KATE – Health and Mental Well-being to Kainuu

KATE project stands for health and mental well-being for Kainuu. The aim of the KATE project is to promote the mental well-being of Kainuu residents and prevent mental health challenges. The project is managed by Kajaani University of Applied Sciences and will run from 11/2023 to 7/2026. The partners are the wellbeing services county of Kainuu and the municipalities of Kajaani, Sotkamo, Kuhmo, Paltamo, Ristijärvi, Hyrynsalmi and Suomussalmi. We also cooperate with other operators in the region, such as the third sector and entrepreneurs, to promote the project’s objectives. We build a network of actors in the region, which will be complemented by the residents of the municipalities.  
The project will produce a mental well-being programme, which will be utilised in the well-being, health and safety working groups (HYTETU working groups) of Kainuu municipalities and the wellbeing services county of Kainuu. The content of the programme applies to all age groups: children, young people, working age and elderly people. With an assembled network of partners, we have developed the content of the programme in workshops during spring 2024. 
During the project, training seminars (n=11) on the content of the programme will be organised for professionals in municipalities and wellbeing services county to support the implementation of the programme and to increase mental health knowledge in the region. In addition to the trainings, the project will organise wellbeing events (n=7) in municipalities for local citizens. The aim of these events is to inform local residents about the project, mental health promotion and the HYTETU work. We involve citizens in the planning of events in order to increase the involvement of Kainuu residents in the development work and at the same time increase the experience of community, which is known to support people’s mental well-being. 
For more information about the project, please contact Project Manager Sanni Vuorinen at sanni.vuorinen@kamk.fi