Viktor Iliev – Page 2

Mental Health workshops for Peer Educators [module 1,2,3]

Throughout November and December last year, we implemented a series of workshops on mental health topics for peer educators from primary and secondary schools and faculties from Bitola. The first mental health workshop module was on the topic of anxiety and depression. According to experts in the field of psychological sciences, anxiety is a condition associated with the feeling of fear, and depression is a condition associated with the feeling of sadness. Recognizing them and developing personal strategies to deal with these conditions is what is necessary to maintain harmonious mental health. 58 peer educators divided into 5 groups of primary school and high school pupils and university students who were introduced to the topics of anxiety and depression completed this module. These topics were discussed including what they mean to young people’s conditions, what factors cause them, what the symptoms are, and how to help others and ourselves. The second module of mental health training was on the topic of risky forms of behavior. It was discussed what risk and risky behavior mean, how that behavior is related to the mental well-being of a person, what factors cause it, why it is a particularly significant phenomenon among young people and how young people can recognize the beginnings of risky behavior in themselves so they can help themselves and to recognize it in others. This module was completed by 48 peer educators divided into 5 groups of primary and high school pupils and university students who were acquainted with the topic of risky forms of behavior. During the training, it was discussed what these types of behaviors mean and how they manifest, how much they are present and in what forms in our everyday life in the schools of the city, how these conditions affect young people, what factors cause them and how we can help the others and to act preventively. The third module of mental health workshops was on the topic of building resistance, endurance and resilience. It was discussed what resilience means, how it is learned and how this ability is the most important factor in maintaining psycho-physical balance. This ability is the one that gathers our energies and directs them towards what makes the most sense at the given moment to overcome the situation we find ourselves in, survive and transform the experience we find ourselves in. This is what young people can learn to help themselves and help others. 42 peer educators divided into 5 groups of primary and high school pupils and university students who learned about the topic of building resistance, endurance and resilience completed this module. The peer educators discussed the ways to become resistant to ubiquitous negative influences in the external environment and surroundings, how to endure or cope with situations in which we are involved with or without our will and understanding ways to build lasting resilience and peace with self and others. The project „Peer school for children and youth mental health“ of the Youth Association YMCA Bitola has been implemented in the frames of the regional program for local democracy in Western Balkans2 Reload2, financed by the European Union (EU), implemented by United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The project is co-financed by the Municipality of Bitola. The project has been implemented by the YMCA in cooperation with Poraka Nova and Amos.

A Journey of Inspiration and Connection: Mid-America Camping Conference (MACC)

