Crazy? So what! – Students fit for times of crisis in Salzburg!

Crazy? So what! – Students fit for times of crisis in Salzburg!

In times of increasing mental health challenges, the project "Crazy? So what!" a ray of hope in the state of Salzburg. The innovative project, which originally started as a leader project in Pongau, has been available to young people throughout Salzburg since 2023. The aim is to normalize mental illness and raise awareness of mental health issues. In the workshops, which are offered from the 8th grade onwards, specialists such as psychologists and social workers as well as personal experts who have had their own experiences with mental illnesses always work on an equal level with the students in order to create an appreciative environment. MeinBezirk.at reports that ...

Such a concept is particularly valuable because it gives young people the opportunity to talk about their problems and receive information about offers of help. The workshops not only include valuable reports on experiences, but also group work to raise awareness of the topic of mental health. In the coming year, we also plan to expand the offering to include extracurricular programs in order to reach the target group even more broadly.

School health promotion on several levels

But it's not just "Crazy? So what!" is committed to mental health in schools. As part of the “Focus on Mental Health” project, AVOS offers workshops for students in grades 9 to 13 to strengthen their ability to deal with feelings, self-care and stress prevention. These workshops will be funded by the Salzburg Health Promotion Fund until the end of 2024. The aim is to activate resources and support students in promoting their own health. There is also the “lebenswert” suicide prevention program for schools, which can provide support during crisis interventions. Bildung-SBG informs about...

Another highlight is the internet-based program “Feelok”, which offers young people between the ages of 12 and 18 a lot of helpful information on topics such as stress and self-confidence and is available free of charge at www.feelok.at. Such offers are crucial in order to be able to react correctly in times of crisis and act preventively.

Crisis intervention as the key to coping

The importance of crisis intervention becomes particularly clear in this context. This method aims to provide support to people in acute psychosocial crises by building a trusting relationship and quickly providing appropriate help. Crisis intervention can take several weeks and supports those affected in dealing with stressful symptoms and developing coping strategies. Gesundheit.gv.at declares that ...

This form of help is essential, especially if you have suicidal thoughts or the loss of a loved one, in order to prevent dangerous situations and restore the self-esteem of those affected. The BELLA system, a proven crisis intervention process, offers a structured approach: from maintaining relationships to analyzing the situation and developing individual solutions to problems.

At a time when mental health problems are increasingly becoming the norm, it is important that schools and institutions such as the Salzburg Health Promotion Fund and the State Government of Education-SBG work hand in hand to offer young people a safe environment. This is the only way we can help young people better cope with their psychological challenges and emerge stronger from crisis situations.