PROJECTS
The Challenge
The Empowered Project (TEP): Advancing Youth Mental Health through Co-Creation and Digital Innovation
The Empowered Project (TEP) is a youth-led, self-sustaining mental health initiative for Adolescents in Africa.
Building resilient young people through peer support, innovation, and safe spaces.
Many adolescents in Nigeria face mental health challenges, but have no safe or supportive environment to talk about them.
Stigma, low awareness, and limited access to youth-friendly services mean that many young people struggle in silence. In schools, where adolescents spend most of their time, emotional distress is often misunderstood or ignored, and teachers are rarely equipped to provide support.
Without the right intervention, this leads to poor well-being, reduced academic performance, and harmful coping behaviours.
OUR JOURNEY: From TEP to TEP+
The Empowered Project (TEP) – Pilot Phase
The Empowered Project (TEP) began as a school-based mental health initiative designed to explore how young people could be supported within their everyday environments.
Through pilot implementation in selected schools in Ibadan, Nigeria, we learned that:
• Young people are more comfortable discussing mental health in peer-led spaces
• Schools are powerful platforms for early mental health support
• Simple, interactive approaches increase participation and engagement
These insights showed that mental health support for adolescents must be relatable, youth-driven, and embedded within schools.
Introducing TEP Plus (TEP+) – Enhanced Model
Building on lessons from the pilot phase, ACES Africa developed TEP Plus (TEP+), an improved, scalable model designed to create deeper, more sustainable impact.
TEP+ introduces:
• Peer-led mental health clubs led by trained student leaders
• Gamified learning tools that make mental health education engaging
• The Youth Mental Health Toolkit, co-designed by young people
• Teacher facilitation model to ensure sustainability in schools
• Structured delivery model for replication and scale
TEP+ moves beyond awareness to focus on action, ownership, and long-term change.
Our Innovation: The Youth Mental Health Toolkit
At the heart of TEP+ is the Youth Mental Health Toolkit: a set of simple, engaging tools designed by young people, for young people.
The toolkit includes:
• Challenge–Response Cards for real-life scenarios and discussions
• Mental Health Games for interactive learning
• Facilitator Guides for teachers and peer leaders
• Session Plans for structured club activities
These tools transform mental health education into something that is:
• relatable
• interactive
• easy to deliver in low-resource settings
How TEP+ works
WHAT'S NEXT?
TEP+ is implemented directly in schools through a simple, structured approach:
1. Train student peer leaders to facilitate sessions
2. Train teachers to support and guide activities
3. Establish weekly mental health clubs
4. Use the toolkit for interactive learning
5. Create safe spaces for open conversations
6. Engage parents and communities
7. Run youth-led awareness campaigns and creative activities
Our Impact So Far
From our pilot phase and early implementation:
• Students reported increased confidence in discussing mental health
• Peer-led sessions created safe spaces for open conversations
• Teachers reported improved ability to support student wellbeing
• Engagement levels were higher compared to traditional approaches
• Schools expressed interest in expanding the programme
Why It Works
TEP+ is effective because it is:
• Youth-led – young people trust and learn from their peers
• Culturally relevant – tools reflect real-life experiences
• School-based – integrated into everyday environments
• Sustainable – teachers and students continue activities
• Scalable – toolkit allows easy replication across schools
ACES Africa is working to expand TEP+ to more schools across Nigeria and beyond.
Our goal is to build a network of youth mental health leaders, equip schools with practical tools, and create a scalable model that can be adapted across Africa.
Get Involved
We are always looking to collaborate with partners who share our vision.
• Partner with us
• Support the programme
• Join as a volunteer
• Help us scale impact
Contact us: info@aces4africa.org
TEP+ is fully youth-led.
Young people are involved in: designing the programme, developing the toolkit, leading implementation and making decisions
We believe young people are not just beneficiaries, they are leaders of change.