Our Youth Emotional Resiliency Project

The Youth Emotional Resiliency Project began in 2018, with the goal of “sustainable improvement in the emotional resilience of young people” in western Afghanistan. Our youth emotional resiliency team focuses on the prevention of mental health disorders; they facilitate this by teaching basic life skills to tenth-grade students. This life skills course introduces students to important tools, such as communication and conflict resolution skills. Having these skills will build up their emotional resilience.

By structuring the classes in a weekly format, students have time to actively apply the new skills they have learned. In addition, we engage with school staff, teachers, parents, and community and religious leaders to educate them about the benefits of emotional resilience; we also discuss how they can support and help integrate the life skills students have learned into other areas of their lives.

While the Youth Emotional Resiliency Project is currently in only three communities, our hope is to expand it throughout the region. We aim to achieve this through both our direct efforts and advocacy work; one day, we hope to see life skills included in the national curriculum.

Curious about our work in Mental Health? Read more here.