The WE-MIND consortium participated in the Co-Design Workshop for Modular Toolkit Development and Training of Trainers in Vienna, hosted by the Medical University of Vienna (MUW). The workshop represents Milestone 4 of Work Package 2.
The five-day workshop brought together partner institutions from Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina to work on the first draft modules of the WE-MIND mental health toolkit. The toolkit is being developed to support higher education institutions in strengthening mental health literacy, faculty and staff training, student support, orientation activities, and the integration of mental health topics into selected university courses.
Participants from RIT Kosovo included Dr. Albina Balidemaj, RIT Kosovo President and Dean of Faculty; Dr. Linda Ziberi, WE-MIND Primary Project Coordinator and Chair of the Individualized Program; Dr. Mariel Leclere, Assistant Professor and Mental Health Consultant; Brenda Goldberg, WE-MIND Researcher and Academic Staff; and Elsa Berbatovci, RIT Kosovo student and WE-MIND volunteer.
Participants from the International Business College of Mitrovica (IBCM) included Dr. Linda Abazi Morina, Researcher and Academic Staff; Dr. Bojan Lalic, Researcher and Academic Staff; Ema Kursumlija, Administrative Staff; and Lenart Salihu, IBCM student.
Participants from the Sarajevo School of Science and Technology (SSST) included Prof. Rasim Jusufović, Researcher and Academic Staff; MSc. Sanela Šehić Bajramović, Researcher and Academic Staff; MSc. Aida Ombašić, Researcher, Academic Staff, and Administrator; and Nudžejma Sarajlić, SSST student.
Participants from the University of Sarajevo (UNSA) included Emina Sinanović, MA, Project Manager; Prof. dr. Sibela Zvizdić, Researcher and Academic Staff; Prof. dr. Minka Džanko, Researcher and Academic Staff; and Nađa Sarajlić, UNSA student in the Psychology Master’s program.
The workshop began with a review of the needs assessment results from Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina and an introduction to the co-design process. Based on the themes identified in the needs assessment report, the MUW expert team delivered short lectures that guided the group discussions and toolkit development. These lectures were delivered by Dr. Alexander Kaltenboeck, Senior Expert in Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine; Dr. med. univ. Dr. scient. med. Daniel König-Castillo; Marija Boskovic, Junior Expert; Assoc. Prof. Michaela Wagner-Menghin, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Clinical Division of Social Psychiatry, and WE-MIND Project Manager; Assoc. Prof. PD Dr. Nestor Kapusta from the Department for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy; and Assoc. Prof. Priv.-Doz. Dr. med. univ. Nilufar Mossaheb, MSc, Head of the Clinical Division of Social Psychiatry. The workshop was facilitated by Dr. Raphaela Kaisler, an expert in participatory and co-design workshops.
During the week, participants worked in institutional and mixed partner groups through short lectures, discussions, co-design activities, working sessions, pitch-and-feedback exercises, and implementation planning. The working sessions supported the development of the first draft modules of the WE-MIND mental health toolkit. Participants exchanged institutional experiences, reflected on student and faculty needs, and developed practical materials for future use in trainings, orientation activities, and curriculum development.
The toolkit developed during the Vienna workshop will be used at the upcoming WE-MIND Workshop at the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (IPP), scheduled for 1–3 July 2026, where partners will begin developing the WE-MIND multilingual online mental health platform. It will also support faculty Training of Trainers activities, orientation courses for first-year students in Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the integration of mental health topics into selected university courses.
The Vienna workshop moved the project from needs assessment to toolkit development and prepared the consortium for the next stages of implementation. The WE-MIND consortium is grateful to the Medical University of Vienna for hosting and leading this important workshop, which provides the foundation for the next stages of the project.
