The Power of Peer Support - Young People as Mental Health Advocates

Have you ever wondered if young people talk about their mental health when adults aren’t around? The best way to find out is to ask them.

“We talk about mental health with friends — how we feel, what’s bothering us, worries about school grades, and so on,” explains Petra Švigelj, 17, from Slovenia. Her peer, Aljaž Pene, also 17, adds:

“Yes, we often discuss what’s happening in our lives and the problems we face. We exchange opinions and support each other.”

However, 18-year-old Serbians Ana Kovacevic and Sofija Nedeljkovic believe mental health is still a taboo subject that people feel embarrassed to talk about, particularly if they have a mental health diagnosis. 

“If someone mentions mental health, people immediately think of problems,” Sofija says, with clear frustration in her voice.

“People see a disease and want nothing to do with someone they consider ‘not normal’,” Ana adds.

From Participation to Leadership

Petra, Aljaž, Ana, and Sofija took part in the Peer-to-Peer Mental Health Support training course in Bulgaria last November, aimed at empowering young people to be active in promoting mental health among their peers.

During the training course, they gained hands-on experience leading mental health-related activities. Petra admits it was nerve-wracking since she isn’t used to speaking in public:

“Aljaž and I chose limbo and counting games—fun activities to lift the mood. I was very pleased to see that other participants liked the game.”

Aljaž found it challenging to pick a game everyone didn’t already know and then explain it clearly in a foreign language.

Ana and Sofija led an exercise where participants crossed out values until only their top three remained. The most common values ranked in top three were family, freedom, and love.

“It was a great experience that taught us how to lead a group. It encouraged others to reflect on their values and how to live up to them. I believe it also helped people know themselves better”, Sofija smiles. 

Ana, who hopes to study psychology, says they learned a lot about active listening, avoiding judgement, and other key points to focus on. Since returning to Serbia, the girls have already organised a mental health workshop for local youth.

“Last year, we attended workshops. Now that we’re more experienced, we’ll be leading them,” Ana and Sofija share their plans.

As for Petra and Aljaž, they don’t feel quite ready to run activities yet, but they’ve taken valuable lessons from the experience. Both believe they will have opportunities to use what they learned in everyday life on themselves as well as for the benefit of their friends.

A More Positive, Holistic Approach

Petra, Aljaž, Ana and Sofija travelled to Bulgaria with a local youth worker interested in supporting peer activities. 

“I appreciated that we looked at mental health from a positive perspective instead of focusing on negative aspects,” says Leja Terbuc who accompanied the young Slovenians.

Milan Isljamovic, a science teacher active in the Serbian Youth organisation Novotarium, agrees:

“Mostly, it is very problem-focused, even in schools where we have psychologists. Mental health promotion and preventive work are almost non-existent.”

Terbuc who works at a youth care centre Strokovni center Mladinski dom Malči Beličeve Ljubljana, believes the approach where mental health is seen as a positive resource helps focusing on strengthening mental wellbeing by building positive aspects such as emotional resilience, self-care, and mutual support. 

“It's important to understand mental health as a holistic area where both negative and positive factors are part of everyday life, and to seek a balance that supports healthy development and overall wellbeing,” she summarises her reflections. 

Isljamovic feels there is a general lack of understanding, also among young people, about the holistic nature of health. “Young people focus a lot on looking healthy and fit but often neglect the less visible aspects of wellbeing.”

Peer Support Creates Opportunities

Isljamovic has plenty of ideas for mental health promotion. Sometimes, he says, young people need to be “tricked” into engaging by linking mental health to familiar activities.

“Connecting mental health with things they enjoy increases openness and engagement. We have linked it to drawing comics and superheroes. Now, I would like to explore connecting mental health with the five senses.”

Both he and Terbuc see great potential in combining mental health with creative and artistic activities.  Isljamovic notes that they allow for different ways and forms of self-expression, “something more than just words”.

Terbuc is very happy about the new ideas for peer learning and peer work she acquired:

“I was positively surprised by the suggestions and activities carried out by the young participants, as well as how they helped and supported each other throughout the training course. Petra and Aljaž, for example, had to step out of their comfort zones on several occasions, but received valuable support from both mentors and peers.” 

 She also noticed a deepening connection among participants as the training progressed.

“This stronger bond led to more open conversations about personal struggles and coping strategies, proving the power of peer support.”

Both Terbuc and Isljamovic only wish the training had been a few days longer to allow the process of peer support and learning to develop further.

Boys Struggle in Patriarchal Cultures 

As a man, Isljamovic believes boys face special challenges with mental health:

“Serbia’s past as a communist country means the myth of the strong, dominant male is still alive. Men are expected to be tough and show no emotions. Parents pass this mindset down to their children.”

These outdated conceptions make boys fall behind when it comes to emotional intelligence and learning mental health skills. However, Isljamovic remains hopeful for change and is committed to fostering it within his community.

“It’s both funny and sad. Last year, no boys joined our youth organisation’s activities. This year, we have two — we’ll see what happens. Males are overrepresented in suicide statistics, which suggests they struggle but don’t talk until it’s too late.”

Isljamovic doesn’t blame anyone but believes cultural change requires collective effort. He shares an example:

“Once, young people were asked what they liked about themselves or were proud of. The boys couldn’t answer, even though it’s a simple question. Later, they explained they had never been asked that before. Well, maybe that’s what we should change.”

Peer-to-Peer Mental Health Support training course is part of Mental Health in Youth Work, a long-term project of the National Agencies for Erasmus+ Youth and the European Solidarity Corps. 
 

Text: Hilma Ruokolainen