Shapers for Mental Health Lusaka

        Lusaka Hub is working to promote emotional intelligence through practicing elements of emotional hygiene around Zambians urban youth who are at high risk of mental health concerns. The Shapers for mental health Lusaka achieves this by delivering workshops known as the buddy project. The shapers for mental health Lusaka, promotes Mental health literacy by starting conversations to break myths and stigmas around mental health. Localizing the conversation and promoting cultural and local context to common mental health disorders.

       Buddy project implements community outreach awareness workshops that cover the how and why of mental health, as well as best practices for emotional hygiene and wellbeing. Workshops include an emotion sharing challenge, where participants share coping strategies. The goal of the project is to normalize and spread the conversation around mental health, including substance use disorders, while promoting a culture change in mental health seeking attitudes among youth.

         Shapers for mental health Lusaka, launched in 2018 and has reached over 500 mixed gender youth in 2 highly densely populated communities to date. Lusaka Hub is now working on a train the trainer model of emotional hygiene to be used by youth as peers to be used by all educators to teach mental wellbeing, with the aim of reaching 10,000 mixed gender youth. Overall objective: Build community resilience by empowering youth to make meaningful contributions through emotional hygiene practices. Specific Objectives1- Learn the 7 universal emotions2- Understand emotional hygiene 3- Practice the art of reflective listening4- Understand positive approaches that will aid with prevention of mental health.

Perceived recorded outcomes from participants of the Buddy Project. 1- Realise individual’s full potential.  2- Learn that each individual is unique.  3- Learn that communication is an art of both speaking and reflective listening.  4- Cope with daily stresses of life. 5- Understand that Mental Health is brain health and is real.