According to advocates of children and young people, pupils and students, there is a lack of a clear overview of all possible care providers. Both young people and people with a referral function – such as youth workers, CLB employees and teachers – fail to find their way through the maze.
“As a youth worker, it is often unclear what assistance is available at a local level. There are already general overviews of the places where young people can go at the Flemish level, but there is a greater need for a local overview,” says Nikkie Kiekens, youth work advisor at the Flemish Youth Council and youth worker at Uit De Marge vzw. “The website of the youth information platform WAT WAT, but also the student information platform Moodspace, are good examples of how things can be done clearly,” say the youth organizations. “Here, young people and contact points can contact various helplines at a glance.”
For youth organizations, the mental well-being of young people must be a priority of policymakers, both before and after the elections. They formulate four concrete policy proposals to this end. For example, access to help should be clearer: there should be points of contact in places where young people are – where they take classes, play sports and hang out. Young people must be able to find help online, by telephone, via chat and face-to-face. There must also be a clear overview of assistance, per city or municipality, for people with a referral function. Finally, for the help to be effective, the young person’s language must be spoken.
Tags: Youth organizations young people find psychological care Domestic
