The researcher of the University of Jaén (UJA) Manuel Vivas met with the vice-president of the AATJ, Antonio Lara, to include the suggestions of this entity member of the External Advisory Council of these two initiatives to promote health and emotional well-being of young people.
02/02/2024.- The Andalusian Association of Youth Technicians (AATJ) and the Network for the PROmotion of adolescent health and EMOtional well-being (PROEMO) are working together on the second phase of the development of the materials of the project ‘PROmocionAnDo la salud y el bienestar EMOcional de los adolescentes en el sector educativo, sanitario y la sociedad’ (PROADEMO) and on the PROEMO roadmap towards 2025.
The researcher of the University of Jaén (UJA), Manuel Vivas, and the vice-president of the AATJ, Antonio Lara, met telematically to include the suggestions of this entity member of the External Advisory Council of these two projects, led by the UJA.
Regarding the design and development of the digital training package and the set of practical tools, aimed at school personnel, healthcare personnel and youth workers, as well as for the preparation of the emotional support kit for adolescents, Antonio Lara advocated working on digital and visual communication skills, deepening basic knowledge of mindfulness, stress, anxiety or emotional wellbeing, and promoting joint training and dissemination actions.
She also stressed the need to disseminate best practice strategies among professionals, unify criteria to support collaborative work and standardize resources, tools and content. As for the format and formula for dissemination, he indicated that “we should count on adolescents for this, always with audiovisual resources that invite reflection”.
PROADEMO (PDC2022-133401-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) is funded 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. Its objective is to improve the skills of professionals and young people themselves to contribute to providing quality mental health services to adolescents at risk of developing emotional problems.
As for the shortcomings detected by the AATJ, Antonio Lara pointed to “the lack of training, tools and resources regarding the mental health of young people”, in which he also emphasized “poor emotional literacy, due to their excessive time dedicated to social networks and little time devoted to real relationships”. In this sense, he highlighted “the absence of real referents for young people and the importance of generating alliances between associations, universities, and entities of all kinds to improve the current situation”.
For its part, PROEMO is a research network (RED2022-134247-T) funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation and the State Research Agency, through the State Program to promote scientific-technical research and its transfer, within the framework of the State Plan for Scientific, Technical and Innovation Research 2021-2023.
The Andalusian Association of Youth Technicians (AATJ) are integrated in the External Advisory Council of PROADEMO and the PROEMO Network, together with entities such as the Spanish Youth Institute (INJUVE), attached to the Ministry of Youth and Children, the Spanish Youth Council (CJE), the European Youth Information and Counselling Agency (ERYICA), the Princess of Girona Foundation (FPdGi), the Integral Health group of the FELGTBI+, the Confederation of Organizations of Psychopedagogy and Guidance of Spain (COPOE), the Spanish Association of Mutual Help against Social Phobia and Anxiety Disorders (AMTAES), and the Asturian Association for the Attention and Care of Children (Asaci).
