Introduction to Vibarealm
Building emotional fitness at scale for youth and those who support them
Vibarealm is a multi-tiered initiative designed to build emotional fitness at scale for youth and those who support them, fostering resilience and emotional well-being through structured programmes and interventions. It was designed to address critical gaps in how young people are equipped to navigate emotional and mental challenges, particularly in a post-pandemic world where stressors have intensified.
Rooted in evidence-based practices and cultural relevance, Vibarealm provides youth and those that support them with practical skills, awareness of self care, support for self and others that help them regulate emotions, manage stress, and foster resilience. These skills are typically innate abilities we all have but are ignorant of their use to manage and regulate our emotional states.
At its core, Vibarealm seeks to answer a critical question:
How can young people be empowered to regulate their emotions, respond constructively to stress, and foster resilience in environments marked by high levels of trauma, inequity, and adversity?
Vibarealm responds to this question by addressing the pressing need for emotional fitness among South African youth, who face challenges such as trauma exposure, mental health gaps, and educational inequities.
Why Vibarealm is different
Teaching practical skills and tools that youth can use independently
Vibarealm’s approach is unique in its emphasis on proactive sustainable skill-building rather than reliance on external facilitators. By teaching practical skills and tools that youth can use independently, Vibarealm ensures its impact extends beyond the classroom, lecture hall, home and early workplace. Additionally:
- Immediate and long-term benefits: From instant emotional relief to long-term resilience, Vibarealm provides tools for both immediate and future challenges.
- Scalable and adaptable: Vibarealm’s model is scalable and designed to fit diverse contexts, making it effective in both resource-rich and resource-constrained environments.
- Inclusive ecosystem: By involving teachers, parents, and peer coaches, Vibarealm fosters a collaborative culture committed to building and sustaining emotional fitness.
How Vibarealm works
A multi-tiered initiative providing holistic and sustainable emotional support
Each tier of Vibarealm addresses a specific need, ensuring that youth receive holistic and sustainable emotional support:
- Tier 1: Emotional Fitness Superpower Programme (EFSP)
- Tier 2: Peer Support Coach Training Programme
- Tier 3: Supportive networks
Emotional fitness superpower programme
Peer support coaching programme
Supportive
networks
Tier 1: Emotional Fitness Superpower programme
The core intervention where youth build their innate “superpowers”
What it is
The Emotional Fitness Superpower programme (EFSP) is the core intervention where youth participate in a range of modular, interactive sessions focused on building specific “superpowers.” These skills, such as Breath (calming the nervous system), Focus (enhancing attention spans), Movement (reducing anxiety through physical activity), and Creativity (stimulating innovation, improving problem-solving skills, and fostering adaptability), are designed to help youth regulate emotions, manage stress, and build resilience.
How it works
The EFSP is a modular programme that begins with baseline assessments and offers a range of sessions curated to the specific needs of the group. These sessions are structured around facilitated activities, reflective exercises, and real-time feedback. The “Rate My State” assessment, allows youth to measure their emotional changes before and after each session.
Why it matters
The EFSP lays the foundation for emotional self-regulation, equipping youth with tools they can use independently to navigate challenges.
Tier 2: Peer Support Coach Training programme
A peer-led network of emotional support coaches selected from alumni
What it is
Selected youth or programme alumni or senior youth leaders undergo intensive training to become Peer Support Coaches. This creates a peer-led network of emotional support within the college, university or institutional environment.
How it works
The programme includes 36 hours of training and 10 hours of documented practice, ensuring coaches are well-prepared to guide their peers. Coaches provide support for everyday challenges and serve as relatable role models for emotional resilience.
Why it matters
Peer-led interventions amplify the impact of the EFSP by reinforcing skills learned in sessions. Coaches foster a sense of community and accessibility, ensuring youth feel supported in real-time.
Tier 3: Supportive networks
Providing care and support to those who support the youth
What it is
The supportive networks tier recognises that the emotional development of youth is deeply influenced by the people and environments around them.
How it works
The programme provides targeted interventions to key individuals and groups in the youth support networks:
- Educators: Training sessions and presentations equip teachers with the knowledge to integrate emotional fitness practices into their daily interactions with learners, fostering a supportive classroom environment.
- Social Workers and Counsellors: Focused programmes prioritise the well-being of caring professionals, helping them manage stress, prevent burnout, and maintain emotional resilience, so they can better support youth.
- Parents and Caregivers: It is envisioned that Vibarealm expands its reach to family members and caregivers, offering them tools and skills to reinforce emotional regulation practices at home.
Why it matters
Supportive networks ensure that emotional fitness practices extend beyond individual youth, embedding these skills within the broader systems that influence their daily lives. By engaging and empowering educators, professional carers and families:
- Youth receive consistent reinforcement of emotional fitness skills across multiple contexts.
- Caregivers and educators are better equipped to handle their own emotional well-being, reducing the risk of burnout and enhancing their capacity to support others.
- A culture of emotional resilience is cultivated within schools, homes, and communities, creating a sustainable foundation for long-term mental and emotional well-being.
Referral pathways
For cases requiring specialised care beyond the programme’s scope
While Vibarealm equips youth and their support networks with emotional fitness skills through its structured three-tiered initiative, we recognise that some cases may require specialised care beyond the programme’s scope. For these situations, referral pathways connect individuals with trained professionals, such as social workers, psychologists, or other mental health practitioners.
These pathways rely on collaborative efforts with existing support structures, including school counsellors, community organisations, and mental health services. Vibarealm works alongside these partners to ensure that learners receive seamless and effective assistance when external support is needed.
By integrating collaboration into the broader mental health ecosystem, these referral pathways provide a vital safety net for learners with complex or urgent challenges. This approach complements Vibarealm’s proactive focus on emotional fitness, ensuring that all learners have access to comprehensive care when required.
Tools for everyday use
Practical, culturally sensitive tools designed for real-world application
While Vibarealm equips youth and their support networks with emotional fitness skills through its structured three-tiered initiative, we recognise that some cases may require specialised care beyond the programme’s scope. For these situations, referral pathways connect individuals with trained professionals, such as social workers, psychologists, or other mental health practitioners.
These pathways rely on collaborative efforts with existing support structures, including school counsellors, community organisations, and mental health services. Vibarealm works alongside these partners to ensure that learners receive seamless and effective assistance when external support is needed.
By integrating collaboration into the broader mental health ecosystem, these referral pathways provide a vital safety net for learners with complex or urgent challenges. This approach complements Vibarealm’s proactive focus on emotional fitness, ensuring that all learners have access to comprehensive care when required.
Implement Vibarealm with your youth programmes today
Get in touch and make your youth more emotionally fit
We invite you to contact us to find out how we can, together, build more emotionally resilient and mentally strong young people.
Africa (Head office)
5th Place Consciousness (Pty) Ltd
102 2nd Street, Linden, Randburg 2195, South Africa
Europe
5th Place Consciousness Ltd
20-22 Wenlock Road, London, N1 7GU, United Kingdom
Emotional fitness superpower programme
Peer support coaching programme
Supportive
networks