By Viktor Iliev I will begin with my profound gratitude to the YMCA of the USA for extending an invitation to join an international cohort at the Mid-America Camping Conference (MACC). This gathering transcended conventional expectations, evolving into an immersive experience alongside my colleagues from Kosovo, Romania, Spain, Ukraine, Aruba, Puerto Rico, Colombia, and Brazil. The YMCA of the USA’s commendable approach not only showcased their exemplary camp culture but also facilitated a global exchange of best practices. This collaborative endeavor added a distinctive international perspective, fostering connections across the Atlantic for the betterment of all engaged in youth development through outdoor education and camping. My trip began with a day delay due to flight cancellations, but I arrived in Omaha, Nebraska, and spent the night at Camp Kitaki. Although I missed the official camp tour, the next day’s exploration left an indelible impression of Camp Kitaki as a transformative outdoor haven, dedicated to youth development and experiential learning. The Camp Director, Jason, at a recent event eloquently captured the power of camp in a compelling video, encapsulating the essence of outdoor education. Our journey continued to Des Moines Y Camp in Iowa, where the entrance gate proclaimed, “The Closest Place to Heaven on Earth.” We were welcomed by the Camp Director Alex who took us to the camp tour. This camp had so many things to present and so many aspects of camp operations that almost left me speechless. Witnessing the camp’s extensive history, Alex’s remarkable projects, and the overwhelming support from Camp Alumni spoke volumes about the camp’s impact. At our next stop, Camp Duncan located in the State of Illinois hosted by one of our amazing hosts, the Camp Director Bobby, I felt with a sense that we go to pre-known place. The reason for that is that as we traveled from one state to another, after the long talks while traveling so we had insights into camp operations that were seamlessly intertwined with a sense of familiarity. Amazingly to see, but he and several of the camp staff lived at the campsite. With a picturesque lake and diverse outdoor activities, Camp Duncan stood as a testament to the multifaceted experiences it offer. A special interlude from camp activities led us to Chicago Downtown, culminating in a visit to the headquarters of the YMCA of the USA. Meeting the dedicated team, led by the hospitable Adriana, reinforced our view of the organization’s impact and commitment to its core values. By the end of our journey, we witnessed how she and her team members of this amazing pre-conference tour don’t just talk about the YMCA core values (Respect, Responsibility, Honesty and Caring), but incorporate them in their own lives and act upon them. For a random organization is easy to state whatever mission and vision, but we were not at a random organization. YMCA of the USA is an organization like no other. Giving kids a great start. Helping families stay healthy. Inspiring communities to work together. That’s the YMCA. Our journey reached its pinnacle in Michigan at the Sherman Lake YMCA , where the MACC unfolded as the main event. The conference hosting about 250 camp professionals from across the United States and worldwide, showcased a unique blend of individuals at various stages of their camping careers. Experience, knowledge, and passion are abundant at this conference. With three exceptional keynote speakers, diverse interest sessions selected according to our personal preferences, round tables, reflections, recreation and networking opportunities, the conference left an indelible mark on me. I must admit that I was blown by the generous offer of interest sessions and struggled to decide what to prioritize. One thing that here is done in a unique way from what I have been used to and seen before, is the unique opportunity to create a customized personal interest session schedule. The way to value people’s time is this! One of the core areas of impact of the YMCA of the USA is Social Responsibility. These are not just two fancy words, but words to which YMCA gives them an essence by demonstration. In addition to each MACC conference, there is a fundraising event for a cause selected every year that receives all the funds raised. This year MACC Service Auction is in supporting the Maui Family YMCA’s ongoing efforts to rebuild and uplift the community after the Lahaina fires. I was amazed to experience the culture of philanthropy and social responsibility via the silent auction and service live auction where people donate items from their own YMCA or country such as branded materials, t-shirts, products or artwork from children’s camps, etc. to contribute to the auction and people bid for best offers. Philanthropy and entertainment at the same time. And the best part at the end – the conference was supported by many corporate donors. When people step in and contribute to a cause, you create a community. We have a lot to learn from this! And what a nice way to finish our journey by visiting our supportive host Thomas who along with the dedicated team at the Flint YMCA warmly welcomed us. We explored the place and its programs and discussed its best practices, the opportunities it offers so they are a truly community organization where people feel they belong. The final stop was at YMCA Camp Copneconic where despite the snowy and cold weather offered a captivating tour and an afternoon reflection on our collective experiences. Our group covered a distance of 1180 km, roughly the distance from Bitola to Vienna. I extend my best wishes to all fellow travelers in implementing the invaluable insights gained during this remarkable journey.

Youth Center Bitola: 2023 by the numbers

On 25.05.2023, the Youth Center was opened in Bitola, following its mission to encourage the personal and social development of young people through their inclusion in the community. Currently, two youth workers work in the center, while the center itself is managed by a consortium of 3 youth organizations from Bitola, YMCA, Sfera International and MKC. During the whole year, a series of activities were carried out in the direction of fulfilling the 8 previously established specific goals, and we are particularly happy to share that they have been largely fulfilled, i.e. we offered program activities covering all fields of youth development. Providing a space for young people to express themselves, organizing the free time of young people, developing the competencies of young people, encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit, promoting healthy lifestyle habits as well as raising environmental awareness, informing young people about opportunities for non-formal education, strengthening the active citizenship and promoting volunteering. By numbers it would look like this: The most visited program activities were: digital education, environment, mental health, youth participation and youth policies, as well as entertainment/social activities such as intercultural dinners, cooking days, learning foreign languages, etc. Our contribution to the activities of the youth center was mainly through two projects that we implemented during the year: Last year was proof of the youth center’s commitment to the development of young people in Bitola. The implementation of activities across all specific objectives demonstrates the commitment to fostering a dynamic, responsible and inclusive environment for young people. The vision of the Youth Center is a future with encouraged, creative and responsible young people who actively contribute to general progress, and represent a lively, informed and active youth community in Bitola. The full annual report of the youth center in the Macedonian language is available on the Youth Center website.

