Let's CEE

Hungary ranks highly in the EU and globally for death by suicide, and affordable, community-based mental health support - particularly for young people - is limited in the country’s healthcare system, relying on hospital-based, tertiary care with long waitlists. Over 7% of Hungarian adolescents have experienced a mental health condition such as depression or anxiety, and the barriers are even steeper for young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and those from minority groups such as the Roma community.

Let’s CEE was built to fill this gap in service access. It’s a growing network of psychologists and youth mental health professionals across Central and Eastern Europe, whose work funds free mental health sessions for young people who couldn’t otherwise afford support. These sessions are delivered through physical youth hubs designed as walk-in, stigma-free spaces.

A pilot hub is currently open in Budapest’s XI district, working with three schools - with the vision of a hub in every major city across the region. Our support this year is focused on helping Let’s CEE’s founder, Dr Zsófia Szlamka, build a financially sustainable business model that can fund the mission without relying on grants.