The implementation of PROCARE, aimed at providing psychological strategies to emotionally strengthen Balearic schoolchildren in need, begins.
23/03/2023.- The team of researchers of the PROCARE initiative and the representatives of the Consellería d’ Educació i Formació Professional de las Islas Baleares held the launching meeting for the implementation of this program for the promotion of health and emotional well-being as well as the prevention of emotional problems in adolescents in the Balearic Islands.
The meeting was attended by the team of researchers from the University of Jaén (UJA), led by Luis Joaquín García, together with Lourdes Espinosa and José Antonio Muela, the team from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), led by Josefa Canals, and the team from the University Miguel Hernández (UMH), led by José Antonio Piqueras; as well as Amanda Fernández, General Director of Early Childhood, Innovation and Educational Community of the Balearic Islands, Aina Amengual, Director of l’Institut per a la Convivència i l’èxit escolar, and Catherine Adrover, technical teaching advisor at the institute.
The kick-off meeting served as a first contact between the team members, which over the coming months will provide information to families and young people about the emotional well-being of the participants, schoolchildren between 12 and 18 years of age from public and private schools in the Balearic Islands. In addition, psychological strategies will be provided to emotionally strengthen adolescents who may benefit from the PROCARE initiative.
At the same time, a calendar of dates was established for the three phases that will be addressed in the application of the screening protocol. In the first phase, upon registration of the schools, the adolescent and his or her family will complete a battery that addresses emotional aspects of young people telematically. In this way, all participants will receive information about their emotional well-being.
In the second phase, young people can benefit from a workshop on emotional strengthening and resilience in the face of present and future adversities. In this way, they will learn how to cope with risky situations and enhance their communication skills. They will also receive an additional module tailored to their needs in the area of health and emotional well-being.
Finally, both six months and one year after the end of the workshop, reminiscence sessions will be organized to consolidate the benefits acquired and evaluate the progress of the participating students at an emotional level.
This initiative is the result of an agreement signed by the UJA and the Department of Education and Professional Training of the Balearic Islands, which has been financed by the Ministry of Education and Professional Training thanks to the European Social Fund and within the Territorial Cooperation Program for Mental Health.
The agreement has been promoted by the UJA professor, Luis Joaquín García, and has the support of the Psychology Office of the UJA, the Research Group of Evaluation and Psychological Treatment HUM-836, the Research Structure EI_HUM18_2023 of the UJA and the PROEM Network.
This initiative is supported by the previous experience of the PROCARE project (‘Selective prevention through a transdiagnostic intervention for adolescents at risk of emotional problems’), funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, and launched by the UJA, together with the URV, the UMH and the University of Miami (USA).
PROCARE also has an External Advisory Board composed of the Spanish Youth Institute (INJUVE), attached to the Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030, the Spanish Youth Council (CJE), the Youth Group of the State Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Trans, Bisexuals and Transsexuals (Federación Estatal de Lesbianas, Gays, Trans, Bisexuals, Intersexuals and more (FELGTBI+), the Confederation of Organizations of Psychopedagogy and Guidance of Spain (COPOE) and the Spanish Association of Mutual Help against Social Phobia and Anxiety Disorders (AMTAES).
