For you, Beirut

To complement the Beirut explosion crisis and as an action plan for emergency response, AICA is completing a project of 39 Mental health education sessions for 109 Lebanese and Syrian youth between the ages of 18 and 29, and the topics of the sessions revolved around bullying, peer pressure, positive communication and self-respect.

With the application of hygiene and safety measures COVID-19, while respecting social distance, a number of participants (of 8 Youth in each session) were taken into consideration according to the region, and masks were distributed to all participants, and upon entering the sessions, the temperature was checked in case of infection. Anyone with a fever by the health team participating with us.

Youth in need of specialized treatment were also referred to specialized centers through case management.

The Youth in the Burj Hammoud area, in addition to their early marriage, school dropouts, most of them had a state of shock, as they fled the war in Syria to live here a war with a different face and it is psychological, especially after the Beirut explosion, which brought them back memories of fear and insecurity, so there was a need to implement Sessions with them to create a safe space through which they can unload what they conceal inside

• Activity 1: A need study on the topics that youth people need to determine the session titles
• Activity 2: Preparing for the PSS Content Session:
• Bullying (its definition, forms, types, and how to confront it)
• *Peers (definition, types, stressors and advice outcomes)
• Self-esteem (the definition of self-esteem and what it takes to self-esteem)
• Positive communication (its definition, elements, and how positive communication can be)
• Activity 3: Presenting a video on self-esteem, in addition to activities within the session, including how to convert a negative trait into a positive trait
• Activity 4: Communication: We reached 109 Youth by coordinating with “Al Hayat” center, and through volunteers from AICA.
• Activity 5: Implementing 39 educational sessions in the field of mental health. Each group includes 8 Youth (109 Youth - 12 Lebanese and 97 Syrian refugees) who take all sick precautions such as social distancing, muzzle and hand gel.

Links:

• https://aica-lb.org

• MHPSS_Report_Beirut_Explosion.pdf (PDF)