More information
Description
The aim of the project is to raise the level of public awareness, to empower people with mental health difficulties and to sensitize and encourage public policy makers to take appropriate measures in response to current crisis. The target groups are CSOs, public policy makers, media, people with mental health difficulties and their loved ones, experts in the field of mental health and the general public. Networking of the CSOs and advocating the importance of CSOs still operating in the time of crisis will put pressure on the government to adopt the measures which are necessary for undisturbed operation of these CSOs. Workshops of mapping the needs and services provided in the field of mental health will be conducted, as well as workshops focusing on the use of video conferencing apps for psychosocial support. People in need who will take part in these workshops will be able to use redesigned model of mental health services and will have better access to information about available services. In three months, a new way of providing psychosocial support will be developed through individual and group therapy meetings of mental health experts and people in need. Service providers and people in need will be empowered to use new methods aimed at achieving and preserving mental health. Collaboration between experts by experience and experts by profession will continue. All activities will be carried out via email, chat, telephone consulting and video conferencing.
Summary of project results
The project established an initiative called "For a Strong Civil Society", which networked 28 civil society organizations. The initiative sent a letter to the Office for Non-Governmental Organizations of the Government of the Republic of Croatia and competent ministries requesting a meeting and prompt adoption of measures proposed by the letter to enable work and preservation of jobs in CSOs in the crisis caused by the pandemic and earthquake in Zagreb. At the end of July, the representatives of the initiative were invited to a meeting with the President of the Republic of Croatia and acquainted him with the problems and challenges facing civil society organizations. Emphasis was placed on endangering the viability of the civil society sector, which has occurred due to the disruption of the institutional framework and the system of financing from public and European funds in the last 4 years.
In September 2020, the initiative "12 and 5 for mental health" was launched, which requested:
- Urgent inclusion of the already prepared National Strategy for the Development of Mental Health (2020-2030) in the parliamentary procedure and its fastest implementation in practice.
- Include the services of Mobile Teams and the Community Peer Support Group in the list of existing psychosocial services financed by the Croatian Health Insurance Fund.
- Urgent finding ways for continuous financing of programs and projects of associations dealing with the provision of psychosocial services in the community.
Project promotor held workshops on mapping needs and services for mental health associations and the interested public and workshops on the use of videoconferencing applications in providing psychosocial support.
A new approach to providing psychosocial support has been developed and implemented.
During project implementation, 40 psychotherapy groups and peer support groups were held through the Zoom application for a total of 69 users.