Adolescence is one of the best periods in life- a transitional phase that fills the gap between childhood and adulthood;1 it is a time of peak health and strength. But this is also the time when young people have the greatest tendency to undertake behaviours that compromise their health and well-being.

Many researchers have identified adolescence as the most stressful developmental stage, in which a person becomes more vulnerable to mental health challenges including depression, anxiety, eating disorders & suicidal behaviour. Adolescents with mental health conditions are particularly vulnerable to social exclusion, discrimination, stigma (affecting readiness to seek help), educational difficulties, risk-taking behaviours, physical ill[1]health and human rights violations.

This makes adolescence the most crucial period for a person to develop social and emotional habits important for mental well[1]being, like adopting healthy sleep patterns; exercising regularly; developing coping, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills; and learning to manage emotions. Protective and supportive environments in the family, at school and in the wider community are equally important and go a long way in developing emotional resilience in adolescents. It has a direct impact on the mental well-being of juveniles, as it increases their ability to regulate emotions, by enhancing self-esteem and the perception of social support.

About 40H of the Tajik population are adolescents and youth.7 In  order to address their needs for mental health and psychological  services, the Ministry of Health has taken another important  step, in a way the adolescents most relate to nowadays O going  digital!

Tabassum is an omnichannel, behaviour change digital intervention to support the emotional resilience needs of youth  in Tajikistan. As the name suggests, Tabassum has been designed, after much discussion and interviews with youth  groups, as a platform that will spread positive messages that  bring a smile to your face. The messaging will be delivered by your friend Aziz, a loveable voice with a smile on the face that’s  always available to guide you. This initiative, that is the combined work of key stakeholders aims to achieve the following:

• Engage and disseminate awareness information and address emotional resilience issues with Tajik youth, their parents and teachers.
• Enable and boost the capacity of a social support ecosystem for the youth
• Use digital tools to spread the messages and connect to counselling services
• Build a framework for scaling the platform to support broad adolescent health goals

Come, join us on this journey to build strong, resilient communities!