Debating for Mental Wellness in Youth Work

Aims & objectives

To raise awareness about mental health issues among youth workers: One of the primary objectives is to increase knowledge and understanding of mental health challenges and the impact they can have on youth workers. This involve providing training sessions, workshops, and educational materials to youth workers to help them recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health problems.
To develop skills for supporting youth with mental health issues: Youth workers need to have the skills to support young people who may be experiencing mental health challenges. Objectives include training youth workers in active listening, empathy, and other communication skills that can be used to support young people who may be experiencing mental health challenges.
To reduce stigma associated with mental health challenges: Stigma associated with mental health challenges can be a significant barrier to seeking help. An objective of the project is to reduce stigma by raising awareness, promoting positive attitudes towards mental health, and providing information and resources that challenge common misconceptions about mental health.
To improve access to mental health resources and services: Youth workers may need to refer young people to mental health resources and services. Objectives could include developing partnerships with mental health organizations and service providers, creating a directory of local resources, and increasing the availability of mental health resources and services for youth.
To promote self-care and resilience among youth workers: Caring for others can be challenging and stressful, so an objective of the project is to promote self-care and resilience among youth workers. This involve providing resources and training on stress management, self-care techniques, and building resilience to prevent burnout and improve the overall well-being of youth workers.

Target group & international/intercultural composition of the group & team

Nodibinajums Apvienotai Latvijai (Latvia)
Alliance for Research, Knowledge Transfer and lnternational Cooperation e.V (Germany)
ASOCIATIA TINERII 3 D (Romania)
ASSOCIACIO GLOBERS (Spain)
Limitless Voice of Youth (Italy)
Hawk Stars NGO for Education, Innovation & Social (Portugal)
European Initiative for Youth Empowerment, Mindfulness and Wellbeing "GO Alive" (Greece)
Positive Impact Center (Poland)

Training methods used & main activities

The main methodology used during the training was debating and researching for the causes of the problem and finding potential solutions for the youth workers.

Outcomes of the activity

Local workshops;
Publication with the solutions identified by the participants.

Your tasks and responsibilities within the team

My role as a trainer was to create the group dynamic, to facilitate the research and to work on the Info-Kit developed by the participants.
Main sessions were about problem tree, design, how to write and team building exercises for the participants.

I worked on this training for 8 days days as a full time trainer.