September 10 is International Suicide Prevention Day - an opportunity to highlight preventive measures that can prevent suicidal crises. Among the protective factors that support young people in difficult moments, one of the most important is good and supportive relationships. In response to the growing problem of loneliness among young people, the GrowSPACE Foundation is launching a new program called "Let's Make a Connection," funded by the City of Warsaw.
Counteracting loneliness of children and young people
Published Sept. 10, 2024 07:47
The goal of the "Let's Make a Connection" program is to counter loneliness and foster good relationships among young people. The program offers workshops, training and educational materials to schools and other educational institutions to build peer support networks. These activities not only help form positive relationships, but also support the development of resilience, or psychological resilience, among children and young people.
Aleksandra Stube, a psychologist and head of the GrowSPACE Foundation's mental health support team, stresses the importance of education in building the skills needed to deal with crises. - When we talk about solving a suicidal crisis, the first step is prevention. There are many factors that protect young people from crisis, including good relationships with peers, a sense of connectedness and involvement in the school community, or the ability to resolve conflicts and ask for help, Stube explains.
Key protective factors
The "Let's Make a Connection" program focuses on developing social skills, such as healthy communication, developing emotional self-awareness, assertiveness and building relationships in online spaces. All of these skills are crucial to the development of healthy relationships, which can protect young people from loneliness and isolation, often leading to mental crises.
Dominik Kuc, a board member of the GrowSPACE Foundation, says self-awareness and psycho-education are key. Studies show that when our knowledge grows, so does our resilience to mental crises and our ability to cope with difficult situations. This is especially important at a young age, as young people are a group that is particularly vulnerable to crises.
How to join?
The "Let's Make a Connection" program is open to schools and educational institutions in Warsaw, which can apply until the end of 2024. The program will include additional educational materials for teaching staff to continue prevention activities after the workshops and training.
Establishments outside of Warsaw can also benefit from the program, using publicly available materials such as psycho-educational posters and educational materials for teachers, educators and school psychologists.
Source: GrowSPACE Foundation
