Nurturing Resilience: Ministry of Health Empowers Ministry of Youth and Sports with Psychological First Aid Training
Recently, the Ministry of Health joined forces with the International Organization for Migration to conduct a series of five trainings on providing psychological first aid. The Ministry of Youth and Sports sent 88 youth workers who specialize in working with young people, including leaders and activists from public and charitable organizations, as well as civil servants responsible for youth policy implementation at the local and regional levels.
The training, called «Psychological First Aid, Recovery, and Self-Help Skills» was fully supported by the International Organization for Migration as part of the «How Are You?» program, initiated by Olena Zelenska, which aims to improve mental health across Ukraine.
The majority of training participants are not professional psychologists, yet they often work on the front lines of support – providing aid to those affected by the full-scale aggression of the Russian Federation, such as parents with children and young people affected by occupation. It is crucial for youth workers to be able to provide psychological first aid and self-care in order to effectively carry out their work on a daily basis.
The participants were highly engaged in the training, which included practical exercises to reinforce theoretical knowledge. Together with the trainers, they discussed wartime challenges, learned to identify stress and its different types, recognized the need for psychological first aid, and provided assistance to those in shock while responding appropriately to potential crises in communication.
It is worth noting that in February, 147 representatives of the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service underwent similar training, followed by 130 government hotline operators. The All-Ukrainian mental health program «How are you?» continues to offer educational trainings.