Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Introduction to the roject Positive Mental Health

READING LIST

From the Theoretical Framework for Promoting Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing in the European Youth Sector 

• Pages 19 – 24, about ‘Promoting Young People’s Mental Health through Social and Emotional Learning.
• Pages 32 – 35, about ‘Developing Social and Emotional Competencies: Taught or Caught?
• Pages 37-38, about ‘Youth Worker Competencies’

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

• Which specific PMH competencies have you already acquired or developed in your career as a youth worker?
• If you look at the list of youth worker PMH competencies on pages 37-38 of the theoretical framework. Where do you see your strengths as a youth worker?
• Is there a way how you can make even more use of that competency in your practice as a youth worker to improve the wellbeing of young people?
• The Council of Europe has identified a list of youth worker competencies divided over 8 functions of youth work (access here). Which competencies of this list are related to PMH according to you and why?
• If you have a look at the 6 domains of social and emotional competencies for young people on page 21 of the theoretical framework, which competencies are according to you the most important to address among the young people you work with in regards to their PMH?
• What do you think that the young people would say they would need in order to improve their PMH?
• The theoretical framework writes about that the development of social and emotional competencies can happen in a ‘taught’ and ‘caught’ manner. Do you have any examples from your experience where you have seen that young people develop themselves through these two kinds of learning?
• We have learned that it’s always a good idea to discuss learning needs with the young people. Anything that comes from within them will improve the intrinsic motivation and hence self-determination. What do you know about self- determination and intrinsic motivation?

WANT TO EXPLORE MORE?

• “How Youth Workers Support the Development of Youth’s Resilience?”, by Biljana Vasilevska Trajkoska
• “Reflection and Reflective Practices for Promoting Positive Mental Health”, by
  Angelica Paci
• “Creating Safe Spaces for Young People”, by Dragan Anatasov.
• “Motivation and Self-Determination as essential ingredients for Positive Mental
  Health”, by Thomas Albers. You can read this article here.
• The list of youth worker competencies as defined by the Council of Europe.