Why humanitarian aid for youth affected by conflict must include mental health support
In this talk powered by TED at the Templeton Annual Meeting 2024, Mark Jordans, director of War Child Alliance's Research and Development team shares how evidence-based care systems are expanding the scope of how we think about humanitarian aid to include addressing mental health.
War Child Alliance's Care System is a suite of various scientifically tested interventions designed to address the urgent needs of conflict-affected children and their communities. "Through a combination of psychosocial support, child protection, and education, the care system supports children to take their lives into their own hands and regain trust in themselves and others," says the organization on their website.
While humanitarian organizations provide many services to aid conflict-affected youth, their effectiveness is frequently uncertain. A research team at War Child, King's College London, and the University of Amsterdam evaluates intervention effectiveness and quality, even with non-specialist implementers.
"TeamUp" is a mental health promotion program using play, movement, and social activities to improve wellbeing by reducing stress and strengthening emotional regulation and social skills. Research has shown that increased psychological well-being, positive school attitudes, and reduced traumatic stress symptoms after 12 sessions of the program. Even many months later, children who participated in TeamUp showed better outcomes compared to those who did not.
Hear more about TeamUp in the video with Alexandra Bleile below, and explore Mark Jordans' recent Stories of Impact podcast conversation for additional context.
Alexandra Bleile is Lead Researcher in Research and Development at War Child. We caught up with her at a recent conference, and asked her to introduce herself and tell us a little about War Child and its work.
