Adolescence is an important stage in an individual’s life, characterized by major physical, hormonal and social changes. It is a time when many emotions and feelings are experienced, and the ability to recognize, understand and manage them plays a major role in emotional well-being and relationships with others. This was the message addressed to participants at the information session “Interpersonal relationships among adolescents. Emotions and feelings”. The activity, carried out by the Safe Space in Criuleni with a group of beneficiaries aged 15-17, representatives of the Ukrainian refugee community and the host community, aimed to contribute to the development of dexterity in recognizing one’s own emotional experiences and self-regulation, to increase the level of awareness of emotions and associated behaviors, for greater self-confidence and adaptability to various situations, for effective communication and harmonious relationships, for mental health.

The activity scenario included lectures, discussion sessions, games, exercises, focusing on approaches adapted to the age and needs of the participants. Thus, the concepts of “emotion”, “feeling” and “relationship” were defined with the help of the cartoon “Emotions and Feelings” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDMqOI_Ti0M). After watching the cartoon, the teenagers answered a series of questions on the topic, establishing the types and features of emotions and feelings, how they are generated and expressed, how they influence human behavior. They brought examples from their own experience, presenting reactions to both positive and negative feelings, along with solutions and resources that could help overcome them. Information about the 3 concepts was systematized with the help of the games “How am I today”, “Guess the emotion”, “Trust”, the exercises “Identify the emotion” and “Represent the emotions mentioned in the poem”.

The activity was marked by a lot of emotion, empathy and understanding, the participants being actively involved at all stages, openly sharing their views about their emotional states and their relationships with peers and adults, including in the Placement Center. In the end, they recognized that they have convinced themselves that they can learn to manage their emotions in order to improve their emotional condition and build a healthy self-esteem.

The activity took place in the framework of the project “Refugee Support Initiative”, implemented by the Educational Center PRO DIDACTICA, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), as part of the Humanitarian Response in the Republic of Moldova.