One year later, Drs. Alonzo and Popescu returned to Guatemala with a train-the-trainer program they developed based on feedback and their findings from the previous year. This training was specifically tailored to the Guatemalan communities they visited and focused on youth and teen mental health, suicide awareness, resiliency, teen leadership, and violence prevention.
Following this training, participants were able to report real-life examples of how they implemented information they learned from the training. The participants of this training, with support from ISWS volunteers, plan on creating a basic mental health manual for high school and middle schools in Peronia and Zone 18 in Guatemala City. Discussions were facilitated around the development of community alliances to provide teens with “safe spaces” and to continue to address the impacts of poverty and lack of opportunities on adolescent mental health.