National Youth Work Conference

On December 19, 2023 in Skopje the largest national conference on youth work in our country was held. In front of over 100 attendees, the event was opened by Andrej Naumovski, President of the Union for Youth Work, Naumche Mojsovski, Director of the Youth and Sports Agency, Gjorgi Tasev, Associate of the Prime Minister for youth and youth policies, and Jovica Mitevski, representative of The National Agency for European Education Programs and Mobility. At the conference, certificates were ceremoniously awarded to 13 people who passed the training and acquired the title of youth worker. Among them was Natasha Darkov, part of the YMCA Bitola team. The topics “Youth centers as a necessary service for young people” and “Youth worker as a profession” were discussed in two panels. The representatives of the state authorities and mayors announced continuous support for the validation processes and the full establishment of youth work as a profession and an incentive for the process of establishing youth centers throughout the country. The representatives of the youth sector including the Union for Youth Work, youth centers and youth workers emphasized that youth workers and youth centers are key to implementing quality youth work. Their recognition and support will also mean the creation of an environment to support the growth and development of young people. They also spoke about the importance of youth worker training and the youth worker profession for the proper development of young people. The representatives of other institutions supporters of the development of youth work in the country stated their support as well. Faculty of philosophy stated the support they provide through the second-degree studies in youth work that are the first postgraduate studies in youth work in the region for which are provided scholarships as well. GIZ emphasized the importance of cooperation and targeted action of foreign donors following youth work providers at the local and national level. The involvement of YMCA as an organization in these processes is at a high level. Jovce Krstevski, a certified youth worker, is part of the staff of the youth center in Bitola, he is a member of the base of quality evaluators of youth centers established at the Agency for Youth and Sports and was one of the panelists at this event. In addition to that, at the event Natasha Darkov, after a whole year of exceptional engagement with groups of young people, completed an intensive certification course for youth work, and received the formal title of “youth worker” from the Агенција за млади и спорт / Agency of youth and sport и Сојуз за младинска работа/Union for Youth Work. This year, Jovce Krsteski went through a process of training and practice for the application of the methodology for career counseling and guidance of young people ProfillPASS, which was developed by the German Institute for Adult Education – the Leibniz Center for Lifelong Learning Deutsches Institut für Erwachsenenbildung.

Youth Meaningful Work Survey

At the World YMCA, we dream of a world where all young people can access decent jobs and meaningful work. To achieve that dream, we need to understand the views and experiences of young people.The YMCA is delighted to launch the “Youth Meaningful Work” survey, designed by young people for young people. What the survey involves:• The survey asks young people aged 18-35 all around the world what meaningful work means to them, and their hopes, fears, needs, expectations, and how ready they feel for work in the future.• The survey is open for 8 weeks, until Friday 15 December 2023 and takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. Why have a survey:By hearing the voices of thousands of young people across the globe, the survey will provide a strong evidence base to help design solutions for young people, with young people. We need your help:For our survey to be successful, we need your help in making sure we hear from as many young people from diverse backgrounds as possible across the world.• Complete the survey if you are aged between 18-35 – we want to hear about your career aspirations and experiences, and what you might need to achieve your aspirations. Access the survey through our website https://youthmeaningfulwork.com or via the link here: Youth Meaningful Work Survey• Distribute our survey – we ask that you distribute the survey widely by sharing the above link to young people, partners and across your networks, to help amplify the voices of young people within your local communities. Need more information?• See our website dedicated to the Youth Meaningful Work Survey – https://youthmeaningfulwork.com/. The website will provide tools and resources, responses to frequently asked questions, our communications kit and other supports, and will share videos posted by young people from all around the world!• For more information or support, please refer to our new website or contact the Global Meaningful Work project team at contact@youthmeaningfulwork.com. Thank you for your support of this important project.

