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Description
The aim of the project is to contribute to the fight against GBV, aiming at informing, educating/training, and raising awareness through actions of the Mobile Mental Health Units of Cyclades (KMPSY) islands of EPASY in Tinos, Kea/Tzia, Mykonos, Kythnos, Sifnos-Serifos, Paros-Antiparos, Milos-Kimolos, Andros, which do not have specialized counseling centers on gender issues. Therefore, KMPSY will integrate specific actions, acting as omens "counseling centers" for this type of services, serving the specific characteristics of this geographical area, transmitting relevant knowledge, and informing the local island communities. The target groups are: (a) Psychosocial professionals in social services including mental health services, (b) Professionals in the field of education and (c) General public such as local associations, local authorities, parents and/or teenagers. Throughout trainings, many psychosocial professionals and professionals in the field of education will be trained and supported to gain knowledge both on issues and contexts of GBV. The training will have a dual character: (a) a training framework on GBV & gender equality will be implemented for psychosocial professionals of social mental health services of KMPSY and (b) then the trained professionals will train the professionals of the local social and mental health services and professionals in the field of education throughout a series of training seminars, while they will also implement a framework of awareness raising activities in the local islandic communities. The role of EPAPSY will be to organize and coordinate all the activities related to awareness-raising as well as to control the scientific quality of all actions; to mobilize and sensitize local communities; and to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. CMT will undertake the design of the educational material, the IT support of the distance learning training as well as the support of dissemination activities.
Summary of project results
The few studies in rural populations of the country highlight the lack of awareness among non-urban populations and the need to raise awareness and break the silence surrounding the phenomenon of gender-based violence. The aim of the project was to contribute to combating it, highlighting the shortcomings and objectives of gender equality and promoting it.
The project PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY AND COMBATING GENDER was implemented from 01.03.2022 to 30.04.2024 by the Association for Regional Development and Mental Health (EPAPSY) in collaboration with CMT Perspective. Its actions were designed to meet the need to reach the residents and visitors of the 7 islands of the Cyclades and specifically the islands, Andros, Tinos, Mykonos, Paros, Milos, Kea, Kythnos, Kimolos, Sifnos, Serifos, where the Mobile Mental Health Units of EPAPSY operate but there are no services specialized in preventing or dealing with gender-based violence and enhancing gender equality both in the family sector and in the professional sector. The actions were modular, following the tactic of sensitizing, destigmatizing and informing special population groups and then the general public. Their format was varied and included speeches, collaborations with local associations, municipalities, services, people from the field of local commerce and tourism as well as with national bodies, film screenings, theatrical workshops and performances, art workshops for teenagers, parents and teachers, an educational book, videos for the school community and a detailed online educational program for experts and non-specialists. They addressed mental health specialists, police and coast guard officers who first come into contact with a gender-based violence incident, journalists to cover scientifically correct events, teachers to use the material with their students and approach their students based on the latest data, parents to identify and avoid sexist speech, adolescents to protect themselves and protect peers more. Numerically, the program far exceeded its objectives thanks to the creative involvement of more executives of the Agency with a special interest in the phenomenon of gender-based violence, its prevention and treatment. In particular, 1570 people benefited from 20 actions. The program was accepted at first extremely hesitantly and only in the context of anonymous participation by the local community, but later it was embraced and supported by more residents and key figures of the islands.
The project focused on informing, educating and raising awareness on issues of gender equality and gbv among the inhabitants of all the islands participating in the project and therefore awareness raising activities were developed for the general population, as well as for teachers, mental health specialists, journalists, uniformed personnel and people in key positions in the community who could by their professional status and position pass on and disseminate the information to other members of the local communities. Both the educational material and the related ebook produced as part of the project and the animated video for the educational community were and remain available free of charge to the public. At the same time, through open awareness-raising activities (webinars, workshops, workshops, film screenings, art workshops, theatre performances), adolescents and adults were approached and discussed about these issues and their concerns, removing to some extent the social stigma that accompanies gender-based violence. The actions for journalists, the competition of published scientifically correct texts and the interventions of the EPAPSY Project Team''s staff in the media contributed to the dissemination of the programme''s actions nationwide as well as to the public dialogue on the phenomenon.