The project “GEHSTEIG” is a pilot project of the Fonds Gesundes Österreich and is implemented by pro mente jugend. It takes place in Klagenfurt from 2002 – 2006 . The project “GEHSTEIG” offers a great variety of workshops to groups of urban adolescents aged 14 to 18 years. The participation at the workshops is free of charge and voluntary.

We offer

We offer various workshops to health related and youth specific topics:

• Individuation, Integration
• life planning (current/perspectively)
• risk behaviour
• addiction - love, sexuality and relationships
• body work
• conflict solving
• self-assurance

The access to these topics happens with different methods, for example:

• sport
• film
• photography
• dance
• theatre
• bodywork
• sculptural work (e.g. painting, drawing)
• pottery
• handwork
• music (e.g. drums)
• discussion, reflexion, peer-talk

The number of participants for each workshop is limited to 15 adolescents. The workshops are mostly guided by a heterogen team and take place in different location of pro mente jugend like WORKS or Youth Point St. Ruprecht.

What is important for us?

• A positive development of one’s personality
• reinforcement of social and emotional areas
• the support of personal and social skills, which are needed for a positive integration in our society, school and working world

We wish?

• Voluntariness
• Creativity
• Teamwork
• Regularity

Aims of GEHSTEIG:

• The primary aim is improving coping behaviour in everyday life situation and fostering development of the participants.
• To support health awareness of adolescent through active work in workshops, developmental of functional coping strategies through self-organization and empowerment (based on the developmental tasks concept according to Dreher & Dreher, 1985)
• Training adolescent to act as “peer-helper” regarding different youth-specific topics, e.g. addiction, sexuality, mobbing
• gain personal data about mental health, coping styles, future and life plans

To reach these aims we have:

• build up a project organization, control-group and a coachingteam
• situationanalyses
• contact to the target group
• networking
• implementation and organization of the workshops
• current documentation and evaluation

Team

Dr. Susanna Mills (project management)
MMag. Birgit Ebner (project assistant)
Prim. Univ. Doz. Dr. Georg Spiel (scientific management)

The implementations of the workshops are done by high qualified coaches. All our coaches have either a pedagogic or psychological education resp. study pedagogic or psychology or specific knowledge in - for example communication training.

Our Workshops

2004

Fit for fun
Body & soul
Cocktail
Peer-helper
Fun, sport and games – boys only
It’s party time

2004/05

Acrobatic
Communication workshop
Future workshop
City guide

2005

Dance & music workshop
If superman is a woman (theatre workshop for girls only)
Creativity workshop (e.g. painting, pottery)

The participation at the workshops is free of charge. The duration of each workshop is 6 months. In the first 3 months, called “intensive-phase” the 2 coaches and the participants meet once a week for 3 hours, in the last 3 months, called “final-phase” the meetings are reduced to one meeting a month.

After the final phase adolescent from the workshop “peer-helper” meet another year long once a month for supervision.