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Description
The project "Mental health needs Empowerment" starts from the need to increase the capacity of people with mental health problems to address the problems that affect them directly and to include them in the decision-making processes in this field. It aims to: 1) develop an integrated national program to increase the capacity of self-representation for 40 people with mental health problems in 4 cities to be empowered in order to be an active voice in the community and in relation to the political decision makers at local and central level in the area of health, education, employment, social services and human rights (150 beneficiaries from Bucharest, Ploiesti, Cluj and Giurgiu will be involved, 60 beneficiaries from Iasi, Timisoara, Sibiu and Brasov, 100 family members and 40 representatives of public authorities); 2) developing, piloting, validating and launching a self-representing model for people with mental health problems in order to change their attitudes and practices in relation to political decision makers at local and central level. 3) development of a national advocacy campaign, with the direct involvement of 40 people with mental health problems, in order to put on the public agenda the question of their access to social and health services with the purpose of inclusion in the community. Also, the project aims to develop on the medium and long term the sustainability of Estuar Foundation by adding in the organizational chart a component of Communication and Fundraising. In this regard, Estuar Foundation, with over 26 years of direct expertise co-opted as partner, Opportunity Associates Romania, which for over 20 years trains trainers and supports increasing their capacity to develop and exploit their potential.
Summary of project results
The "Mental Health Needs Empowerment" project aimed to increase the capacity of people with mental health problems to address in the most effective way the problems that directly affect them, and to include them in the decision-making processes.
Four TOTs were organized to increase the self-representation capacity for 49 people with mental health problems. There was developed a self-representation model for people with mental health problems in order to change their attitudes and practices in relation to local and central policy makers. Within the project, 177 persons (persons with mental health problems and their carers) were counseled, 616 individual counseling sessions and 564 group counseling sessions were conducted. In addition, 211 people were informed in dissemination meetings about the social and mental health services they can access concretely in their community. As part of the advocacy campaign, with the direct involvement of the 49 TOT beneficiaries, 2 needs assessments were carried out on the access of people with mental health problems to health and social services for inclusion in the community.The project also helped to develop the sustainability of the Estuar Foundation by adding a Communications and Fundraising component, thus becoming more visible.
The TOTs empowered the beneficiaries to be an active voice in the community and in relation to local and central policy makers in the area of health, education, employment, social services and human rights. Through counseling sessions the beneficiaries were supported in developing their knowledge, learning and practicing assertive communication, developing their artistic/creative, social and physical skills. The role of the mental health empowerment seminars was to bring the 49 TOT representatives to the forefront, giving them a voice and the chance to transfer best practices and information about the benefits of involvement to other beneficiaries. The involvement in the advocacy campaign helped beneficiaries to improve their self-advocacy skills and develop their advocacy capacity.