“The workshop helped me understand that everyone has their internal difficulties and that I am not alone in this,” said Emiliya (pseudonyms used throughout). She’s just one of over 80 young people who attended an IOCC-supported health and wellness workshop in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The workshop was one in a series organized by IOCC partner the Pokrov Foundation during this past summer, focusing on issues such as low self-esteem, negative emotions, substance abuse and addiction, and eating disorders. The program aimed to address some alarming trends in adolescents’ behavior in Bulgaria and to help prevent emotional instability, behavioral problems, and mental disorders.
With IOCC support, the Pokrov Foundation worked with psychologists to organize five online workshops for high-school students from Sofia. Each workshop included a personal story shared by a public figure, like a singer or an actor, who had overcome the specific issue being addressed. These personal stories helped open up conversations among the students, the presenter, and the guest speaker, and the students responded positively.
“The workshop helped me think about a positive solution for my own situation,” said Boris. “[This was a] very useful, motivating, and inspiring experience,” said Daniel. “I was filled with positive emotions. Thank you!”
