Samen naar Beter!
More and more young people are struggling with mental problems. In the Hollands Midden region, more than half of the young people experience mental problems. At the same time, young people indicate that there is not enough attention at school for their mental well-being, while there is a great need. To address these issues, the project Samen naar Beter! was launched with the goal of improving the mental health of young people.
Collaboration
Samen naar beter! is an initiative of the LUMC, with the support of ZonMw and is carried out together with a broad network of regional partner. Researchers from Hogeschool Leiden, TNO leiden, LUMC and the Knowledge Center for Anxiety and Stress in Youth are working together with GGD Hollands Midden, Lumens, schools, care agencies, municipalities and young people through the organization ExpEx. Adolescents and professionals from the region are involved from the beginning and participate in the design and implementation of the project.
What they do
In the project, they develop and implement an integrated approach to mental health at VMBO and MBO schools. Different interventions are combined. For example, at schools they work with the life skills program, in which all young people receive lessons that help them develop mental resilience, social skills and self-confidence. For young people who already experience incipient mental symptoms, the intervention thinking + doing = daring is used. Here they receive support at school in a familiar environment.
Attention is also paid to the role of teachers. By training them in identifying problems and discussing mental health. This not only strengthens their handling skills, but also their own job satisfaction and well-being. This integral approach makes it possible to link prevention, signaling and early help at school. In this way, the right help is brought closer and mental health becomes part of everyday school life.
In addition, work is being done to improve the transition from VMBO to MBO. During this transition, young people with a need for help too often get out of sight. The project therefore focuses on a better transfer, with better communication and guidance between schools and social services. In this way, young people do not get out of sight during the transition to secondary school.
Samen naar beter! aims to strengthen the mental health of young people, both preventively and in cases of incipient symptoms. Support is offered in an accessible place, where young people are every day: school.