European seminar helps young people affected by war
As the ongoing humanitarian crises in the Middle East and Ukraine continue to dominate our thoughts, it’s appropriate that a special seminar is currently taking place to support the mental health of young people affected by war.
The European Youth Centre in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, is hosting the event which is being co-organised by the Council of Europe (CoE) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine.
A survey conducted in February this year among young Ukranians who were forced to flee their homes found that while almost three quarters (73 per cent) of respondents wanted more mental health support, well under than a third (29.8 per cent) actively sought psychological help.
The CoE says that the event, from 12-15 November, ‘brings together youth workers and specialists working with young people of Ukraine to deepen the understanding and share practice about the role of youth work in addressing the emotional and mental health challenges affecting young people caused by the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine’.
‘Priority issue for cooperation’
The Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, has previously highlighted widespread mental health issues among young people as a priority issue for cooperation with the CoE over the next couple of years, and this was reflected in the Framework Programme for co-operation on youth policy between the Council of Europe and Ukraine under which the seminar in Budapest is held.
Youth workers and specialists working with young Ukrainians, including internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees, will share experiences and discuss the role of youth work in addressing the emotional and mental health challenges affecting young people as a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
The hope is that the seminar will result in recommendations and proposals for different stakeholders on delivering youth work with young people affected by traumatic events due to war, military conflict and related crimes.
Click here for more on the seminar programme.
