Youth Support Center

Since July 1999 Youth Support Center of Armenian Mental Health Foundation start to operate. The project sponsored by UMCOR/ USAID aimed to help youth directly to overcome psychological strains and conflicts and to adapt to social environment and to provide available and free of charge psychological counseling service for youth. Youth Support Center provides psychological support and counseling to young people. Telephone hotline operated six days a week 12 hours a day.
More than 2000 young people were consulted during first six months. Although age limitation was mentioned in all advertisements, a lot of people over age of 25 called to the Center and asked for consulta-tion or direct psychological support. Also parents of young people called to the Center and asked for consultation about different aspects of the behavior of their adolescent children.
With the support of local authorities we advertise the activities of the Center – educational departments of Communities of Yerevan – advertisement posters were disseminated in public schools. Volunteers of Mental Health Foundation have sticked the advertise-ment posters in the bus stops and disseminated them in institutions. The advertisement posters were specially designed in order to encourage youth contact center when needed – service is free of charge, confidentiality is guaranteed, etc.We held also series of programs on radio and TV. Two times a week radio programs were broadcast on National Radio. Radio programs were live and the possibility to answer the questions was provided. Additionally, popular FM radio station invited our specialists on four hour live talk show.
Twice a month we held TV programs with following curriculum: most common psychological problems among youth. Programs were broadcast via National TV. Additional program was organized on independent AR TV channel’s Tomar Sunday popular morning program. This program was held in live regime.
We published brochure "How to Cope with Stress". 2000 copies of brochure were disseminated in the public schools, Universities etc.

Once a week staff training and supervising meetings are held in the Center. Case conferences and analysis of consultations are the main issues during those meetings. Some media sources have shown the interest to the project. Particularly, “Novoye Vremya”, "Urartu" newspapers and Armenpress news agency published the materials about the center. Prometevs TV channel devoted to the project special edition in news headline.

Since January, 2000 with completion of 6 months project we continue provid support for youth on a voluntary basis. Specialists of organization agreed to continue work - it was impossible to quit assistanc ewhen the number of referals wwas growing. At the moment for about a year we are continuing this free services.
Statistical analysis of consultations at the Center is in Youth and Mental Health brochure.