The Professor of Psychology at the University of Jaén (UJA) and main responsible for these three projects for the promotion of health and emotional well-being in young people was the guest speaker at the seminar co-organized by the Directorate General of Youth of the Community of Madrid and the European Youth Information and Counselling Agency (ERYICA).
27/02/2023.- Luis Joaquín García, Professor of Psychology at the University of Jaén (UJA), presented the initiatives for the promotion of health and emotional well-being in young people, DAREMOS, PROCARE and PROADEMO, in the framework of the webinar ‘Youth Information and Mental Health, working for the health of young people’. A training event aimed at workers of Youth Information Services, co-organized by the Directorate General of Youth of the Community of Madrid and the European Youth Information and Counselling Agency (ERYICA).
In this way, Luis Joaquín García presented the results obtained with the implementation of DAREMOS and PROCARE, pioneering projects at international level that have helped around 2,000 adolescents at risk of suffering emotional problems throughout Spain, within the framework of selective and indicated prevention based on evidence.
He also presented the objectives of PROADEMO, a project financed by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, the State Research Agency and the European Union through the “Next Generation EU” funds within the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. This innovative project aims to design and develop an emotional support toolkit for young people, especially focused on adolescents and produced in collaboration with them, in order to provide them with information and strategies to promote resilience, protect their emotional health and well-being, and increase their emotional literacy.
In addition, Luis Joaquín García presented the actions carried out by the PROEM Network through its collaboration in the drafting of strategic documents on youth led by different institutions, as well as the sharing of other similar projects such as DIGITAS or Level UP.
Finally, the UJA professor emphasized that “a society has no future without emotionally healthy adolescents. Now more than ever there is a need for urgent investment in promoting the health and emotional well-being of young people”.
At the opening, Nikolay Yordanov, Director General of Youth of the Community of Madrid, highlighted the significant increase in emotional problems in adolescents as a result of the pandemic and the need to improve the mental health literacy of professionals in the youth sector. Eva Reina, President of ERYICA, then emphasized the importance of working for the emotional well-being of young people and outlined ERYICA’s work in this regard through projects such as YIMINDS.
The second part of the webinar revolved around the sharing of good practices led by Youth Information Centers and told by their protagonists. Thus, Nadia Berodia and Silvia Escribano, from CPRS San Fernando de Hernares spoke about the project ‘ANIMARTE’; Vanessa Gómez, from CPRS Martínez Campos de Chamberí presented the online focus group “Que no te coman el coco”; Fran Polo, Youth technician of the Mancomunitat Camp de Túria developed his experience in the informative talks in the IES of that region; Silvia Solà of the City Council of Castellterçol and Mariona Altimira, coordinator of the Foundation La Xarranca, explained the influence of Kastell SIOAJ.
Finally, the webinar ended with the interview of Popy Ares, coordinator of Dinamización y Participación Ciudadan de Centro “Marcelino Camacho” of San Fernando de Henares, to Asier García, user of that center who suffered Bullying in high school, has problems of phobias and anxiety and currently benefits from psychological support.
