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Opening slide

The world changes when young people are well.

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Video

exercise

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Instructions

Next, we will watch a video where two young people talk about challenges related to mental wellbeing and ways of making a difference in youth groups.

The young people in the video are called Wilford and Sumiya. They live in a district called Salima in Malawi.

After the video, we will discuss it in pairs.

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Video: Young people's mental wellbeing in Malawi and Finland

Watch the video�on the next slide

or here.

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Video

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Talk with the person next to you.

What are your thoughts��after watching the video?

What stuck in your mind?

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Opinion 1

In the video, Wilford says:

“I like doing house chores, like yardwork,

washing dishes and going to the market

to buy groceries.”

Do you agree or disagree?

Use your thumb�to show your opinion!

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Opinion 2

In the video, Sumiya says:

“When a young person keeps secrets

to themselves, they suffer a lot.”

Do you agree or disagree?

Use your thumb�to show your opinion!

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Discuss in pairs.��Write down a few key points for each question:

How do mental wellbeing challenges appear in young people’s life in Malawi? Are the challenges similar as in Finland?

What are the causes of mental wellbeing challenges, according to young people? �
What action do young people take to strengthen mental wellbeing in Malawi? Which of these actions could work in your own school as well?

• Answers can be short. The most important thing is to write down some key points.

The following points may come up in the answers (directly from the video):

a) + b) Challenges and their causes�� • Mental well-being is not talked about, and young people do not share their worries.� • Challenges related to mental well-being appear as isolation from friends or dropping out of school.� • Discrimination.� • Negative comments from teachers.� • Lack of money for school fees causes stress.� • Domestic violence.� • Unplanned pregnancies among young girls.

c) Ways to strengthen mental well-being�� • Spending time with friends.� • Talking with friends about challenges related to mental well-being.� • Youth groups speak at events such as parties or church gatherings, sharing information with other young people.� • Young people can report issues such as stress or violence to the youth group.� • The youth group talks with and guides young people in life and organizes joint activities.� • It is important that adults and community leaders speak publicly about mental well-being, for example with parents, so that they can talk with their children.

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What weakens young people's mental wellbeing?

Causes identified�by youth in Salima:

Discrimination
Silence about issues
Poverty
Difficult situation at home, forced marriage
HIV/AIDS

Causes identified by Finnish�youth in the Challengers group:

Discrimination, bullying
Silence about issues
Difficult situation at home
Pressure: society, school, social media
Climate change

• Youth groups have brought up the theme in Taksvärkki and in CYECE in Malawi. According to the youth, in Malawi people do not talk about mental wellbeing very much.

• The youth want to change this and make an impact in their own village communities. In Malawi and Finland, youth experience that many young people are unwell. People do not talk enough about mental wellbeing, and adults downplay the issue as well.

• Naturally, there are differences in root causes because the countries, societies and cultures are different.

• The Salima youth’s answers show that the youth group members are from the countryside and poor families, and some of them have dropped out of school. Covering children’s school fees is challenging for poor families, where children and young people also play a significant role as part of the workforce.

• In Malawi and Finland, there are also commonalities, such as discrimination and difficult conditions at home. In the video the youth also mentioned lack of communication and lack of support from adults.

- The Salima youth also listed: Related to poverty, lack of food and inability to pay school fees. Related to difficult situation at home, parents’ death and abuse. Unwanted pregnancy. Negative comments from teachers.

- The Challengers youth also listed: Harassment. Insecurity about the future. Making big choices.

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How could challenges be solved according to young people?

Solutions identified�by youth in Salima:

Talking and praying
Professional help
Youth groups
Music, sports, movies

Solutions identified by�Finnish youth in the Challengers group:

Talking and empathy
Professional help (better access)
Less pressure
Close people and pets

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THANK YOU!