Enabling youth with developmental disabilities & mental health disorders to share their COVID-19 experiences through digital storytelling Erasmus Project

Project Title

Enabling youth with developmental disabilities & mental health disorders to share their COVID-19 experiences through digital storytelling

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Partnerships for Creativity

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Access for disadvantaged; Creativity and culture; Disabilities – special needs

Project Summary

There is a wide consensus that the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath have not only affected the physical wellbeing of the people, but their mental health as well. According to research organizations across the world (Florillo & Gorwood, WHO) , it is estimated that in the months, even years, to come the need for psychiatric support to individuals will increase, due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
At the same time, people in the risk of social exclusion are more vulnerable than ever. For youth with mental health disorders and youth with ASD the social distancing, the shift in priorities in the healthcare sector for the containment of the pandemic and the “infodemic”, the rapid spread of terrifying fake news that increase anxiety in individuals, has had detrimental effects in their wellbeing. Furthermore, autistic adults, in a research by Ghent University, reported a greater increase in both anxiety and depression symptoms than neurotypical adults, which is particularly worrisome, as this group of people ordinarily shows increased rates of anxiety and depression.

The project “Enabling youth with developmental disabilities & mental health disorders to share their COVID-19 experiences through digital storytelling- StoryLiving”, will address these issues by applying the Storyliving/storytelling method as an innovative recovery methodology. Talking about one’s emotions and personal experiences is not an easy task; there is a whole process behind it: remember, understand, assume, aim to share it with other people, understanding the reasons to share it with other person, etc. To verbalize means to have become aware and see the situation in a different perspective, allowing one to notice positive points of any situation. When emotional distress arise, it is not possible to teach about emotions as if we were talking about science. We need an effective tool, a vehicle to take us during this journey and here is where storyliving/storytelling plays a major role. At the same time, storytelling can help raise awareness for the struggles of youth with ASD and mental health disorders, especially during the pandemic, as these target groups have been even more isolated than before.

The idea of the project is the collective development of stories by youth with developmental disabilities or by youth/young adults with mental health problems based on their COVID-19 lived experiences.

The objectives of the project are:
– To help youth with ASD/ mental health disorders cope with the pandemic
– To support youth trainers, educators and social workers and increase their capacity to use storytelling in their work
– To promote the social inclusion of youth with ASD/ mental health disorders through storytelling
– To raise awareness about the special issues that people with ASD / mental health disorders face during the COVID-19 outbreak

The project will achieve these objectives by developing the following outputs:
O1: Training program for youth workers, educators and social workers working with youth with developmental disabilities/ mental health disorders
O2: Piloting & Development of collective stories by youth with developmental disabilities/ mental health disorders
O3: Development of the training & hosting platform
O4: Recommendations & Guidelines on using storytelling as a communication and healing process during & after the pandemic

The project will involve 100 professionals, youth workers and social workers working with youth with ASD/ mental health disorders, at least 10 individuals with ASD/ mental health disorders and at least 160 relevant stakeholders through its multiplier events. All of the outputs will be available online to ensure the easy access and sustainability of the project’s results.

The consortium is led by the Social Policy Academy (EL) and is a team of experienced and newcomers to the Erasmus+ Program. The partnership is consisted of BUPNET (DE), REFRAME (BE), CWC (UK), CSC (IT), INTRAS (ES), KMOP Skopje (MK).

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 263420 Eur

Project Coordinator

SOCIAL POLICY ACADEMY & Country: EL

Project Partners

• BUPNET BILDUNG UND PROJEKT NETZWERKGMBH
• FUNDACION INTRAS
• Reframe
• CENTRO PER LO SVILUPPO CREATIVO DANILO DOLCI
• CANARY WHARF CONSULTING LIMITED
• Family and Childcare Center – branch in Skopje