The main goal of the project was to raise awareness of mental health among young people from centers sociotherapeutic centers in Europe- partner countries and organizations- Poland, Lithuania, Hungary and Italy. Thanks to professional trainings, the staff and youth staying in the centers gained detailed knowledge on about strategies for dealing with emotions, communication and factors affecting their mental state, which is also influenced by their living situation. The objectives: -To learn about the specifics and dependencies of working with youth incarcerated in sociotherapy centers; -Learning coping strategies for mental problems they face, naming difficult emotions and factors that have a direct impact on such a condition; -Acquiring competence to conduct mental health training among youth at risk of exclusion; -Acquiring knowledge of the magnitude of the problem and influencing factors; -Expanding the importance of the topic of mental health among young people and those in the third sector working with this group on a daily basis; -Learning about the national strategies in each partner organization; -Learning the challenges faced by those working in such environments;
In the course of developing the proposal, as well as in the earlier stages of conception regarding the project, we discovered the lack of any knowledge about mental health among young people residing in the centers on a daily basis. The problems we addressed The lack of regular contact with peers, physical activity and the transfer of reality into the virtual space have significantly affected the mental condition of young people. The daily and widespread isolation of the center's residents, family problems, lack of social acceptance and, as a result, consequent exclusion seem to be factors that are significant and affect mental health. This type of educational project, carried out on a wider scale, was potential both for its usefulness in terms of education, not only of the youth but also of the workers having daily contact with them, who, thanks to the training, had the opportunity to learn about working with youth from a different perspective. In addition, the education of workers from the various European countries was intended to unify the way of thinking about the problems faced by residents of correctional centers while taking into account modern methods of education, including such as art therapy, among others.