On Monday, it was announced that more than 19,000 students aged 12 to 15 have taken part in the program to improve mental well-being in schools, surpassing “all first-year goals.”
More than 7,400 seventh graders, over 6,700 eighth graders and over 5,800 ninth graders took part in group classes.
Until the end of April, according to the Business Association for Inclusion (EPIS), the For You – Mental Wellbeing in Schools program, in addition to almost 20,000 students in the 3rd cycle, reached more than 1,900 teachers and exploitative assistants and more than 770 families from more than than 100 public schools in 59 municipalities.
The initiative is being run over four academic years, from 2022 to 2026, with the goal of better preparing individuals through “development of emotional regulation skills that promote a more mentally balanced lifestyle.”
“Regarding young people, 76% say that For You classes have increased their knowledge of mental well-being, 75% believe they have learned important lessons that will be useful in their daily lives, 69% believe they are able to apply what they have learned and 67% will use the emotion regulation strategies they have learned,” the statement released this Monday said.
EPIS also claims that the program has had a positive impact on teachers, operational assistants and families.
96% of respondents admit that “the classes have increased their knowledge of mental well-being, 95% believe they have learned important things that will be useful in everyday life, 93% feel able to apply the knowledge gained, and 92% will use emotion regulation strategies that they have learned.”
“This is a very positive signal that we received from the school communities in the first months of implementation, which reveals the potential for growth and should encourage EPIS and its partners to continue to invest in this project in the coming years,” the President said. EPIS, Leonor Beleza, is quoted in a statement.
For his part, Executive Board member of the Department of Cognitive Behavioral Clinical Psychology (UPC³) of the University of Coimbra, Daniel Riho, said that the program “has shown that both students and parents, teachers and non-teaching staff benefit from a brief but informative presentation.”
“Through this program, we are providing emotional learning in schools, contributing to the improvement of the mental well-being of Portuguese school communities,” said Helene Westerlind, Executive President (CEO) of Zurich Portugal.
Gregory Renan, director of the Z Zurich Foundation, emphasized that “the recognition by the Portuguese educational authorities of the need to prevent and promote the mental well-being of young people is vital to having the most sustainable impact.”
“Por ti” is funded by the Z Zurich Foundation, managed by Zurich Portugal and Missão Azul and implemented by EPIS in partnership with UPC³ of the University of Coimbra.
In four years, about 45 students will participate in the program in two phases: both will begin in September 2022, the first will last until 2026, and the second until 2025.
“(…) Research is also underway to evaluate the effective improvement of mental well-being — this impact and effectiveness evaluation of the program is part of a multi-year project that will analyze the most relevant changes in terms of acquiring emotion regulation skills and improving emotional well-being and quality of life,” he adds.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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