Mirjam – ENVTL

ENGLISH BELOW!

Juba mõni aeg tagasi, aprilli lõpus, sõitsid ENVTLi liikmed Hedvig, Helen ja Merle külla partneritele Hollandis (Stichting HerstelTalent), et koos nende ja Islandi partneritega (Hugarafl) teha vahekokkuvõtteid ja uusi plaane Erasmus+ projekti Peer Support+ osas. Seal möödusid kiired, põnevad ja töised päevad, millesse mahtus ka hulganisti soojust, hoolimist ja siirast kontakti mõttekaaslastega.

Praegu on projektis silmapiiril kolm suuremat tegevust:

Partnerite ühise pingutuse tulemusel on kokku pandud peamine sisu veebikursuse jaoks. Kursus pakub huvilistele sissejuhatuse ja põhitõed kogemuspõhise toe pakkumise kohta vaimse tervise valdkonnas.
Suve jooksul on siht valmis kirjutada ka e-raamat, mis koondab endasse lisaks põhitõdedele ka juba põhjalikumat materjali ning väikse meetodite tööriistakasti.
Septembris saab toimuma seminar, kus kogemuspõhise toe pakkumisest huvitatud inimesed ja organisatsioonid saavad projekti jooksul looduga tutvuda.

Millised on meie projektimeeskonna muljed toimunud kohtumisest?

Helen annab meile sellise toreda ülevaate: “Erasmus+ projektid, treeningud, seminarid jm on olnud mulle südamelähedased alates esimesest korrast, kui sain 19-aastasena esimesel noortevahetusel osaleda. Peer Support+ on aga pikaajaline projekt, kus mul on au ja rõõm olla esimest korda tiimiliige. See tähendab, et lisaks treeningul osalemise, mis toimus eelmise aasta augustis, on mul võimalus ka näha selle telgitaguseid ning panustada projekti materjalide loomisesse. Selleks, et kõigil kolmel organisatsioonil oleks ühine arusaam ülesannete jaotusest, nende eesmärkidest ning sisust, tegimegi väikese töövisiidi Hollandi organisatsiooni kodulinna. Veetsime seal kokku küll ainult 3 päeva, kuid selle aja jooksul sai tehtud nii rasket mõttetööd kui ka nautida täielikku turisti rolli, olles armsate ja külalislahkete hollandlaste hoole all. Lisaks sain koos aega veeta oma kõige lemmikumate Islandi sõpradega, kellega tutvusin juba paar aastat tagasi ühes teises Erasmus+ projektis ning keda ma hoian oma südames nagu pereliikmeid. Armsad inimesed, südamelähedane töö ning hea toit – 10/10 nädalavahetus!”

Hedvig tõdeb aga järgmist: “Ausalt öeldes – ma seda reisi ei oodanud just hea meelega, muretsedes, et tööd tuleb palju ning vaevu saab ehk hinge tõmmata, kuid taas-avastasin, kui inspireeriv on tegutseda koos südamlike ja avatud inimestega, eriti veel piltilusates Hollandi linnakestes. Peer Support+ projektiga oleme tasapisi mässanud juba aastaid, koroona tõttu pidevalt näost-näkku kohtumisi edasi lükates, ning äärmiselt värskendav oli meie Hollandi ja Islandi projektipartnerite kui inimestega tutvuda. Samuti oli kuidagi lohutav ja võimestav tõdeda, et kuigi oleme pärit erinevatest riikidest, on meie võitlused ja eesmärgid kohati väga sarnased ning saame kangekaelselt aktivistidena edasi rühkides üksteiselt toetust ammutada. Kõige olulisem aga – Middelburgi ja Vlissingeni tänavatel leidsin mitu kassi, keda paitada! ”

Oma muljeid reisist ja projektist jagab ka Merle: “Olgugi, et reis oli lühike, andis see mulle igatahes olulise turgutuse – saime nautida palju kevadisemat ilma, head toitu, luua uusi tutvusi ja kasvatada koostööd. Südamesse jäi seegi, kui väärtusliku ja südamliku kogemusena peegeldasid seda Hollandi organisatsiooni liikmed, kes nädalavahetuse jooksul meid kostitasid, sõidutasid ja arutlustes osalesid.

Projekt Peer Support+ on olnud ütlemata väljakutseterohke. Koroonapandeemia tõttu on pööraselt muutunud pika projekti ajakava ja neljast rahvusvahelisest käigust said toimuma vaid kaks. Korralikke kriise on kogenud pea kõik projektis osalenud organisatsioonid ja nende projektijuhid. See kõik on andnud korraliku põntsu motivatsioonile ja jaksule, aga omal raskel moel kasvatanud vastupidavust ning arusaama sellest, kui oluline ja vajalik on tegelikult kogemuspõhise toe arendamine ja laiem kättesaadavus vaimse tervise vallas.”

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ENGLISH:

Some time ago, at the end of April, three members of ENVTL – Hedvig, Helen and Merle – flew to the Netherlands to visit our dear partner Stichting HerstelTalent. Together with members from our Icelandic partner Hugarafl, we had an international meeting for our project Peer Support+. We made recaps of what’s already been done and what still is in the works with the exciting Erasmus+ project on peer support in mental health. The days in the province of Zeeland flew by with such speed, but in addition to work, they were also filled with warmth, caring and heart-to-heart connections.

Currently we are working on three bigger elements of the project:

As a joint effort from all the partners, we have put together the main content for our online course. The e-learning course is created to give an introduction and the basics about providing peer support in the field of mental health.
Through the summer we are writing an ebook to accompany the course – in addition to the basics of peer support, it contains more in-depth material about peer support and a toolkit of methods.
A local seminar that takes place in September, where people and organisations interested in providing peer support can take part in interesting discussions and get acquainted with the outputs of this project.

How do our team members reflect on the international meeting?

Helen gives us the following overview of her experience:

“Ever since I was 19 years old and got to experience my first youth exchange, Erasmus+ projects, trainings, seminars etc have gained a very important place in my heart. However Peer Support+ is the first long term project that I have the honour and joy to be a team member of. This means that other than just taking part of the training, which we had in August last year, I also have the opportunity to see behind the curtains of this project and contribute to the creation of its final outcomes and materials. In order for all of our three organizations to have the same understanding about the division of tasks and the goals and the content of them, we got to do a little working visit to the hometown of the Dutch organization. Even though having spent only 3 days there, we did a lot of brainstorming about the assignments as well as got to be in the role of being a tourist, getting taken care of by the sweetest and most hospitable Dutch people. In addition to that I got to spend time with my favourite Icelandic friends, whom I met a few years ago in another Erasmus+ project and whom I keep in my heart like family members. Overall, sweet people, work that’s close to my heart and good food – 10/10 weekend!”

Hedvig shared with us her thoughts and impressions:

“To be completely honest – at first, I was not looking forward to this trip with too much excitement; as I was worried about the amount of work we needed to do and if I’d feel too overwhelmed. Luckily I got a chance to rediscover how inspiring it is to work together with kind and open minded people, especially in picturesque Dutch towns. We have strived towards the goals of this project for more than a year – as the pandemic forced us to postpone and cancel several face-to-face meetings, it was especially refreshing to get to meet our Dutch and Icelandic project partners as people. It was also somewhat comforting and empowering to acknowledge that even though we are from very different countries, our many struggles and goals have great similarities. And thus we can draw much-needed support from each other as we strive forward as willful activists. Most importantly – I found many cats to pet on the streets of Middelburg and Vlissingen! 🙂

Merle describes her experiences of the trip and the project as follows:

“Even though the trip was a short one, it gave my spirits a big boost – we got to enjoy a much warmer springtime weather, good food and to grow our partnerships. I’m especially moved by the heartfelt impressions of the meeting shared by the members of HerstelTalent, who hosted us so kindly during the weekend.
The project of Peer Support+ has faced several challenges. Due to the pandemic, the project timeline has changed significantly and the cherished options to have international meetings were cut in half. Crises haven’t spared these mighty project teams. All of this has taken its toll on motivation and energy, but in its rough ways it has provided an opportunity to grow resilience and to thoroughly understand how important and necessary it is to develop peer support in the mental health field and to make it widely attainable.”

English below!

Augusti lõpus, 22.-28. augustil, osales Eesti Noorte Vaimse Tervise Liikumise seitsmeliikmeline esindus, koosseisus Merle Purre, Marion Demus, Matilde Sigijane, Karmen Kozma, Jekaterina Maslova, Helen Voogla ja Eia Vänzel, kogemuspõhise toe (ingl.k peer support) teemalisel koolitusel Islandil. Koolitus Peer Support+ oli esimene suurem samm samanimelises projektis, mis on ellu kutsutud koostööna kolme vaimse tervise organisatsiooni vahel Eestist, Islandilt ja Hollandist. Projekti keskmes on täiskasvanud õppijale suunatud õppematerjalide ja lahenduste loomine, et arendada kogemuspõhise toe pakkumist ja kasutamist vaimse tervise valdkonnas.

