New school programme aims to build children’s resilience

Kavli Trust has awarded MOT Norway NOK 5.8 million to develop a preventive school programme designed to strengthen children and young people’s mental health and life skills.

MOT already offers well-established programmes aimed at pupils in Years 1–4 (primary level) and lower secondary school. The ambition is for the new programme for upper primary (Years 5–7) to serve as a bridge between the two, ensuring a holistic tool for life skills, mental health and social inclusion throughout primary and lower secondary education.

A much-requested programme

Children and young people are increasingly struggling with mental health challenges, and a school programme for Years 5–7 has been requested by both schools and municipalities, which report a lack of suitable initiatives for this age group.

The programme, developed in close collaboration with schools and academic experts, will be piloted in 20 schools before being rolled out nationally.

A MOT Norway team member giving a presentation to other adults. — To prevent social challenges such as exclusion and mental illness, resilient youth are essential. MOT has 28 years of experience developing school programmes that strengthen young people’s resilience, life skills and courage.

Researching the impact

The funding from Kavli Trust will support the development, piloting and evaluation of the programme, and will be disbursed in four instalments between 2025 and 2028.

The grant will also contribute to impact research on the existing MOT programme Robust Youth, which targets lower secondary school pupils.

The ongoing study is led by researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and follows young people over time to document how the programme influences pupils’ wellbeing, motivation, self-compassion and resilience.

General Manager of Kavli Trust, Ingrid Paasche, describes the foundation’s new project partner as experienced and highly competent.

“We are very pleased to contribute to MOT Norway’s work. With nearly 30 years of experience and substantial professional expertise in the development of health-promoting school programmes, we are confident that the Kavli Trust’s funding will benefit many children and young people,” she says.

Preventing societal challengees

Strengthening young people’s resilience and courage is not only beneficial for individuals or individual school environments, according to Paasche.

“It is also an important contribution in a broader societal context. Social exclusion and mental health difficulties are challenges that must be taken seriously — and that we must work together to prevent and address.”

The foundation’s leader believes that partnerships between multiple actors make it easier to find solutions to complex challenges. She highlights how the project brings together the non-profit sector, foundations, research and professional communities, and schools to promote knowledge and long-term solutions.

“MOT’s project provides schools with research-based and practical tools to promote life skills and prevent exclusion, helping to close a documented gap in today’s school-based mental health efforts,” says Paasche.

Four young people playing a board game outdoors. — Today, more than 300 schools use MOT’s programmes. The new upper primary programme for Years 5–7 has been requested by schools themselves and is designed to bridge the existing programmes for early primary and lower secondary levels.

Facts about MOT Norway

MOT Norway is a social enterprise and non-profit foundation that has developed and delivered preventive and health-promoting school programmes since 1997.
The organisation’s programmes are used by more than 300 schools, reaching over 56,000 young people annually.
Its goal is to strengthen children and young people’s life skills, mental health and inclusion, and to prevent bullying and social exclusion.
The programmes are developed in close collaboration with schools, professional communities, school leaders and young people themselves, and are firmly anchored in Norwegian education policy.
With an interdisciplinary team and strong operational capacity, MOT offers a holistic and evidence-based contribution to safe and inclusive school environments nationwide.
Kavli Trust’s NOK 5.8 million grant will support the development, testing and evaluation of a new and much-requested school programme for upper primary (Years 5–7) between 2025 and 2028.
The funding will also contribute to impact research on the established MOT programme Robust Youth, targeting lower secondary school pupils. The longitudinal study is conducted by researchers at NTNU.