WELLNESS & YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

Kashmir Health Peace Initiative
Background

Kashmir, has a prolonged and chronic history of conflict as do many other places like Palestine or Afghanistan in the Middle East. But since it is less reported, its intensity is less known internationally and yet this neglected area needs attention now. Some people see this situation, recognize the problem, and feel that the donation of money and the wider discussion of international issues will be the cure-all for the devastation—the elusive path to peace. Yet that is what has been coming to Kashmir and the path to peace is still littered with obstruction. The Kashmir conflict has shaped the unconscious psychology of the entire population. The current political situation in the valley has and is psychologically affecting the people of Kashmir, causing many physical and mental health problems. Accordingly, it’s the Kashmiri youth, women and children that are the most affected. The conflict has led to shrinking spaces for expression and connection Since the peaceful options are blocked, the Kashmir conflict defies solution causing hopelessness, despair, and numerous mental health problems amongst younger generation that feels unheard and disrespected in this whole scenario as there are almost no opportunities for their emotional, physical and social well-being. The vicious cycle of innocent people getting killed keeps developing a series of disappointment, injustice, aggression, depression and discrimination in the process. Kashmiris have been suffering from frequent bomb-blasts, curfews, property damages, seeing innocent blood on the streets of Kashmir, increasing unemployment — all leading to high levels of stress, various diseases such as cardiac problems, depression, post/ongoing traumatic stress disorder, endless fear, insecurity; the after-effects of which still prevail in their behavioral trends. Sadly, for a place with immense need of mental health practitioners & awareness, one would find very few psychiatrists, psychologists and counsellors, who are mainly based in the capital city. Therefore, to empower the common Kashmiri, an alternative direction must be navigated to help people cope better. That new direction is peace-psychology which includes but is not limited to mental health awareness, psychosocial-empowerment, counselling, trauma healing, stress management and conflict psychological recovery. Most often, getting help from a psychologist is perceived as derogatory, followed by social labelling of such people. Unawareness about the importance of mental health in holistic wellness approach is another reason that prevents people from seeking help from mental health practitioners. Empowering and educating common people in the basic skills of the above mentioned approaches, would at least help them deal with the trauma in effective ways, giving easy access to certain life-changing and life-saving skills to every Kashmiri.

Initiatives

*Peace Educational & Awareness Workshops: We offer specifically-designed workshops based on simulations and activities in educational institutions and other community spaces/organizations. If you would like us to organize workshops for your organizations, please contact us.

*Mental Health Awareness & Counselling: Counselling support for any age-group at educational institutions or other community places/organizations is available; along with creating more awareness of mental health and psychological issues. We offer psychological and emotional first aid, basic mental health and psychosocial support and emotional wellbeing support; along with references of professional resources and experts from clinical psychology, psychiatry, counseling and psychotherapy.

*Recreational Centers for Youth: To help youth with general overall development, we hope to build recreational centers with sports facilities, free library, platform for organizing community events, and holding wider discussions, to tackle their problems.

*After-School Youth Programs: We will be offering courses in various peacebuilding skills such as empathetic communication, conflict resolution, mediation, facilitation and so on for youth (as well as for other age-groups).

If you are interested in any of the above initiatives or want to help us out in any way, please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you. Your views, suggestions and comments matter!

Supporting Resources

Scientific take on Violence, Stress and Behavior

"Violent behavior is rooted in brain functioning, which is impaired by individual and societal stress."

-John Hagelin, Ph.D., Quantum Physicist, President,
Global Union of Scientists for Peace

"Science has now determined that all behavior is rooted in the brain, and that traumatic stress impairs brain functioning causing aggressive and violent behavior. Similarly, the buildup of stress on a collective level, including political, religious and ethnic tensions, affects the brain and behavior of everyone in society and bursts out as social violence in all its forms from crime to terrorism to war."

- The Global Peace Project

Click on the links below to open them:

Societal stress fuels crime and social violence

Stress impairs the brain, negatively impacts behavior

Kashmir's Youth Bulge

Understanding High Suicide Rate in Kashmir

Kashmir in Distress

Why the Valley Blooms: Drug Addiction

Peace-education Courses in the Schools of Kashmir

Apart from our regular workshops at various educational institutions, in July 2013, Paigaam started a formal weekly peace-education course at Dolphin International School, Kashmir . Both Paigaam and Dolphin International School were the only and first ones in the Kashmir-valley to take such an initiative. This course-module designed by Paigaam, was a part of their main curriculum for grades 1st to 10th, and was mainly taught through experiential activities and simulations including eclectic topics on conflict resolution, mental health, stress and healing, career guidance, personality development skills, teenage issues, mental health awareness, and stress management, to name a few. Peace-education here was to ensure the involvement of all aspects of school, from the students to the staff members to the administration; to help bring a collective positive change in the entire school-environment for better, safer and healthier learning. This initiative empowered students psycho-socially, building up their self-confidence, boosting up their self-esteem and equipping them with skills to cope up with the daily stress of their lives through healthy self-expression. Through this course, a transformation of thinking has already started that will hopefully help these students to be better leaders, better intellectuals, better problem-solvers, and above all, better human beings for a better today and tomorrow.

The ongoing Kashmir-conflict has affected all of us in different ways and at different levels; and this is our effort to spread the awareness about its psycho-socio-educational impacts. We hope to receive positive support from parents in this initiative to work together and make it a success for the entire society in future.