SELF-SUPPORT GROUPS
Self support groups are communities of people who find themselves in a similar situation, like temporary displacement, and have similar challenges and goals, like building a life in a new country. They choose to regularly meet to share feelings, frustrations, hopes and victories and support each other.
Such people understand what you are going through and can provide emotional support, share practical knowledge, help to grow your social network, collectively brainstorm solutions to a problem, or critically explore ideas about prescribed social roles and expectations in different countries. They can also do enjoyable and fulfilling things together, from city walks to karaoke sessions.
Why organise them
Strong social support networks are essential for our ability to cope with difficulties and strengthening your social support can have a big positive effect on your life and well-being.
Social support comes in different forms, from family, friends, acquaintances and colleagues to relevant agencies and organisations. It also ranges from practical help to a listening year, to good time spent together.
A self-support group can become a powerful source of validation, encouragement and help, especially in a new country away from the social networks you had back at home.
We have to mention here that while self-support
groups have been shown to have multiple positive effects, they do not represent
a form of therapy or a treatment and cannot substitute for it. They are also led
by group members and not a trained professional.
If you currently experience strong psychological challenges that interfere with your daily life, please contact a mental health organisation in your country. You can find information about professional mental health support available to temporary displaced people from Ukraine in the Netherlands and Lithania clicking on the image below.
If you currently experience strong psychological challenges that interfere with your daily life, please contact a mental health organisation in your country. You can find information about professional mental health support available to temporary displaced people from Ukraine in the Netherlands and Lithania clicking on the image below.
What you can do together
❤️️
Discuss feelings and situations of group
members and provide emotional and, where possible, practical support.
✔️️
Collectively look at different problems and
ways of solving them.
📚️
Read and jointly discuss recent books.
✨️
Practice meditation and other stress relief
technics.
🏓
Play games
🚴♂️
Learn and practice cycling
👟
Go on walks and trips together
🚩
Explore new city one neighbourhood at a
time
🤸♀️
Do sports, dancing, embroidery, or any
activity that brings your pleasure.
You can practically do anything that feels
relevant to you as a group, brings relief, fresh ideas, inspiration, and joy. Of
course, in planning your activities it useful to remember about safety and law 😊
Click on this image below to find ideas for activities and
useful discussion methods that we have prepared for you based on the research
for the project and most engaging discussions we had during the
workshops.
We also use them in meetings with existing groups.
We also use them in meetings with existing groups.
How to start
During
the Wayfinding workshops, we dedicate time to transforming a training group
into a self-support group, so that the community created between the
participants can remain a source of support after the end of the training. This
group is led by participants themselves and does not involve a professional
facilitator.
The steps and tips for creation of such groups are tailored to the situation of temporary displaced people finding themselves in a foreign country and particularly those previously participating the Wayfinding workshops, but they can also be used for setting up independent groups without relation to the training.
When setting up a group it is important to define a few key things.
The steps and tips for creation of such groups are tailored to the situation of temporary displaced people finding themselves in a foreign country and particularly those previously participating the Wayfinding workshops, but they can also be used for setting up independent groups without relation to the training.
When setting up a group it is important to define a few key things.
Goal
What is the goal of the group? Why do you gather? Although it might seem obvious for participants that a group gets together for psychological support, you can also outline for yourself what kind of activities and experiences are most relevant and helpful for you at this moment and can be done together.
Open or closed group
Would like to meet with the same participants or invite new members? In closed groups, people are only allowed to join at certain times, for example 1-3 weeks from the start of the meetings, or under certain conditions, for example if they are recommended by other group members. If you plan to focus on specific themes and activities and want the entire group to take part in this, you may consider having a closed group. However, having an open group can be a better and more inclusive approach, as it will stimulate more active dynamics, bring in new perspectives and most likely increase the longevity of the group.
Time and place
How often and at what location do you want to meet? Depending on the preferences of the group you can meet either once in a few weeks or a month. Monthly meetings might be a good option. It is best to choose for your meetings a freely accessible public space for which you have to pay nothing or very little, like a central library, community centre or a café, where you can get a cup of coffee and talk for a few hours. In good weather you can also meet outside: in a park, on a beach, or at any other point in a city. This will very much depend on the activities that you plan to do together.
Period
How long does the group plan to meet? You can decide to gather for a certain period of time, for example for 6 months, or to continue to meet for indefinite time as long as a group remains relevant and helpful for its members.
Facilitators
The group can be facilitated by 2 changing participants who organise the meetings. To spread the responsibility this role can also be rotating between all members of the group, but we recommend to start meetings with 2 facilitators from the group.
Plan
Although a group can meet in a free format, it is very useful to have a simple and clear plan for each meeting - what exactly the group will discuss or do, for what purpose and for how long. This plan can be prepared by facilitators and also by any group member who proposes and takes a lead in a chosen activity.
You can find nice ideas, activities and conversation methods that you can use to plan meetings of your group clicking on the image in the previous section. We have prepared them for you based on most engaging discussions and insights we had during the Wayfinding training.
Ground rules for
self-support groups
Here are the most important things to keep in mind when organising a self-support group. Some of them seem self-evident, but it will be useful to regularly return to them.
Mutual
respect and confidentiality
Everything discussed in the group is kept
confidential and is not shared with people outside of it. This ensures safety,
mutual respect and creates an atmosphere of trust.
Shared
responsibility
Good
work and a healthy group atmosphere are the responsibility of all group
members.
Initiative
A few members of the group facilitate its
regular meetings. This is a minimal organisation - place, time, topics,
activities and communication with other participants. facilitators can change
by choice, election or just rotate in a circle.
Equality
All
participants in the group have equal rights and equal opportunity to speak up
and participate in discussion. It is important for facilitators to give
everyone sufficient space for this.
Non
judgement
It is important to avoid judging other
participants and only offer constructive criticism.
Plan
for a meeting
It
is very useful to have a simple and clear plan for each meeting - what the
group will discuss or do, for what purpose and for how long.
Attention
It is important to support the person
sharing their feelings and try not to interrupt the person speaking. If the
discussion becomes very lively, you can break into groups.
Those
who are not present
Please refrain from discussing
group members who are not at the meeting. This will help to maintain a healthy
and trusting atmosphere.
You
can always leave
You
can always leave a self-support group if it does not really support you. But we advise
you to attend at least 2 meetings before you make a final decision.
...
As a group you can agree on additional
rules that feel relevant to you.
It might be handy to download and print thse ground rules.
Here you can find them in a PDF version in several languages.
ENG UKR
Self-support groups become communities that have a life of their own that can bring new insights, connections and discoveries. They can also become a place of new beginnings in a new country. We hope that you can find or create a group like this for yourself.