🧠YoungMinds brings Portugal´s first Mental Health on Screen Event to Terras de Bouro🧠

On 26 June 2026, the YoungMinds project hosted Portugal’s first Mental Health on Screen event at the Municipal Auditorium of Terras de Bouro, bringing together around 108 participants for a community discussion on emotional well-being, empathy and support networks.

The session opened with welcoming remarks from Teresa Oliveira, Director of the Terras de Bouro School Cluster, and Manuel Tibo, Mayor of Terras de Bouro, who highlighted the importance of creating spaces for open dialogue on mental health within schools and local communities.

At the heart of the programme was the screening of the short film Sound of Mine, which served as the starting point for a multidisciplinary conversation on how people experience, interpret and communicate emotional distress.

The discussion was moderated by Teresa Brandão and brought together speakers from different professional backgrounds:

Gaspar Ferreira, President of the Northern Regional Delegation of the Portuguese Psychologists’ Association;
Filipa Pereira, Psychiatrist at ULS Braga, whose work focuses on community-based mental health interventions;
Marta Matos, Teacher and Psychologist, specialising in the intersection between psychology and the arts.

Using Sound of Mine as a catalyst, the panel explored several key themes:

feeling of being immersed in one’s own thoughts;
role of communities as protective and supportive environments;
importance of genuine communication and human connection in an increasingly digital society;
potential of cinema and the arts to express emotions that are often difficult to verbalise;
need to look beyond diagnosis and recognise the individual behind each condition;
the value of listening with empathy and seeking human and professional support when facing psychological distress;
idea that technology should complement, rather than replace, human relationships and specialised care.

The event offered an open and inclusive space for reflection, encouraging participants to consider how empathy, communication and community support can contribute to better well-being among young people.

As part of the YoungMinds project, this initiative reinforces the consortium’s commitment to raising awareness of mental health issues, fostering meaningful dialogue and strengthening communities through education and collaboration.