<\/p>\n
Does it all work? GGN-Z is currently in the process of evaluating itself\u2014something Igras thinks is not done often enough for interventions in this area. \u201cWhere\u2019s the program research? Because everyone is talking about feelings, but how do you know what works?\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to build the evidence.\u201d She and her colleagues are conducting surveys to see whether participants report improved well-being and have more skills to manage emotions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Force of Nature is also trying to quantify its impact, and to that end it has joined a 25-organization project called Youth Mental Wellbeing. For five years, they\u2019ll study the collective work of these organizations. \u201cThe goal of the project is basically just to spotlight what\u2019s working, to really show proven methods of working with young people and supporting them on their mental-health journeys,\u201d says Hooper.<\/p>\n
The idea of taking a scientific look at these kinds of interventions is just beginning to bloom. But if the people running the programs actually want to help kids, it\u2019s important to find out which methods work\u2014and avoid spending a lot of time on things that will leave them feeling the same or worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Most existing research on effectiveness, though, simply shows that such research is new. Jachens, for instance, coauthored a 2021 scoping review of eco-anxiety programs for people of any age, to understand the nature and extent of existing research. She found 34 in existence. Of those, only two had done any formal evaluation on themselves. \u201cWe need to know what works for who, when, and where,\u201d Jachens says. In fact, she pleads with developers: \u201cPlease evaluate what you build.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another scoping review from 2024, led by Siqi Xue of the University of Toronto, found that the research gap hadn\u2019t closed. The team included the Good Grief Network in its analysis, noting that while GGN said 90% of participants in its programs felt more empowered and less alone, it didn\u2019t publish any data or methods backing up that finding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, these analyses do have bright spots. They suggest that the group approach provides connection and validation\u2014as well as an active direction for youths\u2019 troubled feelings. \u201cWhen people feel genuinely heard and held in their distress, they tend to move quite naturally toward wanting to do something,\u201d says Jachens.<\/p>\n
Few studies have looked at programs tailored to kids and young adults. But an analysis of one program in Sweden, called the Climate Emotion School, has at least added early dots of color to the map. Its curriculum was shaped by the work of Panu Pihkala, an interdisciplinary scholar in eco-emotions research based at the University of Helsinki. He outlined a \u201ccoping model\u201d that emphasizes how important it is for people, including kids, to express emotions, learn how to regulate them, take action based on them, and form meaning from them\u2014all while practicing self-care and taking healthy distance from big feelings when necessary.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWhen people feel genuinely heard and held in their distress, they tend to move quite naturally toward wanting to do something.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n
Liza Jachens, psychologist and assistant professor, University of Nottingham school of medicine<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
In the study, Britta Ekl\u00f6f, a clinical psychologist based in Sweden, found that students in the climate program were relieved to share their bad feelings and see them mirrored by others, something that wasn\u2019t generally happening in their interactions with adults. Grownups didn\u2019t want to dwell on negative emotions with them, and their parents tended to try to soothe them. \u201cThe recommendation instead is to validate and share,\u201d Ekl\u00f6f says. And then, of course, give them something they can do.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
#Support #networks #aim #kids #polycrisis<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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