Mental Health and Youth Work

Die Jugendbildungsstätte Bredbeck lädt Aktive der internationalen schulischen und außerschulischen Jugendarbeit aus Deutschland, Polen und der Ukraine vom 16. bis 19. März 2025 zu einem Seminar zu mentaler Gesundheit ein. Das Thema wird vor dem Hintergrund von Kriegs- und Migrationserfahrungen, der Folgen der Pandemie sowie der Auswirkungen eines Lebens als digital native auf Jugendliche betrachtet.

Da das Seminar ausschließlich auf Englisch stattfindet, steht auch die folgende Ausschreibung nur in dieser Sprache zur Verfügung.

German-Polish-Ukranian Professional Exchange

Mental health is becoming more and more a dominant discourse in youth work. One – positive – reason for this is that the taboos surrounding mental health are slowly evaporating. Many young people are interested in techniques and skills to understand, balance and control their mind outside of a simple health/sickness dichotomy. However, professionals also clearly see an increase in menal health conditions concerning youth since the pandemic especially. Crucially, young people from a war area experience negative consequences on their mental health.

The need for mental health

In the past two years, debates among the multipliers of trilateral exchanges have clearly shown a demand for input, reflection and methodology in this area. Facilitators in youth work are very often confident in methods, programs, group dynamic or trouble shooting – but “counselling” or “therapy” is not normally within their comfort zone.

This professional exchange brings together multipliers of international youth exchange from Ukraine, Poland and Germany from schools and non-formal learning institutions. We will focus on three major influences on young mental health today:

• the wars of our time, and resulting migration experience
• the changed shared experience due to the pandemic
• the changing realities of digital natives

How can we give space for mental health in international exchange settings? What are the chances and the limitations that our projects have to influence the mental health of our participants positively? How can we react, if participants either show behaviour that seems to point to an affliction of the mind or talk to multipliers about this? Is it possible – or even wise – to create projects that deal explicitly with mental health?

The seminar will be held in English.

Target Group: Multipliers in education and social work

Costs:

• Participants from Germany pay 50,00 € including food and accommodation in double rooms and program. 30,00 € fee for single rooms.
• Participants from Poland and Ukraine are free of charge, including program, food and accommodation in double rooms. 30,00 € fee for single room. Early Arrival 20,00 €. Travel costs can be partially refunded. Please contact us for further information.

Registration:  in order to register, please visit the follwing page.

Quelle: DPJW

Cooperation: