Youth reintegration into society: a community-based, narrative approach towards mental health

This project aims to provide a novel community-based narrative approach to psychosocial care, trauma, and reintegration that would help children and young people (CYP) at risk of joining gangs and formerly associated with armed groups to gain access to the resources and skills they need to deal with a variety of traumatic situations and stigmas. The purpose of this project is that CYP enhances positive bonds within the community and change situations of vulnerability and criminality through the use of narratives of resilience, creating protective and healing environments.

The project is implemented in collaboration with two local partner organizations that we have been working with us for 10 years: Tiempo de Juego (TDJ) and Centro para el Reintegro y Atención al Niño - Center for reintegration and child care- (CRAN).

The project will provide community-based intensive training to develop socio-emotional skills, combined with psychosocial support to groups of demobilised children and children at risk of joining gangs of being involved in criminal activities, their families, and institutions in order to change the narratives of violence, trauma, crime, drugs and gender roles. It also aims to mobilise families and community resources to enhance positive bonds between the community and the CYP to prevent the isolation that can be caused by stigma.

The meaningful support from families and communities is essential as they are the first port of call for emotional support and they help promote wellbeing and positive mental health in children's lives. This systemic approach will allow children to regain a sense of safety and heal their social and emotional wounds. The aim is to integrate a model of narrative therapy through the production of content by the young people. This is in order to externalise traumatic situations that generate distress and encourage the construction of ‘alternative-life’ narratives, which go beyond traumatic experiences and those related to crime. In the implementation of the project, audiovisual art and production will be used as ways of dissemination, such as podcast and radio. Further, these are available tools in the majority of communities with the potential to raise awareness among different stakeholders (families, professionals, public and private entities, home communities, among others) to overcome stigma.

Additionally, the use of new technologies provides useful and relevant tools and skills for these young people looking to enter the labour market. Furthermore, although it is not formal education, the project seeks to continue the cognitive development of adolescents, with an emphasis on their socio-emotional development.

Issue/Context:

According to the National Center for Historical Memory (Centro Nacional de Memoria Histórica), the dimension of CYP recruitment is such that, from 1958 to 2020, more than 17,860 minors have been recruited by armed groups. Regarding CYP at risk of joining criminal activities, according to the Colombian Social Services in the last 5 years over 15,000 children and young people (between the ages of 14 and 17) have gone through restoration of rights facilities in Colombia.

Violence and poverty in Colombia have led to thousands of CYP being recruited into armed groups, while many others remain involved in other criminal activities. Many children have had to undergo formal demobilisation programmes or endure detention in the juvenile system. The problem arises when approaching the CYP's mental health. The latest analysis of mental health in Colombia (2020), based on the data from the Individual Registries of Provision of RIPS services, shows a high demand for services related to mental and behavioural healthcare, with an increase over the years. Exposure to violence has resulted in adverse effects on the mental health of CYP, particularly relating to trauma and reintegration into society, where stigma has worsened their mental health.

Activities:
The project will assess the current mental health and wellbeing of the 750 young participants (300 on the side of TDJ and 450 on CRAN's). The beneficiaries are based in CRAN centres in Bogotá and Villavicencio and three centres for restoration of rights in Bogotá.

Each centre will have a list of professionals that will be trained on a novel community-based narrative approach to psychosocial care, trauma, and reintegration. Among the professionals there will be a Mental Health specialist, a psychosocial professional, a community operator and various facilitators in the field to develop sessions and events related to the project. During the 36 months of the project, these professionals will work on promoting protective environments with the children, their families and the communities. Protective environments are built through the development of the children's rights, guaranteed by caring adults who help to heal, learn, and grow.

For this project, we want to use the production and dissemination of audiovisual content as a way to destigmatize children and young people formerly involved with armed groups.