or humiliated by peers, and 50%+ know classmates who were marginalized. 17% never told anyone about the bullying they faced.
📉 Absenteeism & School Dropout – While teachers cite family issues & lack of interest as top reasons, 41% of students say they skip school because they “don’t feel well.” Social exclusion plays a major role in absenteeism.
⚖️ Gender Discrimination & Social Barriers – Nearly 1 in 3 students has felt discouraged or treated unfairly because of gender. Teachers report cases of domestic violence, early marriages, and girls dropping out due to pregnancy.
🗣️ Student Participation – Only 45% of students feel they have a way to express concerns at school. Lack of clear communication prevents meaningful student involvement in decisions.

What Needs to Change?

✅ Expand mental health support in schools and make resources more accessible.
✅ Strengthen anti-bullying efforts and encourage safe, open conversations.
✅ Ensure equal education access for girls and marginalized students.
✅ Empower students to have a voice in decisions impacting their school life.

🏫 Every child deserves a safe, supportive school environment!
Our latest research shows the struggles students face – bullying, mental health issues, and exclusion. Let’s take action! 💙

💡 What steps do you think schools should take?

The EMBRACE Life Skills Program is developing five educational modules that go beyond traditional learning to equip kids and young people with essential life skills and emotional literacy.

Each module supports kids’ and young people’s well-being, understanding, emotional literacy, and happiness:
💪 Module 1: Physical Well-being – Helps kids and young people develop healthy habits through rest, nutrition, hygiene, and an understanding of disabilities.
🧠 Module 2: Cognitive Well-being – Explores how the brain works, how to process information, stay motivated, and build resilience in both success and failure.
🌈 Module 3: Emotional Well-being – Teaches how to understand emotions, manage strong feelings, develop self-control, and build resilience.
🌍 Module 4: Spiritual Well-being – Encourages reflection on values, beliefs, human and children’s rights, inclusion, gender equality, and making ethical choices.
🤝 Module 5: Social Well-being – Develops skills for building strong relationships, adapting to social groups, setting boundaries, recognizing toxic situations, and practicing empathy.

Through these modules, EMBRACE supports kids and young people in developing physical, cognitive, emotional, spiritual, and social well-being, helping them lead balanced and fulfilling lives.

✨ 1st day of Project Meeting in Iași, #Romania 🇷🇴

More information about the project at: https://embrace-future.eu/

Hosted by our coordinator Fundatia Servicilor Sociale Bethany, this two-day event will bring together the EMBRACE partners from across Romania Fundația de Sprijin Comunitar Asociaţia Bună Ziua copii din România and FONPC, alongside Evolutionary Archetypes Consulting SL from Spain.

From March 4-5, 2025, our consortium partners will gather in Iași, Romania, for an exciting in-person meeting as part of the EMBRACE project! 🎉

Hosted by our coordinator Fundatia Servicilor Sociale Bethany, this two-day event will bring together the EMBRACE partners from across Romania 📘Fundația de Sprijin Comunitar 🎨 Asociaţia Bună Ziua copii din România and 🛡️FONPC alongside 🇪🇸Evolutionary Archetypes Consulting SL from Spain.

We look forward to meaningful discussions and continued collaboration as we work toward a future where children in Romania have the resources and support they need to thrive and become mental health advocates.

EMBRACE e-Learning for Mental Health! 🎓🌍

We’re excited to share that EMBRACE learning material will be shared on the ICARUS e-Learning platform! Designed for kids, educators, and parents, our courses make mental health education engaging, accessible, and impactful. 

What will EMBRACE share on ICARUS?

🎥 Interactive video lessons featuring the EMBRACE Squad

🧩 Engaging activities & animations to make learning fun

📚 Practical tools & resources for educators and parents

💬 Quizzes & assignments to reinforce key concepts

With the power of ICARUS AI E-Learning and Evolutionary Archetypes Consulting SL‘ expertise, EMBRACE is creating a new way to learn about mental health = one that is fun, supportive, and meaningful.

