The evening served as the starting point for the project's work to collect young people's views, aiming to create recognition and reduce stigma around the subject. According to SVT Örebro, Elin Branhammar, the project leader, described the pre-study as focusing on listening to young people to understand what is needed for relevant and accessible interventions. She noted that 'Sometimes Life Sucks' is a way to spread knowledge about mental illness and gather young people willing to talk about it to form a reference group.
Through these meetings, the project seeks to gain a clearer picture of how young people experience their mental health, though specific obstacles to seeking help and types of support requested have not been detailed yet. During the meeting, participants heard personal stories from individuals with experience of mental illness. According to SVT Örebro, Qadra Dahir Mohamad, one of the young people involved, described mental illness as existing everywhere, not just in certain neighborhoods, and expressed a commitment to making a change with an open mind.
The pre-study is about listening to young people and understanding what is actually needed to create relevant and accessible interventions. 'Sometimes Life Sucks' is a way to both spread knowledge about mental illness and gather young people who dare to talk about mental illness to create a reference group.
The project is run by Hjärnkoll Örebro län with support from Region Örebro län and is part of the 'Kraftsamling barn och unga' initiative. The pre-study will now lead to a basis for a more long-term initiative, with goals to strengthen young people's mental health and reduce stigma in multicultural areas, though the timeline and specific expected outcomes remain unspecified. A central part of the work involves letting young people's own voices guide the direction forward.
Mental illness exists everywhere, not just in the neighborhood. It exists in all households, and therefore I have come into this with an open mind to make a change.