The project is led by Prof Dr Jutta Lindert from the Department of Social Work and Health at Emden/Leer University of Applied Sciences and aims to understand the state of mental health from the perspective of young people, parents and various interest groups. Particular attention is paid to mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety and substance use disorders. The project is funded by the European Union.

The EARLY project was created to provide robust data on adolescent mental health in the European region in order to design, implement and evaluate evidence-based interventions. A mixed-methods study is planned to collect the data. A combination of qualitative and quantitative research approaches will be used to investigate how to effectively promote young people's mental health. In order to gain a better understanding of the various risk factors, an exposure matrix will be developed, which will provide a better overview of the development of the factors that significantly influence the mental health of young people. 

A total of 19 institutions from 14 countries are participating in the project (Albania, Belgium, Germany, Israel, Italy, Moldova, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain and Romania), in which existing services for young people, resilient practices and strategies for reorganising the health system are to be identified. 

EARLY is about understanding young people's mental health and finding new ways to help.