Balkan SCOPH Weekend 2019

Name of the activity: Balkan SCOPH Weekend 2019

Country/NMO: Slovenia (SloMSIC)

Program: Mental Health

Contact information: [email protected], +38640303773

Type of the activity: Education. Education on health issues for specific societal groups, either in the form of projects (set of tasks for a certain group over a fixed period of time), events (something notable that happens) or conferences (form meeting about ideas related to a particular topic, usually over several days).

General description:

Balkan SCOPH Weekend is an annual event that started 5 years ago. It is a subregional initiative by NMOs from the Balkans and surrounding areas in order to provide an opportunity to all public health enthusiasts to meet and share their knowledge and experiences on PH issues related to the theme of the event. This year’s host, SloMSIC-Slovenia, is organizing the 3-day Balkan SCOPH Weekend with a focus on Mental Health in October 2019.

It aims to bring together medical and healthcare students to share their work in the field of public health and learn about MH, provides the participants with a chance to discuss current problems, as well as opportunity to learn how are SCOPH activities conducted in other countries. The BSW has in the past proven itself to be a source of motivation and inspiration for the members, a platform for exchanging experiences and stories, and a place where participants can experience the spirit of international IFMSA meetings.

Focus area:

Mental Health promotion

Problem statement:

Mental disorders are becoming Europe’s largest health challenge of the 21st century. Affecting more than one in six people across Europe in any given year they rank as the first cause of years lived with disability which makes them the largest contributor to chronic conditions. The situation is not much different in the Balkans with rates of alcohol consumption and addiction raising alarmingly in the population and suicide being the leading cause of death among youth.

Target groups:

Medical students, Healthcare Students, Youth

Beneficiaries:

General population, Medical students, Healthcare Students, Doctors, Other health professionals

Objectives and indicators of success:

This event aims to empower 90 public health enthusiasts to take on active roles within the field.

A. Participants gain knowledge on MH.

IoS A1: 80% of participants can identify at least 5 stressors in daily lives and know how to mitigate/prevent furthering of the problem.

IoS A2: 80% of participants can list at least 3 elements that make medical students a vulnerable group and are able to draw parallels between the interdependent subtopics.

B. Participants gain and improve skills regarding PFA and Suicide Prevention.

IoS B1: 80% of participants report an increase of skills in performing PFA techniques.

IoS B2: 80% of participants can recognize people who are at risk of committing suicide, are able to approach them and guide them towards finding help.

C. Participants gain and improve Activity Management Skills.

IoS C1: 80% of participants report an increase of knowledge and understanding of activity management tools.

D. Participants exercise goals through practical application.

IoS D1: 80% of participants exchange stories and share personal experiences regarding MH.

IoS D2: 100% of participants present solutions to the given PFA scenario.

Methodology:

The 3-day event will utilize a wide array of methods and the principles of non-formal education with a high level of interaction with participants and is planned according to the 4MAT system to satisfy the needs of all four learning styles through theory blocks, space for reflection, practical application of knowledge and future opportunities for application of content.

The event will consist of several parts and will also contain elements of capacity building workshops. The main methodologies for conducting sessions include interactive lectures given by external speakers who are experts in the field of mental health, training sessions, simulations, case studies, small and large group tasks and discussions, role-playing, quiz solving, film showing, and individual and group presentations

Plans for evaluation:

The evaluation will consist of a pre- and post-questionnaire focused on mental health knowledge and skills, to assess the completion of objectives as well as the more long-term implementation of practices learned. Short immediate feedback will be gathered at the end of the workshop and monitoring will be conducted each day. After the event and successful completion of evaluation questionnaires, the participants will receive certificates of attendance.

A satisfaction survey regarding the organizational aspects of the event will also be conducted.