SCOUTS HEALING INVISIBLE WOUNDS
Youth, 10 to 29 years, have been hit hardest by covid-19; from job losses to disruption of school calendars, some experiencing violent and abusive caregiver relationships, increased teen pregnancies, cases of child labor, and restrictions on social gatherings among other factors. The consequences of not addressing these mental health conditions extend into late adulthood, impairing both physical and mental health, and limiting opportunities to lead fulfilling lives as adults.
The 1st phase of the project was undertaken through online sessions on zoom where we invited experts to facilitate sessions on issues affecting youth. We also held social media campaigns to create awareness on mental health. We also had a few physical sessions where we visited different organized groups like scout groups to talk to them about mental health. The 2nd phase is more of physical activities and training.
Most activities happen in Nairobi but we have reached over 15 other counties.
For 19 months, we have reached over 12,000 youths online and trained 70 scouts on Psychological First Aid. Beneficiaries have devoted more time to be sensitized on mental health; Youths have become more responsible after the sensitization as we have witnessed them educating their peers pertaining to different mental health topics voluntarily. More youth are coming out to seek support and so far we have referred over 70 young people to professionals for psychosocial support.
Mental Health is an urgent issue that all organizations need to focus on. Many young people are facing so many challenges and they are not well-sensitized on where to seek help. Some people also find it hard to share their problems due to social stigma and this calls for more awareness so that we can normalize the conversations. To make it better, we are training more scouts and scout leaders on Psychological First Aid to help us reach more people.
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