In the blog post below, we learn about the establishment of YAM in Halmstad, a small city in the south of Sweden. Petra Falkman, serves as YAM site coordinator and is a certified YAM Instructor who delivers the program in local schools. In this interview Petra tells us how it all started, and where YAM in Halmstad is today.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Petra Falkman – YAM site coordinator and YAM Instructor.
Implementing YAM – how it all started
Hi Petra! Firstly, can you tell us a little bit about you and your role in the implementation of the YAM program in Halmstad?
My name is Petra Falkman and I am the coordinator for YAM in Halmstad, as well as a trained YAM Instructor. In my regular work as a school counsellor, the mental health of young people has always been close to my heart. And when I learned about YAM, that it is an evidence-based promotion program, I immediately felt that it was something for me.
Since you have been a part of the project of implementing YAM in Halmstad since the beginning, can you describe what that process has been like and how it all started?
The project of implementing a YAM site in Halmstad started in June 2022, and is a collaboration between the Education and Labor Market Administration and the Children and Youth Administration. As the new YAM coordinator, my first task was to find four people in the municipality who were interested in promoting a mental health project for young people. Together with these four people I was trained to become a YAM Instructor. Today we have 4 Instructors actively working with YAM in schools.
In the spring semester of 2023, YAM was conducted in eleven classes, and in the autumn semester of the same year, it was rolled out in two classes.
“We learned to listen to the young people, asking them questions to gain a deeper understanding of their experiences“
You talked about how your first task as a YAM coordinator was to hire Instructors, who do the program with youth in classrooms. What was the training process like for you and the other Instructors from Halmstad?
Participating in the Instructor training was excellent, especially because it involved hands-on experience, mirroring what we will be doing with the young people. We have nothing but good things to say about this training. We learned to listen to the young people, asking them questions to gain a deeper understanding of their experiences. It was acknowledged that they are the experts on their own lives and situations, and we recognized that adults do not always have all the answers.
This is also what I consider important — that we shouldn’t tell young people what is right or wrong. It can be somewhat challenging at times because adults are used to providing advice and guidance.
The importance of a safe and secure environment
How have young people responded to the activities and discussions in YAM?
A key factor has been the amount of information the students have about the program and its purpose. A safe and secure group dynamic also facilitates more effective engagement in discussions among the youth. We faced challenges with first-year high school students in the fall as they were less familiar with each other, resulting in lower engagement and a reluctance to participate in discussions, particularly in larger groups. However, dilemma exercises were more successful than role-playing activities at the high school level. In primary schools, all the sessions have been successful.
The YAM road ahead
How do you envision the future of the YAM program in Halmstad?
I think that as YAM becomes more well-known, more schools will be interested in introducing it. We could meet the growing demand if we’re able to train a lot more Instructors. If not, my vision is to establish several dedicated YAM schools with recurring annual programs. Another part of this vision is to form a mental health team in Halmstad’s municipality, where YAM would be a major component, alongside other programs that support young people’s mental health.
Finally, if you were to give a piece of advice to others thinking about starting YAM, what would it be?
It’s crucial not to hurry the implementation process. Take the necessary time. Meeting with school principals and staff to carefully inform and explain YAM’s structure and its purpose is important. Equally vital is identifying dedicated individuals who are keen and available to serve as YAM instructors, thereby establishing a solid YAM team.
Map of Sweden. Marked red is the province Halland where the city of Halmstad is located.