"The exchange programme seeks to build an international consortium of research partners with a joint interest in Positive Mental Health in Schools, connecting north and south EU research organisations (UK and Malta respectively) with others in Australia and Canada. The exchange will bring together the diverse expertise of various international research organisations which have invested heavily in the area of mental health in schools, enabling them to exchange information and practice, engage in research tasks together, and collaboratively build an international framework for the promotion of mental health in schools. More specifically the exchange programme will seek to develop a multilevel, transnational framework for the promotion of mental health in schools through the synergetic contribution of research organisations with expertise in this area. Various partners will be working on different levels of the framework through 4 work pacakges, such as universal, individual, and systems interventions, and then the whole group will strive to build these elements into a common multilevel framework and present it to the international fora through publications and an international conference. This project resonates with the current concerns in Europe, North America, Australia and other countries, about the increasing incidence of mental health difficulties amongst children and young persons, and the nationwide initiatives being taken to address this issue. Another goal of the exchange is to build a network of research partners in the area of cooperation on a longer term basis, making use of virtual networks and international meetings, strengthening existing cooperation between partners and building new collaborative partnerships with new partners across countries and continents in the area of coopeation."