The training program of Merimna”CONNECTIONS – Supporting the School Community in the Shadow of the Pandemic” received the 3rd EU MENTAL HEALTH AWARD 2021!
The EU MENTAL HEALTH AWARD rewards initiatives by local authorities and non-profit organizations active at the national, regional or local level that contribute to preventing, addressing and/or mitigating the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health. The aim is to recognize and encourage local authorities and non-profit organizations that have developed and launched specific activities to support individuals whose mental health has been particularly affected or is at risk of being affected.
Merimna was selected by the European Commission for the project “CONNECTIONS: Supporting the school community in the shadow of the pandemic“, which aims to empower teachers to understand the needs of children and adolescents and to support them competently when they are facing the loss, bereavement or life-threatening illness of a loved one, issues particularly critical during the period of the CIVID-19 pandemic. This program involves the synchronous remote and asynchronous training of primary and secondary school teachers in the country through an online platform created for this purpose.
Eugenia Vathakou, Director and Danai Papadatou, President of the Board of Directors, represented Merimna at the awards ceremony, which took place in Brussels, on May 4, 2022, and where the winners for the first 3 positions (two for each position) were announced. The first place was awarded to the A’ University Psychiatric Clinic of the General Hospital C. Papageorgiou Hospital, Thessaloniki and Rio Neiva from Portugal. Second place went to AFYA – Verein zur intrekulturellen Gesundheitsfondertung from Austria and the French ANEPF – Association Nationale des Etudiants en Pharmacie de France. Third place went to Merimna and the Italian organization APAP – Associazone per lo studio della Asicologia Analitica e della Psicoterapia a orientamento junghiano.
Along with the award, Merimna was also given the sum of 12,000 euros to support its work.
All the organizations that were honored, have implemented excellent initiatives contributing to the improvement of the mental health of populations in the community or country they represent.
A big thumbs up to our team of psychologists who provide their services at the Childhood Bereavement Counseling Centers, in Athens and Thessaloniki, and to all those who contributed, in a climate of excellent cooperation, to the implementation of this program.
Within the framework of this project, which is being implemented since 2021, Merimna will continue with 10 more training cycles for a total of 1,500 teachers from all over Greece, with funding from the “Athena I. Martinou Foundation”. For April, May and June, three training cycles have already been announced and are being conducted. More information about the program and how to participate can be found here :https://merimna.org.gr/epimorfotika-programmata/syn-desmoi/
