In the training centre in Struga, North Macedonia, between 4 and 8 December 2023, training for mental health and psychosocial support in the community was held, organized by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Red Cross Society of the Republic of North Macedonia. The training participants were employees and volunteers from the national societies of Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey, and the lecturers were Ea Suzanne Akasha and Josh Lee from the Psychosocial Support Reference Center of the International Federation, Sanja Pupačić from the delegation of the International Federation in Sarajevo and Nataša Todorović and dr. Milutin Vračević from the Red Cross of Serbia.

The training was held as part of continuous efforts invested into strengthening the capacities of regional national societies in the field of mental health and psychosocial support and was a continuation of the training of trainers for psychological first aid held in Sutomore, Montenegro in June of this year. Strengthening national societies in this area will ensure sustainability and promote the quality of interventions in the field of mental health and psychosocial support. In particular, this training allowed the participants to further develop their technical abilities and facilitation skills, but at the same time to exchange experiences and good practices.

Representatives of the Red Cross of Serbia, Nataša Todorović and dr. Milutin Vračević, as part of this training, developed and facilitated a segment that deals with psychological first aid for older persons, including definitions of ageism, an overview of the most common problems with mental health in older persons, as well as the application of the concept of “look, listen, link” in interventions supporting older persons by volunteers or employees of the Red Cross. This training represented the first testing of this material and preparation for its introduction into training curriculum on community based mental health and psychosocial support within the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement.