Young people trained to recognize problems and seek help

The town of Hafnarfjörður stands with the Píeta Association

Recently around forty representatives from Hafnarfjörður´s Primary schools attended a Build introductory meeting about new learning materials. The Píeta Association is responsible for the project with the Department of Education and Public Health of Hafnarfjörður as its sponsor. BUILD is a 6-week prevention course designed by psychologists based on conversations with young people to empower them in difficult situations, teach them perseverance, resilience and advice on how to cope in diverse situations.

Taught in collaboration with Píeta

Ellen Calmon, executive director of the Píeta Association, says the project is vital. “This is a much-needed project and the goal of the Píeta Association is to minimize the number of future clients by teaching young people certain coping strategies,” she says.

“We are extremely grateful to the town of Hafnarfjörður for taking this project so well. The town’s professionals have contributed a great deal to the development of the teaching materials. This has been a unique collaboration and the town has taken this project as it´s own,” says Ellen.

Build is an effective course

Stella B. Kristinsdóttir, program director for prevention and leisure activities in Hafnarfjörður, says that the course has been taught in recent years in most of Hafnarfjörður’s Primary schools. Teaching instructions as well as an activity book to support the course materials have now been updated.

“We got previous coaches from the Build community and new ones together and went over the new curriculum to deepen the topic even further,” she says.

“We have in hand an even more effective 6-week prevention program for 8th graders after developing the new curriculum,” she says. “A number of schools participate every year and we always hold coaching courses like this to train people to teach the material.

Discussing the big issues

Stella says that it has been shown that Build increases perseverance and resilience. “The foundation of the course is to talk to young people about important issues in their lives, such as family, friends, bullying and teach them to recognize when something in their environment is a problem. In this way, they can better assess when they need to seek help. They don’t sit too long with what they feel bad about, but get help immediately,” says Stella.

Ellen says it is clear that this important prevention would not have prospered as it has, or been able to invite other municipalities to participate, without the great collaboration with the professionals in Hafnarfjörður. “We are so pleased with this collaboration.”

Next course in November

Stella says that now close to 25 people have a coaching license and that the next coaching course will be this November. Then the courses for younger children begin in the spring semester.

“We invite all schools to participate and encourage them to give their children the opportunity to acquire the skills that Build teaches.”