ACE Youth Wellness project
Access. Connect. Empower : ACE Youth Wellness Program (ACE),
a new program designed specifically to address youth mental and holistic wellness through healthy coping strategies. AFH aims to directly reach approximately 10-15 refugee youth, ages 16-24 in Lancaster county each year. ACE is unique in that it will offer, through a partnership, Mental Health 101 in the languages of the refugee community of Lancaster. In offering Mental Health 101 in the targeted communities’ languages, AFH strives to positively impact how refugee communities in Lancaster County respond to mental health in the context of cultural perception.
Program:
ACE will consist of 10 months of monthly virtual and in-person activities, including two in-person retreats focused on exploration of healthy coping strategies. Youth will also have the opportunity for a lasting alumni-type relationship
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The goal is to empower the youth to practice healthy coping strategies within their refugee community and Lancaster County as a whole. Each session will be led by an individual or team who has passed criminal background check and child abuse clearances. In order to foster a continuous relationship with the youth in the Lancaster refugee community, AFH will encourage students to take advantage of its online form, which students can use to reach out to AFH mentors in times of struggle, while professional mental health services will be referenced for mental health crises.
