Francesca Maria Rebassa Xamena

I believe that education is one of the most powerful tools we have to transform society, but only if it is designed, tested, and evaluated with scientific rigor. This idea is the common thread that connects everything I do.
My name is Francesca M. Rebassa Xamena, although everyone knows me as Xesca. I began building this conviction through my academic training: I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Education (University of the Balearic Islands, UIB), a Master’s Degree in Sexology Sciences (University of Almería, UAL), and a Postgraduate Diploma as a University Expert in Inner Development, Self-esteem and Assertiveness (UIB). I am also certified as a gender-based violence specialist. I then put this conviction into practice: for several years, I worked in the field of educational leisure, coordinating projects for children and young people, and designing and delivering programmes in schools on gender-based violence, sexuality, academic guidance, and bullying. This stage led to my first two publications in the Yearbook of Youth in the Balearic Islands: “Study of Academic Stress among University Students” (2022) and “Perceptions and Demands in Sexual Education: A Qualitative Study among Young Adults in Mallorca” (2024).
This path naturally led me into research. If education is truly to transform society, it must be supported by a solid scientific evidence base. For this reason, I began my doctoral studies within the EVISAP research group (IdISBa), where my PhD thesis is also the SOM·RIU project: “Development and Evaluation of a Multifaceted School-Based Intervention to Protect Mental Health and Prevent Suicidal Behaviour among Adolescents in Spain” (grant code AP-15017/2024), funded by Fundación Mutua Madrileña and led by Principal Investigator Ignacio Ricci Cabello (2024-2027). In parallel, I also participate in a research project at the University of Almería (UAL) focused on social media, self-esteem, and eating disorders.
Within SOM·RIU, I design, implement, and evaluate an educational programme aimed at promoting mental health and preventing suicidal behaviour among students in the 2nd and 3rd years of lower secondary education in the Balearic Islands. Every workshop and resource we develop is grounded in the same principle that has guided me from the beginning: providing students, families, and educational staff with practical tools to support mental health, developed with the same level of rigor required to evaluate any educational intervention. Promoting mental health during adolescence is not an optional addition to education; it is a fundamental component of preventing psychological distress and suicidal behaviour before they emerge.