frequently asked questions

You are more than welcome to join both organisations as they are not the exact same. In joining Mental Helse Ungdom Svalbard, you have access to a set of resources based in Norway aimed at helping youth, with a great parent organisation that is truly committed to supporting mental health. Note that many (though not all) of the events and offerings will overlap between the two non-profits.

When we set about creating an organisation that would help support mental health on Svalbard, we wanted to have the support and resources of an experienced parent organisations. This was also important for continuity, due to the nature of Svalbard residents having a limited time usually spent on the island. Mental Helse Ungdom has over 20 years of experience and is a fantastic organisation, so we were thrilled when they agreed to open a local chapter on Svalbard. However because the organisation is aimed at helping youth, there would be an important segment of society left out on Svalbard and we wanted to be able to include people 36 and over also. That is why we decide to create a sister organisation by partnering with Mental Helse, which has the ability to take membership for people of all ages! We then vowed to have both organisations work in tandem to maximise their impact and pool resources. 

We think this is a great solution especially in order to meet our aim of being inclusive.