Ten schools and five municipalities from the Lublin region took part in the pilot; 352 hours of training for teachers, parents, police officers, and students, and 240 hours of workshops – these are just some of the numbers summarizing the pilot implementation of the Preventive Environmental Intervention Program for the residents of the Lublin Voivodeship.
The conclusion: young people need help.
The program, launched in 2023 by WSEI University and Provincial Police Headquarters in Lublin, was created in response to the growing mental health difficulties among children and adolescents.
On Wednesday (October 22), the results of the program were evaluated at WSEI University by lecturers, school principals and teachers from the region, representatives of local governments, and police officers.
- Research conducted in schools showed that young people have very low self-esteem and struggle with stress. It also showed us that we need to address these issues. Wherever we implemented preventive measures, school principals observed a decrease in crisis levels - said psychologist, PhD Wiesław Poleszak, Professor at WSEI University, who coordinated the research on behalf of the university.
And the crisis is serious.
- Every day in Poland, about 13 people take their own lives, 11 of whom are men. In 2024, for the first time since 2020, the number of suicides nationwide fell below 5,000. The largest decrease was recorded among the youngest group - children and adolescents under the age of 19- but unlike adults, there is little difference between the number of suicides among boys and girls - reported Superintendent Dorota Gil, Head of Prevention Department at Provincial Police Headquarters in Lublin - In 2024, 291 people in the Lublin Voivodeship took their own lives, including four under the age of 19. These figures do not fully reflect the poor state of mental health in our society, as we must also remember the numerous suicide attempts. Last year alone, there were reports of 811 suicide attempts in our region, 124 involving individuals under 19. And even this number is underestimated, as not all cases are reported to us.
Superintendent Gil emphasized the need for action to support children and youth:
- When we began discussions about the need for this program, we believed such actions were justified. Today we can say they are essential if we feel co-responsible for the mental health of our children - she said. As the police, we tried to engage other universities in joint educational initiatives, but only WSEI University responded positively. As a result, we are implementing this preventive program together. Cooperation with WSEI experts guarantees the highest level of professional delivery.
According to Mariusz Banach, Deputy Mayor of Lublin, society today faces three key problems:
- First, we must identify the threats young people face today - they differ from those of previous generations. Second, we need modern methods to help youth. Third, young people now speak a completely different language, often incomprehensible to adults. What we call the virtual world is, for them, the real world. That’s why we must rebuild communication channels between adults and young people. This entire project serves exactly that purpose - he observed.
Renata Kurlanc, Director of the Department of Education and Prevention at the Ministry of National Education, stressed the Ministry’s focus on supporting children and adolescents in all kinds of crises, as well as combating peer violence:
- The need to develop effective educational and preventive programs, approved jointly by parents’ councils and teaching councils, is becoming increasingly important. These programs must be well-designed if we want to have a real impact on young people.
Experts note that a very high level of crisis and symptoms of depression can be observed among young people.
Małgorzata Wzorek-Saran, Principal of Maria Konopnicka Public Primary School in Bystrzyca Stara, confirmed these observations:
- We are the largest school in the municipality and face numerous challenges. We met in autumn 2023 to discuss the program. Our students were surveyed, and based on the diagnosis, we implemented targeted actions for specific age groups. It turned out that young people feel alienated and need stronger peer relationships. This project made us reflect on how teachers should work with students, how to strengthen their well-being, and how to engage parents in monitoring their children’s free time. It helped us design our own preventive and educational programs and activities aimed at integration.
PhD Wiesław Poleszak emphasized the importance of diagnosis in program implementation:
- Without a proper diagnosis, treatment is random. That’s why we first had to diagnose the problems to introduce effective actions. Our research showed us which direction to take to improve children’s and adolescents’ mental health. It indicated that we must work on self-esteem and stress management skills - since self-esteem is low and inadequate, and young people often don’t know how to deal with tension. The evaluation of our actions showed that where preventive measures were applied, crisis levels decreased - said PhD Poleszak.
- Prevention in Poland depends on municipalities that have funding, schools that have youth, and professionals who carry it out. Prevention is about thinking Ahead- we must act now.
Superintendent Dorota Gil added that cooperation with WSEI University was a valuable opportunity for the Lublin police to engage in professional work for the benefit of young people:
- As part of the program, over 340 police officers completed training. Thanks to this, they will be able to work more effectively in their daily preventive duties - she summarized - We thank WSEI University for this cooperation and hope it will continue.
PhD Małgorzata Artymiak, Professor at WSEI and Dean of the Faculty of Psychology and Pedagogy, concluded the conference by assuring the continuation of joint efforts:
- WSEI University will continue to implement projects aimed at supporting children and youth. Please consider yourselves our partners in these efforts.
