This workshop can be a follow-up to other session(s) about mental health, which reflects on the emotional toll of todays society in the sense of burnouts and depressions. In this session, we’ll bring those ideas into action—through conversation, connection, and co-creation. The workshop opens with a panel and will give the participants the change to discuss and discover their experiences and lessons learned on mental health and the role a community like Drupal can play in the healing.

Prerequisite
You don't need to follow a talk about mental health in order to participate in this workshop.

Outline
Facilitators:
Panagiotis Moutsopoulos (session lead), Esmeralda Tijhoff (co-organizer), Kristen Pol (Aaron Winborn Award recipient), Will Huggins, and additional guest speakers.

We’ll begin with a short recap of the key themes and takeaways from Will’s talk, for those who couldn’t attend. Then, we’ll host a brief panel (15–20 minutes) featuring 3–4 Drupal contributors—including Kristen Pol and Panagiotis Moutsopoulos—who will openly share their personal experiences with burnout, depression, or volunteer fatigue. Each panelist will also share concrete tips and small habits that helped them cope and recover. This is about real stories, not perfect answers.

After the panel, we’ll move into small-group breakout conversations with guided prompts:
* What does burnout look or feel like for you?
* What helps you cope—and what doesn't?
* What support do you wish existed in the community?

Finally, we’ll gather insights and patterns in a closing reflection, inviting participants to contribute ideas—anonymously if they prefer—to a shared “map” of emotional needs, support strategies, and community improvements. These insights can help enrich and extend the framework Will proposed.
This workshop is not about fixing anyone. It’s about listening, validating, and building a more sustainable, compassionate community—together.

Who this is for:
Anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed, unseen, or overextended in their contribution to Drupal—or who wants to make the community more mentally healthy and inclusive.

Learning Objectives
Recognize the signs and impact of burnout, depression, and volunteer fatigue. --> Participants will gain language and awareness to identify mental health challenges in themselves and others within the Drupal and open source community.

Learn from real stories and personal strategies. -->
Through a short panel, participants will hear accounts from fellow contributors, including how they navigated burnout or depression, and what practical tools or habits helped them cope.

Reflect on personal experiences in a safe, non-judgmental environment. -->
Guided prompts and small group discussions will support introspection, emotional validation, and peer-to-peer learning.

Explore and co-create supportive practices for healthier contribution. -->
Attendees will identify what kinds of support structures—formal or informal—would make community involvement more sustainable and humane.

Contribute to a collective map of needs and solutions. --> Insights from the workshop will be synthesized into a shared resource or visual “map,” offering community leaders and contributors a foundation for future improvements in mental health support.

We will share the outcome through the newsletters of NEDA and EOWG.

Experience level
Beginner