Mládež ako súčasť pomoci rovesníkom: Nové riešenia a prístupy pri riešení porúch príjmu potravy u mladých ľudí

Our needs arose from several years of work with the target group of youth with eating disorders (EDs) and with the issue of a youth mental health. In 2021, also due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, we strongly perceived that the system of professional assistance for youth with EDs and awareness of mental health is at a better level in Czechia than in Slovakia. In Slovakia, there was no integrated prevention program, community care or peer consultant position in the field of EDs. The position of a peer worker and the involvement of proactive young people was the biggest need on which our project was based. Among our clients there were many young people who wanted to get involved in helping their peers, passing on their experience and motivate them. But we didn't have the know-how how to engage them in a way that was safe for both, for them and for the clients. The idea for a project, which would include the creation of a mentoring program, came from a conversation with organization Centrum Anabell, which had been working with peer workers for a long time and had good results. Within the project, we wanted to create complete education and subsequent practice that would enable young people to help their peers.

The goals of the project were: to increase the quality of mental and physical health of youth with eating disorders (EDs), to involve young people with EDs in helping their peers, to increase the quality of work with youths with EDs, to strengthen the partnership between the organizations Anabell Česko and EDI Slovensko, and to improve awareness about the mental health of youth, as well as about new possibilities of helping youth with PPP. A significant part of set goals was the creation of an educational program for young people recovering from eating disorders (EDs), who would become peer workers and engage in helping and supporting their peers in recovery from eating disorders. To achieve these goals, we proposed the implementation of several activities, by which we wanted to support the initiative of young people, strengthen their soft skills and competences, and at the same time increase the quality of mental health also of young people receiving treatment from EDs, by receiving a sense of understanding and support from peer workers.

Within the project, we implemented several activities. From 01-03/2022 we held 7 workshops aimed at mutual sharing of know-how, experience and education. The topics of the workshops were as follows: Principles of multidisciplinary cooperation, Counseling services in an online environment, Specifics of working with a person with EDs, Motivational interviews and open dialogue, Nutrition counseling, Working with families and FBT, Support groups and group works, and Communication and PR. Another activity was the multiplication event “BEZ FILTRA”, which we postponed due to the war in Ukraine. The aim of the event was to raise awareness about the mental health of youth, as well as to promote the project. The main activity of the project was the mentoring program, which ran from 04/2022-03/2023. It included practice and job shadowing at the Anabell center in Prague, the creation of methodology, training for peer workers, subsequent practice of peer workers and evaluation of the activity. During the project, we also held a multiplication event in Brno called “NEJESŤ NIE JE RIEŠENIE” for the professional public where we presented innovative ways of working with young people with EDs. The last activity was regular streams on social networks

The main output of the project is the Methodological Handbook, which arose from the Mentoring Program activity and it maps the definition of the position of a peer worker, the structure and content of the educational program, practice and contains details of evaluations as well as the results of the evaluation process. Beside the handbook, the output is also work material for the training: a main presentation that characterizes and guides the content of all 6 to 7 days of training and also materials from 7 workshops. Other outputs are materials from multiplication events, including conference recordings, which contain inspiring contributions from lecturers; records of streams on social networks; and promotional, dissemination and educational materials (articles, posts, etc.). Among the results there are the gained know-how and skills of the employees of the organizations, the exchange of experiences and the strengthening of the partnership between the two organizations, and the gained skills, experience and knowledge of the peer workers.