“Because This Is an Evidence-Based Program”: The Learning Experience of Croatia with the Lions Quest Skills for Adolescence, Implemented In-Person and Online

Ziad El-Khatib, Alma Rovis Brandic, Ali Yassine, Zana Glavendekic and Wadih Maalouf ()
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Ziad El-Khatib: Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
Alma Rovis Brandic: High School Department, Agency for Education, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Ali Yassine: Drug Prevention and Health Branch, Prevention Treatment and Rehabilitation Section, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Vienna International Center, P.O. Box 500, 1400 Vienna, Austria
Zana Glavendekic: Programme Office of Serbia, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Bulevar Zorana Djindjica 64, 11070 Belgrade, Serbia
Wadih Maalouf: Drug Prevention and Health Branch, Prevention Treatment and Rehabilitation Section, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Vienna International Center, P.O. Box 500, 1400 Vienna, Austria

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 22, 1-5

Abstract: Background : The Lions Quest Skills for Adolescence (LQSFA) is an evidence-based social and emotional learning program for school students. It is implemented as a teacher-led extracurricular activity for children aged 10–15 years. From 2019 to 2022, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, in collaboration with Lions Clubs International Foundation, implemented the LQSFA in 41 schools in Croatia. Due to the COVID-19 lockdown measures, the intervention was adjusted into a hybrid modality (in-class and online). We evaluated the experience that the teachers had with the LQSFA in a hybrid modality. Methods : We used a focus-group discussion approach to evaluate the experience of five LQSFA teachers. Results : Three themes emerged: (1) the appreciation of evidence-based programs by the teachers, (2) the benefit of the LQSFA on the parents, and (3) the length of the online version of the questionnaire tool that was used to assess pre- and post-LQSFA experiences among students was too long. These results indicate that the LQSFA is undergoing a scaling on a national level in Croatia, even when implemented in a hybrid setting. Conclusions : Using an evidence-based program such as the LQSFA was rewarding for teachers, despite the challenges in the administrative adjustments regarding the online and in-person class teaching. LQSFA filled an important gap during COVID19-related stress.

Keywords: prevention; Croatia; Lions Quest Skills; empowerment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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