The Neon Young Norway Study

Our research project aims to:

I. Enhance understanding about young people’s recovery narratives

II. Create digital health technology resources, including Social Impact Games, that make recovery narratives accessible to other young people, offering support and opportunities to integrate these narratives into their own recovery process.

To achieve these goals, we:

• Catalog the distinctive features of recovery narratives
• Explore how recovery narratives are understood and utilized
• Examine the immediate impact and power of recovery narratives
• Craft social impact games and interactive media inspired by the recovery narratives we have gathered.

By the project’s end, our goal is to have developed a digital health intervention tailored for young people facing mental health issues and to have contributed valued insights professionals and others who engage with young people.

A recovery narrative is a personal story about living with or experiencing mastery of mental health issues. These stories can include accounts of touch times, how individuals have fought through difficulties, what they find helpful, how they endure, and/or how they move forward.  

In this study, you will often see recovery narratives referred to as coping and mastery stories.

Kristin Berre Ørjasæter, Project leader
Email: kristin.b.orjasater@nord.no

Helga Dis Isfold Sigurdardottir, Leader WP 3
Email: helga.d.sigurdardottir@nord.no

Cathrine Fredriksen Moe, Leader WP 4
Email: cathrine.f.moe@nord.no

Victor Perez Colado, Project participant in WP 2, 3, 4
Email: victor.m.colado@nord.no

Kristin Øksendal Børresen, PhD research fellow, WP 1
Email: kristin.o.boerresen@nord.no

Anna Leiler, Postdoc, WP 1 and 2
Email: anna.leiler@miun.se

Malle Vogelsang, PhD research fellow, WP 2
Email: malle.vogelsang@nord.no

Teddy Nambaziira, PhD candidate NEON Young Interactive
Email: teddy.nambaziira@nord.no

Jone Trovåg, Project participant in all WPs
Email: jone.trovaag@mhu.no

Stefan Rennick-Eggelstone, Project participant in all WPs
Email: stefan.egglestone@nottingham.ac.uk

Fiona Ng, Project participant in WP 2, 3 og 4
Email: fiona.ng@nottingham.ac.uk

Mike Slade, Project participant in all WPs
Email: m.slade@nottingham.ac.uk

Unn Kristin Vedal, Project participant in WP 1, 2 and 3
Email: unn.kristin.vedal@snasa.kommune.no

Siv Anita Aasum, Project participant in WP 1, 2 and 3
Email: siv.anita.aasum@snasa.kommune.no

Victor Valderaunet, Project participant in WP 2, 3, 4
Email: victor.valderaune@afjord.kommune.no

Photos of Norwegian Collaborators: Roald L. Fleiner
Photos of International Collaborators: private

Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) is an expert panel consisting of individuals aged 16-30 who have personal experiences with mental health issues. The participants come from diverse background and regions across Norway. They meet digitally 2-4 times a year to ensure that the voices and perspectives of young people are represented throughout the project period. This includes contributing to the design, analysis, and dissemination of research findings. Additionally, LEAP serves as important discussion partners in the selection of concepts and development to LEAP of games and health technology resources tailored to the needs and desires of young people.

Mental Health Youth Organisation organizes the panel, which is led by Jone Trovåg.

Project Advisory Board (PAB) is an advisory expert panel consisting of individuals with diverse expertise relevant to the NEON Young Norway study. The panel will provide advice and guidance to the project management throughout all phases of the project. They will focus on ethics, methodological choices, issues, related to Sami language and culture, recovery, e-health research, and the involvement of young people`s voices.

The PAB will meet digitally eight times during the project period. 

The NEON Young Norway Study promotes a strength-based and health-promoting approach to mental health, focusing on young people’s expertise, strengths, and strategies rather than problems and diagnoses. We recognize the valuable contributions of young people in developing tailored support and follow-up that meets their needs and desires. The project is based on two established frameworks for recovery and citizenship. The recovery framework describes five key processes in a person’s coping and recovery process, and is known by the acronym CHIME – connection, hope, identity, meaning, empowerment. The citizenship framework consists of the individual’s strong connection to the 5 Rs – rights, responsibilities, roles, resources, and relationships – which society makes available to its citizens and the experience of belonging that is validated by others.

Short film by Professor Rowe, who developed the framework:

Citizenship: The 5 Rs and Belonging

NEON Young Collection

Young individuals aged 16-30 with stories of coping and recovery to share.

Share your story

NEON Young Implementation

• Young people who incorporate others’ recovery narratives into their own recovery process
• Professionals who employ recovery narratives in treating and supporting young people with mental health issues.

Join the interview