SOS Children’s Villages, War Child Holland and Save the Children have joined forces to support refugee children to cope adequately with difficulties, to deal with their emotions and to socialize with other kids, in order to prevent mental health problems.
Through the two-year EU-funded project ‘EPSUM - Enhancing Psychosocial Wellbeing of Unaccompanied Minors’, selected professionals and volunteers in Italy, Greece and Sweden will be trained and supported in order to integrate within existing services targeting children in migration, the psychosocial intervention ‘TeamUp’, developed by War Child Holland, Save the Children and UNICEF Netherlands.
TeamUp facilitators guide children through games, sports-related activities, dance, body awareness exercises and creative movement that contribute to their physical, cognitive, social and emotional development.
- Through play, TeamUp provides structure to children (a predictable and well-organised environment offering clear, consistent rules, norms and responsibilities ) in order to give them a sense of normalcy, safety and stability.
- TeamUp games are fun, offer outlets for energy, stress release and tensions in the body. Games evoke emotions and sensations in the body. Engaging in movement-based activities allow children to cope and process their emotions through the body
- During TeamUp activities, children can meet children of the same age and build new friendships within a safe environment. They learn how to play together, trust each other and connect with one another.
Facilitators are trained to timely identify and refer children experiencing mental distress and in need of targeted specialised support.