Meet the EMBRACE Squad soon! 🦉🐿🐶🐉

We will introduce EMBRACE’s characters soon – Wise Owl, Nutty the Squirrel, Sparky the Puppy, and Flutter the Dragon – friendly guides helping kids navigate emotional literacy.

🚀 Explore EMBRACE on ICARUS AI: https://icarus.education/teacher-profile/embrace 

Stay tuned – our courses launch soon!

Empowering Young Minds: Meet the Partners Behind the EMBRACE Project 🚀💡

The EMBRACE project brings together a dynamic group of partners, all united in their mission to tackle the mental health challenges faced by vulnerable children in Northeast Romania. Their shared goal is to empower children, along with their parents and teachers, with emotional literacy, helping them become advocates for mental health. Each partner contributes unique expertise, ensuring the project’s success in the communities that need it most.

🇷🇴 3 Romanian NGO organizations:
🧸 Fundatia Servicilor Sociale Bethany – With 30+ years of experience, FSSB supports vulnerable children and families through therapy, education, and advocacy for children’s rights.
📘 Fundația de Sprijin Comunitar – FSC provides medical, social, and educational services to over 5,000 people annually and trains professionals while engaging youth in volunteerism.
🎨 Asociaţia Bună Ziua copii din România – NGO with 25 years of experience in child rights protection, providing support, counseling, and therapeutic services to children and families in vulnerable situations, focusing on prevention, emotional well-being, and the development of parenting skills.

🇷🇴 Federation of 65 NGOs in Romania
🛡️ FONPC – FONPC advocates for child rights, shapes policies, and provides support services to help vulnerable children thrive, focusing on child participation and legislative improvements.

🇪🇸 1 SME from Spain
✨ Evolutionary Archetypes Consulting SL – EA is an innovation research and science communication company that supports e-Learning and helps create the EMBRACE characters and narrative by blending technology with storytelling.

Together, we’re putting kids at the heart of the project, empowering them to be the heroes of their own mental health stories. 💙

KIDS = Our Future

[Iași, 6 February 2025] – A new 18-month CERV project co-funded by the European Union (EACEA), EMBRACE, has been launched with the aim of improving the mental health of vulnerable children in Northeast Romania. 

The EMBRACE project aims to address mental health issues among vulnerxtable children in deprived villages and small towns from Northeast Romania through a model of school-based interventions that will be piloted in 10 schools covering over 4,500 children from primary to high school level. The implementation of the model will conduct to the development of a prevention toolkit for children addressing the key health determinants of mental health aimed for educating and supporting children, that will be disseminated at country level. The project will provide systematic approach that will engage primarily children, train teachers and professionals to strengthen the supportive networks, facilitate parental engagement and coordinate with local and national services and institutions. Schools will receive tailored assistance for preventing mental health issues and promoting the wellbeing of children for creating a supportive and nurturing learning environment.

This ambitious initiative will involve a consortium of nationally and internationally experienced partners:

• Fundatia Serviciilor Sociale Bethany
• Fundatia de Sprijin Comunitar
• Asociatia “Buna Ziua Copii din România”
• Federatia Organizatiilor Neguvernamentale pentru Copil
• Evolutionary Archetypes Consulting

The EMBRACE project will focus on:

• Developing a comprehensive prevention toolkit: This toolkit will equip children with the knowledge and skills to understand and manage their emotions, build resilience, and cope with stress.
• Implementing school-based interventions: The project will introduce innovative programs within schools to create a supportive and nurturing learning environment for children.
• Engaging communities: By involving children, volunteers, and community members, the project aims to create a safe and supportive environment for children’s emotional and social development.

“We are thrilled to launch the EMBRACE project,” said Beatrice Darie, Project Manager and Programs Director of Fundatia Serviciilor Sociale Bethany. “This project will play a crucial role in addressing the critical mental health needs of children in Northeast Romania. By empowering children and fostering collaboration among key stakeholders, we can create a brighter future for the next generation.”

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EACEA.

Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.