Soustvarjamo skupnost - vrstniška podpora in pomoč mladim z manj priložnostmi

<< Background >>Identified needs of the target groups addressed by the project:- Accessible, respectful, organised and integrated form of psychosocial support.- learning experience of working with young people with fewer opportunities, peer counselling, applying professional concepts and principles of work in an informal but formally organised and supported way- mentoring and professional support in daily challenges- addressing mental health problems, taking into account personal circumstances that may cause or significantly affect mental health- preventing isolation, loneliness and the distress that results- Strengthening communities of young people with fewer opportunities so that they can better support each other, even in more informal contexts, to create long-term change.<< Objectives >>We wanted to ensure that young people who have fewer opportunities because of their sexual orientation, expression or identity have more resources, opportunities, capacity and support to deal with mental health problems.The specific objectives we wanted to achieve were:1. to strengthen the social context of young people with fewer opportunities due to social barriers in Latvia, Slovenia and other European countries,2. to establish a programme and methodology that provides a structure and professional framework for young people with fewer opportunities to offer community-based peer support to other young people with fewer opportunities,3. bringing the European dimension of social barriers and mental health closer through networking of LGBTQIA+ young people at European level (specifically between Latvia and Slovenia),4. prevention of major distress and poor mental health outcomes (such as self-harm behaviour, suicidal thoughts) among young people with fewer opportunities due to social barriers in Latvia and Slovenia,5. disseminating information, resources and ways of working that raise awareness of the intersection of adverse personal circumstances and mental health problems.<< Implementation >>Training for volunteers in psychosocial supportDiscussion and support groups on mental healthMental health support groups and individual counsellingPeer support in the communityTwo study visits to exchange experiences and present resultsCreation of an online course on peer or informal support for loved ones<< Results >>Specifically, we ensured that more than 90 individual meetings were held between young volunteers and users who came to the project for support. Volunteers from Slovenia and Latvia have connected through online meetings, face-to-face study visits and are currently in the process of planning new joint projects to support the longevity of this support network in the future. Trust and a supportive relationship has been established between the young volunteers and the mentors, which allows the support to continue - the peer counselling volunteers are provided with monthly mentoring meetings and ongoing feedback on their reflections on their work. A concrete product of the project is a video on community support, which includes a diverse range of people who have joined the project at all stages: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc-SsfCZxGM