The role of Youth Workers and Educators of youth is dynamic in its relationship to a young persons mental wellbeing. There is a need for Youth Workers and Educators of Youth to not only support the mental wellbeing of the young people they work with, but to also equip those young people with the knowledge and skills they need to manage difficulties that may arise within their peer groups, as research has shown. The Mental Health Champions program proposes supporting young people through the training of Youth Workers and Educators of Youth by giving them tools to learn and understand mental health awareness from a practical standpoint. Using non-formal methods, participants will be given the opportunity to explore and improve their personal mental health knowledge. Participants will be given tools to create strategies for seeking information and managing concerns they might have for another. A space will be provided to allow participants openly and freely discuss any fears or myths they may have concerning mental ill health. Participants will be thought the importance of self-care and strategies that may be employed should they find they are overwhelmed or unsure how to manage any situation they may find themselves in. Finally, participants will have tools  that will allow them develop the mental health awareness of young people they work with.

 

Overall Aim:
The programme has 3 simple aims:
1. Provide Youth Workers and Educators of Youth with the competencies to create a space where young people can openly and safely discuss the difficulties that they, as a group, identify for themselves.
2. Provide Youth Workers and Educators of Youth with strategies that support young people in knowing where to find information should they need it and that this information is empirical and youth friendly.
3. Provide Youth Workers and Educators of Youth with tools to inform young people of the skills to enable them to have conversations with someone they are concerned is having difficulties and what to do to support that person.

Learning Objectives:
1. Gain a broadened frame of reference from which the term ‘Mental Health’ can be understood.
2. Gain a broad understanding of the term ‘Recovery’.
3. Gain a greater understanding of resilience, what it means and why it’s important.
4. Identify and name emotions.
5. Understand how stereotypes and stigma occur and their impact.
6. Learn strategies to support a friend that is having difficulties with their mental health.
7. Understand the concept of ‘One Good Adult’.
8. Know how to access quality mental health information.
9. Understand self-care and why it is important.

 

The approach and methodology:
This training course will be based on non-formal and informal education with a self-directed learning approach. The training course will be developed from the expectations and needs of the participants and the experience and knowledge from the trainers. The training course will be characterized by highly participatory, interactive and experiential methods. The working methods will include case studies, working in pairs and small groups, team building activities, role plays, discussions, workshops developed by the participant and self-assessment.