Saxony launches school project on mental health

Pilot project in Dresden and Bautzen from next school year

The project will start in Dresden and the district of Bautzen in the 2026/2027 school year, but the services will be available throughout Saxony once it has been successfully completed.

The project is divided into three modules. The core element is the so-called procedural navigator, which serves as a guide and clearly shows which steps are necessary in which situations. The navigator will be permanently available online and can also be accessed by professionals and parents.

In the "knowledge base" module, school administrators can take part in courses on psychological first aid. These courses originated in Australia, where 50,000 people have already been trained, as Ulf Matysiak, Managing Director of the Beisheim Foundation, explained. The aim is to impart orientation knowledge and bring more people into the school system who feel confident in dealing with the subject. Using specific case studies, the final module, the "Transfer Workshop", will then be used to practise how to act in the company of medical professionals.

The Beisheim Foundation is initially providing 400,000 euros for implementation. The amount will be adjusted depending on demand and interest in the training courses. A duration of two and a half years is planned.

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