Age should not decide who gets to stay in the workforce. Working conditions and opportunities should enable people to continue contributing throughout their careers. On 6–7 October 2026, partners in the Solutions for Age-Friendly Employer (SAFE) project gathered at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki to exchange knowledge on longer working lives and prepare for the project’s final phase.

SchoolChanger partners met in Estonia on 6–7 October 2026 to develop practical ways to involve young people in shaping more inclusive and supportive school environments. The programme included a visit to the sensory garden at Nissi Basic School, testing board games designed to encourage creativity and empathy, and experimenting, solve problems and developing prototypes at VIVITA in Tallinn.

In her World Mental Health Day statement, Ülla-Karin Nurm, Director of the NDPHS Secretariat, calls for mental health to be considered in every ministry and town hall, with people with lived experience involved from the start. She explores how cooperation across the Baltic Sea Region can turn tested approaches into practical policy recommendations.

At the third EPIC workshop in Helsinki, occupational safety and health experts developed three project ideas to strengthen workforce resilience and crisis preparedness. Building on earlier discussions in Tallinn, they explored opportunities for transnational cooperation.

Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region has been shortlisted in the Public Sector Collaboration in Social Services category. The nomination recognises the project’s strong cross-sectoral and transnational partnership and its work to advance arts-based approaches to mental health and well-being.

The third international meeting of the Arts for Health and Well-being Network (ArtWell NET) brought partners from Ukraine, Sweden, Poland and Estonia together in Kolomyia, Ukraine. The meeting focused on how the Baltic Arts on Prescription model could be adapted to the Ukrainian context and what the wider Baltic Sea Region can learn from Ukraine’s experience of supporting mental health during wartime.

The NDPHS Secretariat in Stockholm is offering paid internships for 2026–2027. Gain hands-on experience in an international environment while contributing to public health, mental health and health-promotion activities.

Arts on Prescription has now become part of the public discussion in Estonia. At the 2026 Opinion Festival in Paide, the Estonian Coalition for Mental Health and Well-being VATEK invited representatives from healthcare, public health, culture, local government and policymaking to explore what the approach could look like in the Estonian context.