Kogemuspõhise toetuse olemust avame lähemalt tulevastes postitustes, aga kuidas ENVTL seda vaimse tervise valdkonnas mõtestab? See on läbitöötatud kogemusele põhinev abi ja tugi, mida vastava ettevalmistusega inimene saab kaaslastele pakkuda. Kogemuspõhise toe vorme on mitmeid, näiteks kogemusnõustamine, tugi- ja vestlusgruppide läbiviimine, kaaslaste toetamine koolis, töökohal või klubimajas, kogemuslugude jagamine teavitustöö raames ja palju muud.

Kuuepäevasel koolitusel räägiti ja tutvustati lähemalt kogemuspõhise toe toimimist ning läbiviimist. Kui esimesel päeval pandi rõhku peamiselt üksteisega tutvumisele ja teema tausta tutvustamisele, siis järgnevad viis päeva olid küllaltki praktilise sisuga. Tähelepanu pöörati avatud küsimuste küsimisele, peegeldamisele, turvalise keskkonna ja omavahelise kontakti loomisele. Kogu koolituse teemad olid üles ehitatud justkui kogemuspõhise toetuse protsess, kus alustati kontakti loomisega ning lõpetati sellega, kuidas omavaheline koostöö lõpule viia.

Lisaks Eestile olid esindatud ka Hollandi organisatsioon Herstel Talent (kes pani kokku koolitusprogrammi) ja Island, kelle vaimse tervise organisatsioonis Hugarafl saime ka kohapeal käia.

Osalejate muljed koolitusest:

Karmen: “Peer Suppordi koolitust ootasin pikisilmi ja teadsin juba algusest peale, et kandideerin. Kui koha saanud olin, tundsin et sellest tuleb vägev reis. Aga et no nii vägev – wow, wow, wow! See oli minu jaoks esimene kord olla koos suurema seltskonna ENVTLi inimestega ning juba see oli omaette elamus. Lisaks sellele oli elamusi veel. Islandi loodus üheks neist. Olin varem näinud pilte Islandi eri paikadest ja kuulnud ka reisimuljeid, kuid kõike seda oma silmaga näha oli ikka midagi muud. Vahepeal oli selline tunne, et see, mida näen, ei saa päris olla – vasakul kuristik kivistunud vulkaaniga, otse ees aktiivne vulkaan tulipunase laavaga ja paremal sinine ookean. Elamuseks kujunes ka sealne toit. Söömas käisime ühes kohalikus mereäärses restoranis ning kui mõtlesime, et okei, enam nüüd paremaks road minna ei saa, siis said, isegi viimasel õhtul. Ja see peamine – Peer Support. Kuna olen juba ka Eestis puutunud kokku sarnase valdkonnaga, siis teadmiste osas ma väga palju uut kaasa ei saanud. Küll aga praktilist poolt. Saime proovida, kuidas on üksteist Peer Suppordi abil toetada ja taipasin kohe, et see on miski, mida ma teha oskan ja teha soovin. Lisaks kõnetas mind väga sealsete inimeste vabadus ja ehedus – selle võtsin päris kindlasti endaga kaasa. Siiani on see olnud minu üks meeldejäävamaid reise! Aitäh ENVTLile võimaluse eest.”

Marion: “2021. aasta augustis aset leidnud Erasmus+ Peer Support koolitus Reykjavikis oli kogemus, mida ma ei oleks osanud oodata ning millest poleks kindlasti tahtnud ilma jääda. Koolitusele kandideerides tundsin, et hüppan tundmatusse ja lähen tohutult enda mugavustsoonist välja. Uued inimesed nii välismaalt kui ka Eestist ning teema, millest ma polnud varem kuulnud. Kõigest sellest hoolimata olid imelised 9 päeva. Õppisin tohutult palju enda kohta ning olen väga õnnelik, et leidsin suve lõpus aja, kus enda vaimsele tervisele rohkem tähelepanu pöörata. Võin kindlasti öelda, et koolituse käigus arenes minu tolerantsusvõime, oskus teisi kuulata ning õigesti vastu rääkida. Kindlasti oli üheks koolituse parimaks osaks see, et kõik osalejad julgesid olla ausad ja avatud, mis tegi Peer Support vestluse praktiseerimise loomulikumaks. Tänaseks olen neid oskusi juba kasutada saanud. Lisaks sellele tahan kindlasti tänada oma reisikaaslasi, ilma kelleta poleks see koolitus mulle nii südamesse pugenud. Oli vahva näha Islandi imelist loodust ning hiliste õhtutundideni koos naerda ja muljetada. Sain aru, et olen õiges liikumises ning tahan neid veel näha ja nendega suhelda! Aitäh teile ning järgmise koolituseni!”

