supporting youth workers to promote mental health em
TRANSCRIPT
In the beginning
even the word Mental Health was too much for youth workers
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Because…
• Mental Health is a life skill that can be learned, taught, supported and strengthened
• Everyone has mental health even if she or he has mental health problems, difficult life situations or crisis
• Everyone needs mental health even if she or he doesn’t have mental health issues or problems
• Mental Health is the foundation for well-being
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Best promoters are parents and professionals working with young people such as Youth workers, Early educators, Primary school teachers, Lower and upper secondary school teachers, VET teachers, Coaches
Best arenasand best promoters
Best arenas to promote mental health are the places and environments where children and young people spend time such as kinder- gartens, schools, many arenas of youth work.
Mental health in everyday life: Daily routines
Safety net: support and help from home, school, working life, web and society
Coping skills: seeking help and recognising coping skills, meaningful life
Self-knowledge: values, strengths, appreciation
Sexual health. enjoying my sexuality, accepting myself and feeling loved.
Interaction skills: friendship, partnership at work
Emotional skills: Recognition, expressing, accepting emotions, empathy and assertiveness
Stress management and recovery
Participation: Able to influence own and community’s affairs.
Finnish Association for Mental Health
Youth Workers can Strenghten all of these
Mental Health Skills
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Every participant gets a Handbook of Mental Health
• 240 pages:• Theory• Practical applications and
ideas and tools• Is also being used as a study
material in educating youth workers
• Available in Finnish and Swedish
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Impacting on 3 different levels
1. Professional growth
2. Mental health as a resource has opened new horizons for youth work: “has revolutionized the youth work”
3. Cooperation with vocational schools and university level education of youth workers
Curriculum
Teachers’ training
Web-based training
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Cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Culture
• Financing the process has made this possible from 2011• Cooperation with The Finnish Association for Mental
Health continues
• Understanding the importance of mental health promotion
• We offer 2-day training and material for youth workers free of charge
What youth workers say now?
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”The idea of mental health as a skill opened up new doors for my work as well as for my own life.”
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Let’s promote mental health together
Elina Marjamäki
Project PlannerMental Health Promotion of Children and Young [email protected]
www.famh.fi