Beginning of the peer school for mental health of children and youth

One of the most important elements of the project is the peer school itself, through which we plan to make a significantly large outreach of the topic of mental health. In the second half of September and October, we worked on the animation of the Bitola educational institutions with a focus on primary and secondary schools, as well as faculties. During this period we promoted the projects’ open calls and recruited elementary and high school students, as well as university students motivated to learn more about mental health for themselves and their peers in terms of recognizing certain conditions, but also how to act to help themselves and their peers from the community. We are done with this phase and it is time for action! Today’s event was just that. We gathered all peer educators, psychologists, pedagogues, and others from the professional services of the schools to mark the beginning of the project followed by an interesting program. The event introduced the participants to the planned activities and dynamics for the next period until the end of the school year. The distribution of peer educators’ groups was made based on age/generation and shifts of school to better plan the upcoming workshops in the direction of not missing and disrupting the regular teaching of schools and students. We formed five groups of peer educators, two of them with elementary school students, two with high school students and one with students. The groups had a series of tasks that they had to go through and familiarize themselves with the topic, get to know their peers with whom they will work in the next period, build their group identity and answer the introductory research on the topic to understand the their initial state on the topic of mental health. We also discussed the established channels of communication for the next period and all the formalities required for the smooth running of the upcoming workshops. The workshops will be based on the principles of non-formal education and will take place in the Youth Center in Bitola until the end of February. The peer educators will learn more and discuss with their peers about mental health covering topics such as: anxiety and depression, risky behavior, which means – violent behavior/peer violence, self-harm and substance abuse, building resilience and self-confidence among children and young people and the digital representation of the same topics related to the behavior of young people on social networks. The project has a follow-up phase in the second school semester where these peer educators will implement peer education workshops in their schools and faculties and share the gained knowledge with the end users/their peers in a non-formal setting. The project „Peer school for children and youth mental health“ of the Youth Association YMCA Bitola has been implemented in the frames of the regional program for local democracy in Western Balkans2 Reload2, financed by the European Union (EU), implemented by United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The project is co-financed by the Municipality of Bitola. The project has been implemented by the YMCA in cooperation with Poraka Nova and Amos. Read below to learn more about this project Mental Health. Deep dive on a grassroots level among young people and adults

Participation in Education Program for Support of Youth Workers in the Field of Career Guidance

By Jovche Krsteski Guided by the goal of offering better services for youth employment, we are happy that as a member of the Union for Youth Work we had the opportunity to participate in two trainings for counselors for career guidance of young people and to learn about two new methodologies. One of them was according to the methodology “ProfillPASS – Start your career!” and the other according to the methodology “Sport for employability” (S4E) as part of the program for education and support of youth workers entitled “Youth work for active and involved youth”. Through these trainings, I along with 17 other youth workers from our country acquired knowledge, skills and competencies for using proven methodologies in their daily work with young people from vulnerable categories. The youth workers were trained to use the “ProfillPASS” tool, which will allow them to direct young people to explore their possibilities for personal and professional development, thereby helping them to improve their position in the labor market. Using #S4E as a tool for encouraging and developing skills, will help youth workers in supporting and encouraging young people from their communities in the direction of awareness of their skills and potential, as well as their further development. After the training, the involved youth workers will carry out practical activities applying the learned methodologies in their environments. As a trained youth worker from the YMCA, I will apply my knowledge in working with young people in the Youth Center in Bitola, as well as in preparing the programs that the YMCA implements. The Union for Youth Work implements this program within the framework of the regional project “Social Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups in the Western Balkans” and the global program “Sports for Development” implemented by the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ). The training for these methodologies was conducted on 21-24.09.2023 and 30.10-02.11.2023 in Dojran, Macedonia. The training for #ProfilPASS was conducted with the help of trainers from the Center for Lifelong Learning, and that for #S4E with the help of trainers from TACT.

Author: Viktor Iliev