Saarisnietgek: “It is important that children talk more easily about feelings”.

Saarisnietgek: “It is important that children talk more easily about feelings”.

Talking about feelings is not natural for many children. Yet, it is very important. We spoke with Elsbeth Kuysters, psychologist and co-founder of the Saarisnietgek foundation. The goal of the foundation is that children learn in time to talk about emotions and feelings to prevent bigger mental problems in the future.

In the Netherlands, nearly one in three young people between 12 and 16 years old has mental problems, such as sadness, stress, or fear. Research shows that more than a third of all mental problems start before the age of 14. Early help and talks about feelings are therefore very important (Trimbos Institute & RIVM, 2023).

The foundation, co-founded by Elsbeth Kuysters, helps children aged 10 to 12 to talk about feelings in an easy way. Their main tool is a tangible magazine that children can read themselves and that parents, teachers, and youth professionals can use right away.

 

An idea that lives on

The reason for starting this foundation was a personal event. Elsbeth’s daughter Sara struggled with mental problems and died in 2017. In the period before, Sara started her own mental health project. “She felt that young people should get knowledge about what you can feel, what you can experience, and especially how best to deal with it,” says Elsbeth. Sara’s plan for a magazine with interviews and sections was left aside when her health got worse. Four years after Sara’s death, Elsbeth looked again at the documents. “Then we thought: hey, how can we shape this? In the end, we chose a paper magazine.”

 

Why a magazine

The choice for an ‘offline’ magazine was made on purpose. Together with the other founders of Saarisnietgek, Elsbeth spoke with youth care and education about the best approach. “We looked for the best form for this idea: is that online, a game, a training? But all that already exists. Or many things are already in development. That’s why we chose an ‘old school’ magazine.” The magazine is made once and is timeless. “It has eleven themes based on research from Trimbos and talks with young people.

Of course, we check each year if it still works and if something needs to change, but the base is quite long-lasting.” Changes happen when needed. For example, the reference to the Transgenderpoli Amsterdam was later replaced by Transvisie, after advice from youth professionals. “That is important to us, and those are things we learn from the field,” Elsbeth explains.

 

Preventive and normalizing

The foundation focuses on prevention and normalization. “We zoom in on everyday problems every child recognizes,” says Elsbeth. “In the magazine, we give information about emotions and feelings. What is fear, what is anger, how can I show that, what can you experience, and how can you deal with it? It is not about depression, not about suicide, not about anxiety disorders.”

According to Elsbeth, adults are sometimes afraid to talk with children about emotions. “Some people think: oh no, what will you bring up with those children, you better not touch that. But I found that children are not afraid of emotions at all. If you ask the right questions, you get answers everywhere. And if something heavy comes up, it is better it comes out at that age than when it is too late.”

 

Effect in practice

The magazine is now used by more than one hundred schools. The feedback is positive. “Teachers say they have very good talks with children about their feelings and that the magazine is a good tool,” says Elsbeth. Foster families and parents also report that their children recognize themselves in the stories and tips in the magazine.

She sees the value in small successes. “Even if you have only one child who reads it and recognizes themselves and thinks: ‘Maybe it is good if I talk to someone about it,’ then that is a win. Because if you do not talk about it and keep it inside, it becomes bigger and bigger.”

 

The future of Saarisnietgek

Elsbeth dreams that all children in the Netherlands between 10 and 12 years old get the magazine. Through schools, local governments, or their parents. “We want to reach as many children as possible. How exactly, we do not know yet, but that is the main goal.” She stresses that the foundation does not work commercially; it is a public benefit organization (ANBI). “We work with ambassadors: people who believe in what we do and who have networks in education or with local governments. We depend on warm contacts.”

She gives parents a clear message: “You can use this magazine very easily at home, even if your child is not a talker. A child can do assignments and read stories, and then something happens. It is very easy to find an opening this way to talk about something.”

For Elsbeth, that is the essence. “The best thing is that it is so simple,” she says. “A practical tool that children understand and can use right away.” With Saarisnietgek, Sara’s original idea lives on and children get the chance to feel, talk, and grow before small worries become big problems.