Youth Workers to Learn to Better Deal with Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS)

In Support of Youth Workers dealing with Secondary Trauma - European Union, The Erasmus Plus Programme - Funds Feminenza to train youth workers to be better prepared for the risk of Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) arising from their work. The project commenced in February 2020 and was completed in November 2022

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Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) is a rapidly growing problem. Youth workers face a significant risk.
 

• They are often the only doorway of support and help, to the disadvantaged and destitute youth at risk.  Continual exposure to trauma and distress in others eventually takes its toll.

• Symptoms of Secondary Trauma – often appear similar to primary Trauma: compassion fatigue, burnout, anxiety, depression, the inability to concentrate, in elevated reactivity.
   

65% of the youth services surveyed recorded primary or secondary stress within their youth workers

The project provides youth workers with essential vocational development tools: increasing their capacity to stay intact, build empathy, improve their self-care and resilience, value learning, exchange, and collaborative experiences. It also equips the youth workers to contribute to their organisations and help improve surveillance of stress and STS-related risks in their organisations.

The participants respond to:

Disadvantaged, discriminated migrants, refugees, IDPs, displaced persons, socially isolated, homeless, youth in prison, suicide risk, drug and substance abuse, criminal association, radicalisation, trafficking, sex slavery, SGBV, Forced Marriage, Sexual Abuse, Honour killings, trauma and PTSD, young school dropouts
 

In this project participants will acquire:
 

• Capacity to recognize and monitor the risk of Secondary Trauma Stress (STS)

• Tools and skills to prevent and mitigate STS

• Build inner resilience

• Help to establish low-cost methods to monitor and reduce STS in their organisations

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