Description
“I make my own decisions! - Equal rights through self-representation for beneficiaries of mental health care services” is developed by The Media Monitoring Agency and The Association of Community Psychiatry from Romania, an organization with extensive expertise in the field of mental health. The project aims at teaching 15 people with mental illness, advocacy and communication techniques, to better represent themselves. They will be involved, along with 30 relevant actors in the field of mental health, in an advocacy platform which plans to organize 20 citizen’s initiatives. Other 50 people with mental health problems will be engaged in the platform’s online communication tool. Furthermore, 100 mentally challenged people will be involved in our awareness campaign whose purpose is to make the general public acquainted with mental health disorders by combating myths and stereotypes in regard to mental illness.
Summary of project results
An informal group of 15 persons with psycho-social disabilities was set up to become the first Romanian informal group of active citizens to raise awareness about the issues this marginalized group fights against. The group has improved their lives and those of the community by implementing 23 civic, education and community actions. The project has not only had an impact on the targeted 165 persons with psycho-social disabilities, but also managed to involve directly relevant actors in the mental health field, working together with the “I decide for myself!” group. Main achievements of the project are: 1 research report for wide public and relevant stakeholders, 1 recommendations’ guide for public authorities and employers, 20 persons with psycho-social disabilities trained in advocacy, communication and legal related topics, 9 trainings on active citizenship, social involvement, civil rights, and anti-discrimination, 23 active citizenship and community involvement actions developed by the members of the online advocacy platform; 1 public debate using the Public Café model, 5 beneficiaries directly involved in the campaign design, 150 persons with psycho-social disabilities involved in the activities of the project, 34 NGOs involved in promoting the advocacy online platform (created for self-representation of the persons with psycho-social disabilities). In Romania, citizens with psycho-social disabilities represent one of the most inactive and least represented groups in front of authorities and the society itself. The project managed to actively involve the “I decide for myself” group in advocacy activities that in the future can lead to a change for the better. The group managed to obtain an official answer from the Romanian Ombudsman about their advocacy action of changing the term “handicap”, which is offensive, with the term “disability” in all the Romanian laws accordingly with the EU regulations. Furthermore, the group raised awareness on their rights to engage at no cost in sports and recreational activities (free entrance in public gyms, pools, museums etc.) not only towards other persons with disabilities, but also towards local and central public authorities, which are actually the enforcers of these rights but most of them didn’t know that such a regulation exists.
Summary of bilateral results