Educating to prevent youth (aged 16–24) mental distress: giving meaning to an educational effort [Educare per prevenire il disagio mentale nei giovani (16-24): attribuire significato all’azione educativa che vada oltre l’assistenza alla fragilità]

The present contribution proposes a reflection on the meanings of the actions of educational profes- sionals when trying to prevent mental distress in their students and promote their well-being. This focus derives from the suggestion — indicated by Basaglia’s work in linking mental health to the ex- istential, educational, social and cultural elements of everyone’s life conditions — that education can offer an important contribution to the development of, and support for, mental wellbeing. It would thus follow that educational professionals play a potentially pivotal role in promoting mental health and in preventing possible disease, if they are aware of the possibilities and are appropriately trained. This paper, based on a phenomenological approach, refers to the words of schoolteachers and other educators collected in a qualitative educational research project and presents and explores possible ways of giving meaning to educational work in these areas.