LIFE SKILLS
Latvia
Empowering students with life skills to support mental health and emotional well-being through a whole-school approach involving students, teachers, and parents.
OBJECTIVES
Strengthen self-belief and selfimage
Enhance social-emotional and peer skills
Reduce bullying, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts
Engage teachers, staff, and parents
WHO’S INVOLVED
Teachers
Psychologists
Social workers
TARGET GROUP
Students: 6th and 10th grade
Teachers
Parents
Teacher and trainer training
Exchange visits to schools with best practices
Lifeskills lessons for students
Support groups for teachers and parents
Ongoing evaluation and monitoring
EXPECTED RESULTS
Improved behaviour and awareness
Increased parental involvement
Integration of Lifeskills into daily school life with stronger focus on the HPS approach
Bureaucratic procurement process delayed psychologist hiring and added paperwork.
BARRIERS
No official teacher accreditation yet, limiting longterm motivation. Short timeline (no summer activity) restricted followup.
FACILITATORS
Implementation supported by external psychologists delivering training and sessions.
School psychologists and social workers participated in training, enabling future use.
Sustainability uncertain: continuation after the pilot depends on teacher interest and time.
LESSONS LEARNED
Simplicity and flexibility of the materials are key.
Having an external expert (psychologist) trusted by schools ensures quality of the intervention. Teachers were provided with comprehensive material (student/teacher books)
Project sustainability can be strengthened through municipal engagement and alignment with local mental health priorities. Motivation can be increased by offering training credits, and formal training recognition is important for future scaling.