Oleme väga tänulikud, et saime koolitusel osaleda ja luua kontakte teiste vaimse tervise organisatsioonidega, kellelt saame uusi ideid ning praktilist nõu. Täname ka Hollandi- ja Islandi-poolseid korraldajaid ning ootame neid loodetavasti peatselt ka Eestisse.

Projekt “Peer Support+” kestab alates 2020. aasta sügisest kuni 2022. sügiseni ning on rahastatud Erasmus+ programmi poolt.

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At the end of August, from the 22nd to 28th, a seven-member representation of the Estonian Youth Mental Health Movement (ENVTL) took part in a peer support themed training in Iceland. The training, Peer Support+ was the first big step in a project of the same name, implemented as a collaboration between three mental health organizations from Estonia, Iceland and the Netherlands. The project focuses on creating learning materials and solutions for adult learners, to develop providing and using peer support in the field of mental health.

We will elaborate the nature of peer support in future posts, but how does ENVTL describe it in the field of mental health? Essentially, it can be defined as the help and support that people with lived experience can offer one another – of course, with some training and preparation to do so. There are many forms of peer support – peer-to-peer counseling, support and discussion groups, providing peer support at schools, work or clubhouse or sharing experience stories in the context of outreach and many more.

At the six-day training we were told and introduced in more detail about how peer support works and is carried out. On the first day we were mainly getting to know each other and got acquainted with the background of the topic, as the next five days were quite practical. Attention was given to asking open questions, mirroring and the creation of a safe space and mutual contact. All of the subjects on the training were structured reflecting the whole process of peer support. We started with making contact and ended with how to complete the cooperation.

Our partners in the project are a Dutch organization Herstel Talent (Recovery Talent), who put the training program together and an Iceland mental health organization Hugarafl (Mindpower), who invited us to see their workplace as well.

Participants’ impressions of the training:

Karmen: “I looked forward to the peer support training and knew from the beginning that I was applying. When I got to the place I felt like it was going to be a great trip. But the real deal – wow, wow, wow! It was the first time for me to be with a larger group of people from ENVTL and that itself was an experience. In addition, there were more amazing experiences and Icelandic nature is definitely one of them. I had previously seen pictures of different parts of Iceland and heard travel impressions, but it was still something entirely else to see with my own eyes. At some point I had a feeling that what I was seeing could not be real – a ravine with a petrified volcano on the left, an active volcano with fiery red lava directly in front and blue ocean on the right. The food was also amazing. Every day we ate at a local seaside restaurant and when we thought “okay, this can’t get any better”, – it did and especially on the last evening. And the main thing of course – Peer Support. Since I have already been exposed to a similar topic in Estonia, I did not get too much new knowledge. However I did receive a lot of practice. We were able to try to support each other with peer support and I immediately realized that this is something I can and want to do. In addition I was very moved by the freedom and authenticity of the people there – I definitely took that with me. So far, this has been one of my most memorable trips! Thanks to ENVTL for this opportunity.”

Marion: “The Erasmus+ Peer Support training in Reykjavik this August was an experience I could not have expected and certainly would not have wanted to miss. When I applied for the training, I felt like I was jumping into the unknown and going enormously out of my comfort zone. New people from abroad as well as Estonia and a topic I had never heard of before. Despite all this, the time spent was wonderful. I learned a great deal about myself and I am very happy to have been able to find a time at the end of the summer to pay more attention to my mental health. I can definitely say that during the training I developed my ability to tolerate, the ability to listen to others and speak in correct terms. Certainly, one of the best parts of the training was that all participants dared to be honest and open, which made the practice of peer support conversation more natural. Today, I have already been able to use these skills. In addition, I would definitely like to thank my fellow travelers, without whom this training would not have gotten so close to my heart. It was great to see the wonderful nature of Iceland and to laugh together until late in the evenings. I realized that I am in the right movement and want to see and communicate with my people more! Thank you and until the next training session!”

We are very grateful that we were able to participate in the training and establish connections with other mental health organizations, from whom to receive new ideas and practical advice. We also thank the organizers from the Netherlands and Iceland and hopefully look forward to seeing them in Estonia soon.

The “Peer Support+” project will run from autumn 2020 to autumn 2022 and is funded by the Erasmus+ program.

Koolitusgrupp/Erakogu