Activity objectives

The training course objectives are: 

• Clarifying the understanding of what mental health means for ourselves
• Raising awareness of the importance of mental health in youth work 
• Understanding the role of youth workers in promoting mental health in their work with young people
• Developing youth workers’ practical skills in supporting people’s mental health in their work
• Exploring approaches, tools, and resources that can be adapted in the organisation’s work
• Encouraging participants to reflect on their everyday practices with young people   
• Enhancing the capacity to create a supportive, inclusive, and stigma-free environment

Description

Youth Work Can Promote Mental Health

The Mental Health in Youth Work training explores the role and competencies of the youth workers in supporting the mental health needs of young people by strengthening their emotional and mental health skills.

Mental Health from a preventive perspective

This training highlights mental health from a promotion and prevention perspective.

In this training, we do not approach mental health from the point of view of diagnosis, therapy, or healing – these approaches belong to the professional work outside youth work practices.

Who can participate?

The training is open to you if you are

• working directly with young people on a regular basis in a youth work or youth-related services
• interested in developing your competencies in supporting young people’s mental health
• capable of applying the learning in your regular youth work practices
• willing to share experiences and good practices with others

• curious in mental health, emotional well-being, and resilience of young people
  
   

This training is not open to:

• mental health professionals, such as therapists, psychologists, and clinical health care personnel,
• teachers and other educators in the field of formal education, such as primary and secondary schools or faculties. 
• people looking for a therapeutic intervention. Given that we will be addressing potentially emotionally challenging topics related to mental health, we require participants to have emotional readiness to explore sensitive mental health issues.
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This training is organised under Mental Health in Youth Work long-term project https://www.oph.fi/en/education-development-and-internationalisation/long-term-cooperation-projects/mental-health.

Time and venue

The training will be hosted in Norway; the exact location will be announced later.

• Monday, April 20 - arrival
• Tuesday-Thursday April 21-23 - working days
• Friday, April 24 - departure