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Description
The aim of the project is to support mental health and to increase activity and social inclusion of young people, parents and those working with families. For 30 years we have been dealing with activation, education, prevention and therapy aimed at children, young people and adults. The last few years of our work have mainly involved preventive and therapeutic activities aimed at children and adolescents as well as parents and teachers regarding so-called behavioural addictions, including e-addictions (digital media and screen devices overuse) and supporting adolescents'' mental health. Research confirms that, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, these problems have increased. For example, according to research discussed in the publication ''Education in a digital world : Education 4.0'' (Morańska D., Ciesielka M., Jędrzejko M., 2020), almost a third of students felt sadness (28.9%), loneliness (27.4%) and depression (28.4%) frequently or all the time. As part of the project, we have set up the Awesome Academy, where we support those involved in developing competences, helping, integrating and connecting. The Academy is a space to establish relationships and emotional closeness and to spend time creatively, but also to receive psychological support. The activities carried out at the Academy are aimed at helpers (workshops, consultations), young people (workshops, OFFLINE zone) and parents (workshops, meetings for mothers and fathers). The change we aim for in our project is greater emotional and psychological well-being of young people and a deeper awareness of the value and role of the family in people''s lives as one of the important protective factors against engaging in risky behaviour.
Summary of project results
The change that the project was supposed to lead to was primarily to ensure the emotional and mental well-being of young people at risk of exclusion and to deepen awareness of the value and role of family in human life as one of the important factors protecting against risky behavior. The main goal of the project was to support mental health and increase the activity and social integration of young people, parents and people working with families by establishing the Capital Academy - a place of support and development.
With people working every day with children, young people and families in mind, the Helper Development Academy was created, within which a local coalition of 14 institutions and facilities was created, a group of 30 representatives of which took part in educational workshops, and 28 of them additionally benefited from from specialist consultations. With this important group of recipients in mind, the Youth Development Academy was also created, in which 60 teenagers aged 14-18 took active part, who took advantage of educational workshops, development group activities, specialist consultations and the OFFLINE Zone offering sports and cultural activities. and recreational. The people participating in the Academy also included people with special needs resulting from the information indicated in the application form about Asperger''s Syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, and after treatment of depression, anxiety and schizophrenia. The Parent Development Academy was also established, in which 40 parents took advantage of educational workshops, cyclical meetings for mothers and fathers, recreational activities, thematic classes and specialist consultations. Additionally, we managed to carry out a number of creative workshops and 10 social initiatives addressed to children, young people and the elderly, in which 60 people took part as part of the so-called Academy of Creative Man.
The most important benefit for the direct participants of the project was the development of social skills that helped alleviate frequently occurring difficult symptoms or behaviors among teenagers and teenagers, especially among people diagnosed with mental health disorders. Another benefit is that our organization and the Academy will be included on the aid map of organizations providing comprehensive support for young people and parents in the city, as well as the continuation of the Academy''s activities after the completion of the project. The results include: the creation of a completely new place in the city of Stalowa Wola supporting people at risk of exclusion and struggling with problems in social functioning, the establishment of a local coalition of "helpers", 30 working people trained in systemic work with families, 60 teenagers and 40 parents involved in their own development who benefited from specialist support in the form of workshops and group activities, 28 participants of specialist consultations for representatives of aid institutions/organizations, 60 participants and participants of social initiatives - children, youth and seniors, 40 volunteers involved in the implementation of social initiatives for others, 78 people participating in the conference summarizing the project. The most important benefit for the direct participants of the project was the development of social skills, which contributed to the alleviation of frequently occurring difficult symptoms or behaviors among teenagers and teenagers, especially among people diagnosed with mental health disorders.