The project "Volunteers and families online for mental health" aims to raise awareness among citizens to build a different way of looking at the reality of mental health illness and wants to promote the progressive overcoming of the isolation and stigma that affect people with distress mental health and their families, creating a support network made up of community volunteers who are aware of the issue of mental health.
In order to prevent isolation and social marginalization, the project proposes the activation of a listening and assistance service in the area, which provides information on mental health services, orients users and supports them in defining a personalized project with territorial services.
To raise awareness among citizens about mental health, the project organizes training courses, information and annual conferences on topics such as Recovery and addictions. The training objectives include the creation of a group of volunteers to facilitate the social inclusion and therapeutic path of people with mental distress through socialization workshops, such as theatre, music, photography and art therapy.
In order to combat the loneliness of family members of people with mental health problems, the project promotes self-help groups with weekly meetings and monthly supervision by professionals, such as psychiatrists and psychologists, to provide supportive support and share experiences.
The project is conceived following a Recovery approach, which aims to give users an active role again, transforming them from passive recipients to protagonists involved in their own choices and committed to fully developing their potential.
The project is currently funded by Harcourt Foundation and in the past it has been supported by J&J Foundation?
