P.PORTO maintains commitment to Mental Health with 4BEST project

An investment of more than 470,000 euros promotes the well-being of more than 21,000 students

The Social Action Services of Porto Polytechnic (SAS do P.PORTO), the largest polytechnic higher education institution in the country, are marking World Mental Health Day today with the ‘4BEST - To Better Be, Be and Feel’ campaign.

4BEST is an innovative program to promote mental health and academic well-being, co-financed by the National Program for the Promotion of Mental Health in Higher Education, with an investment of over 470 thousand euros.

The program involves more than 21,000 students in prevention, awareness-raising and emotional support actions, promoting a culture of balance, self-care and sustained academic success over 27 months.

“We want our students to have all the conditions to grow with balance. Mental health is not a luxury: it is an essential basis for learning, inclusion and active participation in the academic community.”, says the Administrator of the Social Action Services of the Polytechnic of Porto.

“With 4BEST, we have created concrete, close and effective responses to take care of those who learn with us.”, adds Raquel Lima.

4BEST responds to a widely documented reality: the worsening of mental health indicators among higher education students, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. Anxiety, depression, isolation and difficulty adapting to the academic environment are some of the most common challenges.

The National Program for the Promotion of Mental Health in Higher Education, developed by the Ministries of Health and Science, Technology and Higher Education, aims to respond to these challenges with effective and structured measures. P.PORTO was one of the institutions selected to develop integrated projects with an impact on the student community, which are coordinated by the Social Action Services.