First Indian YAM Trainers take on Mehsana, Gujarat!

After almost 2 years of working on the local adaptation of YAM and its materials, we are very proud to have conducted our first Instructor Course in Gujarat. The course was held between 29th August – 2nd September and was attended by 9 participants, who were members from the rural community. These individuals were chosen for their enthusiasm to work with youth and their passion to know more about mental health.

Mehsana is a district in Gujarat, in West India and comprises of a population of approximately 3 million. We had started our work with the rural population in Mehsana in 2016, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Gujarat, through a community based mental health program delivered by local community volunteers called “Atmiyata”. In 2017, we launched another program called “SPIRIT– Suicide Prevention and Implementation Research Initiative”, within the district. It adopts a three-pronged intervention to curb rates of suicides and attempted suicides within the district; of which YAM is an integral part. YAM will be implemented in 54 public schools in Mehsana, covering a population of approximately 4000 youth. To conduct YAM sessions with 4000 youth, we need an army of 30-40 instructors!

The course was filled with lively discussions and important reflections about who youth are in the local context. The participants enthusiastically engaged in all aspects of the workshop and contributed to our understanding of young people in Mehsana. Since such a methodology of engaging with youth is being introduced for the first time in Mehsana (and in Gujarat and India!) the participants took time to absorb the discussions and empathise with the youth perspective. The course enabled the participants to reflect on their skills as instructor and facilitator and understand the importance of taking a step back to let youth take the lead in the sessions.

This wouldn’t have been possible without the guidance and support provided by the MHiM team. Gauri, Nikhil, Jasmine and I (Sadhvi) are grateful for the learning we have had over the past year to become effective trainers.

The current batch of participants will have to practice YAM sessions with youth in their communities before becoming full YAM instructors. We plan to conduct more courses in the coming months, learn and grow with the instructors through a sharing of experiences. Our aim is to build local capacity, such that YAM can be carried forward by the people of Mehsana.

Post by Sadhvi Krishnamoorthy, YAM Trainer and Instructor