A combination of isolation, inactivity and a broader loss of purpose has left many young people close to breakdown, as bbc news reported on 20.01.2021 (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55716340). The closure of cafes, bars, cinemas, and gyms, inability to attend university lectures or apprenticeship programmes to learn new skills, as well as loss of face-to-face contacts with friends and family due to strict lockdown measures imposed by Covid-19 outbreak in 2020-2021, left little scope for hope and happiness – key measures of mental health & wellbeing.
World Health Organisation (WHO) and psychologists from different countries point out to 5 Steps to people’s health & wellbeing:
- Engaging in an activity which gives you a sense of purpose (in alignment with YEPP Concept of community-based work).
- Learning a new skill which gives you a sense of pride & fulfilment (or discovering and strengthening your talents).
- Movement/embodiment (body work which combines awareness of posture, attention, breathe, and habitual patterns) practice that strengthens the awareness of our personality. (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYacDPOWsmE)
- Connection to present moment through mindfulness and meditation to release stress, get more engaged and focus better.
- Connection to other people is an antidote to isolation.
Don’t Worry Be You
From January 2022, YEPP EUROPE has engaged in a new ERASMUS+ KA2 project called “Don’t Worry Be You“. The project is underpinned by a holistic approach to health & wellbeing of young people and communities. It provides practical tools and techniques for self-exploration, as well as peer sessions and community-based initiatives, designed as Intellectual Outputs. Finding happiness and purpose is strengthened through connection of body, mind and spirit, which is an individual dimension, and a people-places-planet dimension, which is a collective element. More information here.
The COHIT-21 Initiative
COHIT-21 aimed to address Covid-19 issues in a series of online learning and exchange activities such as podcasts, video messages, webinars, challenges, online debates, campaigns, etc. All our projects also took the impact COVID-19 on young people and other target groups into account. This was reflected through the content and format of our capacity building programmes.
The following are some of the initiatives under COHIT-21:
