MOJU is concerned with the “Mental BEING” of young people from Olhão in risk situations

This is a specialized network service for the promotion of mental health in childhood and adolescence.

Photos: Rúben Bento | Sul Informação

«The Algarve has a very particular reality with regard to the mental health of young people and the “SER Mental” project tries to be a MOJU response to help young people from Olhão who are in risk situations», explains clinical psychologist and project coordinator Carla Fernandes.

Mental health is “one of the social emergencies that have been on the agenda”, a topic “widely discussed due to the increase in cases during the pandemic, the effects felt by young people and which will last for a few years”, highlights Carla Fernandes, during a visit from Sul Informação to MOJU facilities.

According to the clinical psychologist, the Algarve region, «unlike the rest of the country, has an age group, between 13 and 18 years old, which does not have any support provided» in terms of mental health. «Then there is the hospital, but its resources are extremely limited and do not reach the entire Algarve region», as far as mental health is concerned, he emphasizes.

Looking at this social and health emergency, MOJU – Associação Movimento Juvenil, from Olhão, decided to create the project “SER Mental”, a «specialized network service for the promotion of mental health in childhood and adolescence».

This project aims to «prevent, as early as possible, problems related to mental health and prevent more complicated situations in the future», intervening «directly with young adolescents, from 13 to 21 years old, and also with their respective families. », explains the coordinator.

“SER Mental” appears in September 2019, based on a “framework of needs that were characterized in the social diagnosis of Olhão”, also taking into account the regional and national situation, “because mental health has always been the so-called poor relative of the health".

This initiative is financed by Portugal Inovação Social, through funding from CRESC Algarve and Portugal 2020 (70% of the funding), with five investors (30%): the municipality of Olhão and the four parishes in Olhão.

 

Carla Fernandes, coordinator of the “SER Mental” project – Photo: Rúben Bento | Sul Informação

 

When the project began to work with young people from Olhão, «the first referrals were just very serious things, at the end of the line», confesses Carla Fernandes, stressing that, «instead of being more in the promotion and prevention of mental health, which is our focus, we were dealing with very serious cases».

The majority of young people «usually come to us through referrals from other entities». This project «is only for the population of Olhão» and this is «one of the criteria we have for young people to be part of the project», explains Carla Fernandes.

«A family that has a child with a difficulty cannot turn to us directly, but there is one or another activity that, during the development of the project, we opened up to the whole community».

To be referred to the project, «young people have to show some sign of concern» as «a type of psychological suffering», which has led to entities such as schools, the CPCJ – Commission for the Protection of Children and Youth, Social Security and other IPSS «to be alert and to guide these young people towards us».

After the entities fill out an online form, “we get in touch with the person responsible for the referral”. If, in a first analysis, «we verify that the young person fulfills the “admissibility criteria”», «a first contact with the family» is made and progresses to «a first psychological evaluation», which involves «an interview with the parents and some young".

«We always do a questionnaire, at the beginning and at the end of our intervention, in which the parents and the young person will have to identify a set of skills in different areas, namely social, extracurricular, school activities and a set of symptoms. From there, we have a result».

A profile of the young person is then drawn, through which “we are able to see if the situation they are in is at an expected level for their age, if it is a case of risk or if it is a clinical situation”.

Regardless, the idea of ​​“SER Mental” is that «the result of our intervention reduces the number of symptoms and increases the number of skills of the young person».

When the intervention process by the psychologists comes to an end, the project intervenes again and «what we have verified is that, in fact, there has been an improvement in the vast majority of cases, around 80% to 90% of our young people », highlights Carla Fernandes.

 

MOJU headquarters, in Olhão – Photo: Rúben Bento | Sul Informação

 

In addition to working directly with young people from Olhão, “SER Mental” also carries out «raising awareness of the importance of mental health» in schools in the municipality of Olhão.

«We go to schools and apply a questionnaire, where students identify themes, areas, ask questions and clarify their doubts, addressing some myths related to mental health». Then, based on the results of the questionnaire, “we work on these themes and structure an intervention”, explains the project coordinator.

One of the topics that young people most ask to be addressed by the clinical psychologist is anxiety: "Young people don't know, deep down, what anxiety is, what manifestations can exist and what strategies they can use to reduce it".

In the sessions, issues related to emotional literacy also arise, that is, «they recognize their emotions», issues of sexuality, identity, stereotypes, consumption, among others.

In addition to these sessions, the “SER Mental” project also promotes a program of mindfulness, aimed at referred young people, but also at parents and guardians.

Based on meditation, this program intends that, during eight sessions, participants "acquire the ability to be aware of themselves and the world around them", that is, "pay attention to the present moment, without judgment, and with a intention", says Carla Fernandes.

These sessions «help to develop this awareness of oneself, of one's body, of one's emotions, of one's thinking, of understanding how thoughts can condition our behavior».

The project has obtained «very interesting results with this type of interventions» which, aimed at young people and parents, «are innovative in the Algarve region as these meditation practices with these protocols did not exist here».

 

Photos: Rúben Bento | Sul Informação

 

As for the future of the “SER Mental” project, despite its end being scheduled for August of this year, “there are already perspectives”, says the president of the association Daniela Correia.

At the end of last year, the board of directors of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation decided to grant exceptional support, in a total of 1,1 million euros, to “a set of 10 entities that were affected by the pandemic” and that “had projects in the area of mental health".

Daniela Correia says that «MOJU, with the project “SER Mental”, was one of these institutions, having been contemplated almost in representation of the Algarve region». The association has already had «a meeting with the foundation» to understand «how this support will work, which, from the outset, will come in February».

“SER Mental” will «continue to help young people from Olhão, and this monetary support is important», he guarantees.

«However, we will always seek to ensure that the sustainability of this initiative is ensured by our social investors, that would be ideal, but it only implies that there is an increase in this investment».

The mission of the MOJU association «is being carried out and has been successful», exclaims Daniela Correia.

«In recent years we have seen that the work of the association has been more valued, which allows us to reach more young people, more families, support more people and also intervene in other areas, such as mental health», concludes the president of MOJU.

 

Photos: Rúben Bento | Sul Informação

 

 



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