The project ‘YOUR Care –YOUth Care! mental health & well-being in youth work’ aimed to empower youth workers with essential skills and knowledge to promote mental health and well-being among young people. Our objectives were to enhance participants’ competencies in identifying and addressing mental health issues, foster a supportive environment for youth, and promote self-care and well-being among youth workers. Through this initiative, we intended to create a ripple effect where the enhanced capacity of youth workers would subsequently improve the mental health support available to youth in the participating countries.
The project’s implementation phase involved conducting a meticulously planned training course named ‘Training course – YOUR Care –YOUth Care!’. A total of 27 individuals participated, with 24 participants and 3 trainers. The participants were youth workers aged 18 to over 30, representing eight countries (Georgia, Croatia, Italy, Ukraine, Slovakia, Romania, Armenia, and the Republic of Moldova). The course was hosted in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia, from June 24 to July 1, 2023.
The training was structured into various sessions and activities to achieve the project’s objectives. Activities included opening sessions for introduction and expectation setting, competency mapping, mental health and well-being discussions, stress and burnout recognition, coping strategies, team-building exercises, reflection times, and cultural evenings. Each session was carefully crafted to provide theoretical knowledge and practical skills for promoting mental health and well-being in youth work. Participants were also involved in creating a follow-up action plan to ensure the project’s sustainability and impact
The project ‘YOUR Care – YOUth Care! Mental Health & Well-being in Youth Work’ successfully achieved its set objectives, imparting valuable knowledge and skills among the participants. The youth workers involved significantly enhanced their competencies in dealing with mental health and well-being issues within their professional settings, which has positively impacted them and the youths they work with.
The project produced a handbook as a tangible result, compiled by the trainers with active input from the participants, serving as a resource for addressing mental health and well-being in youth work. This handbook encompasses the collective insights, methods, and practices discussed and developed during the training course, aiming to be a beneficial tool for other professionals in the field. Furthermore, the project fostered a network of like-minded professionals supporting youth mental health and well-being, establishing a foundation for future collaborations and initiatives in this domain.
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