Surabaya – Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Surabaya (UNUSA) has once again demonstrated its commitment to supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by holding the 4th annual Brave! program. This program was initiated by the UNUSA Global Engagement Office (GENUS) which aims to make a real contribution to achieving the SDGs, especially in the field of adolescent mental health which is part of SDG No. 3: Healthy and Prosperous Life. The activity took place from 26-31 August 2024.
The event at the UNUSA Tower Auditorium on the 9th floor was attended by hundreds of participants, including foreign students from the Philippines, Thailand, Timor Leste, lecturers, health workers, and practitioners who care about mental health issues among adolescents. With the main theme “Resilience in the Face of Adversity: Building Strength and Coping Skills for Adolescent Mental Health,” this program has succeeded in attracting the attention of various stakeholders.
The 4th Brave! program presents two keynote speakers who are very competent in their fields. dr. Hafid Algristian, Sp.KJ, M.H., a psychiatrist widely known in Indonesia, focused his discussion on the importance of developing stress management skills and emotional resilience among adolescents. And Dr. Amna Javed, Head of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Faisalabad, Pakistan.
This program is part of UNUSA’s efforts to support the achievement of SDG No. 3 which aims to ensure healthy lives and support the well-being of all people at all ages. In this context, mental health is one of the crucial issues, especially for the younger generation who are the pillars of the nation’s future.
The enthusiasm of the participants was evident from the many questions asked during the question and answer session. The participants asked various questions that were relevant to their daily lives in dealing with mental health issues in their environment. This interactive discussion provided new insights for the participants, while strengthening the network between academics, practitioners, and students.
One of the participants of the 4th Brave from Timor Leste, Belarmino Gaudencio De Carvalho, said that this event opened their eyes to the importance of maintaining adolescent mental health. He hopes that programs like this can continue with increasingly relevant and in-depth topics.
“The active participation of the participants also shows that mental health issues are starting to get more serious attention, in line with the increasing awareness of the importance of mental health in the context of sustainable development,” he said.(humar unusa)