Just Talk – Lithuania (LiMSA)

Name of the activity: Just Talk

Country/NMO: Lithuania (LiMSA)

Program: Mental Health

Contact information: [email protected]

Type of the activity: Education

General description:

This project is intended for teenagers to develop mental health protective factors. It starts with NMO members training during which they learn about mental health and most common disorders. This training also focuses on their own mental health awareness. The main activity of the project is lessons at schools about mental health and eating disorders. The lessons are aimed at raising awareness about mental health and it‘s problems. It provides crucial information about these topics emphasises how to spot these problems at their peers and provides ways to reach for help.

Focus area:

Mental Health among the general population

Problem statement:

Lithuania has the highest rate of suicides in Europe (26,1 suicides per 100 000 inhabitants). Mental Health problems are a serious risk factor for suicides and should be addressed at a young age. However public school system in Lithuania doesn‘t pay a lot of attention to building mental health protective factors. That‘s why we, young people, have to empower peer education and address mental health issues and build protective factors for school children.

Target groups and beneficiaries:

The target group is teenagers. This age group is particularly vulnerable to suicide and mental health problems. They are also still susceptible to various prevention programs. In the long run these children should have more protective factors and would be able to fight risk factors. Resulting in less mental health problems and better mental health. They would also be empowered and have knowledge to spot mental health problems in their peers and help to make first steps towards getting better. Medical students should be trained and acquire knowledge during the process and would be better aware of these problems and their own mental health.

Objectives and indicators of success:

1. Hosting training for NMO members about mental health and specific mental health disorders (eating disorders, suicides) at the beginning of the project. This objective should be measure by the number of participants, feedback from the lecturers and participants.
2. Creation of a project at schools about mental health, eating disorders during the training. This should be measure by the end result of the creation of the project during the training and the amount of work left.
3. At least 20 lessons at schools about mental health and eating disorders for teenagers starting a month after the NMO member training and lasting the whole semester.

Methodology:

1.Contact local NGOs working with mental health issues
2.Design a training for NGO members about mental health and specific mental health problems (eating disorders, suicide) with a part for a new project creation. The first part of the training is meant for members to acquire knowledge and the second part is meant for them to use their knowledge to create a new project
a.Create the agenda for the training;
b.Contact trainers (local leaders in priority topics)
c.Introduce basic skills concerning work with youth
d.Introduce theory about eating disorders
e.Introduce theory about suicide
f.Team work, discussion and other methods for creating a new project
3.Create a Facebook group after the training and invite participants to join
4.Divide work for the participants to create agenda for the lessons and check it with evidence based guidelines
5.Contact local schools
6.Deliver lessons for teenagers
7.Collect feedback from participants, teachers and children

Plans for evaluation:

1.The amount of NMO members involved in the project
2.Feedback about the training from members (Google form)
3.Feedback from the trainers (talk about what do they think about our ideas for the project)
4.Checking if our project agrees with evidence based prevention guidelines
5.The amount of lessons delivered
6.Final feedback from members, children, teachers (google form, talk)