Πέμπτη 28.03.2024 ΚΕΡΚΥΡΑ

Activities for children and adults by ‘Nikos Moros’ DIMOP and ‘Stirixi’ Society

International Day Against Drug Abuse
24 Ιουνίου 2022 / 19:47

CORFU. On the occasion of the International Day Against Drug Abuse – Priority is given to strengthening mental health.

The serious psychosocial effects of the pandemic have brought to the forefront the urgent need to care for and strengthen everyone's mental health, especially children and vulnerable groups of the population.
 
This is the main focus of the events organised this year by the ‘Nikos Moros’ DIMOP and the 'Stirixi' (Support) Society on the occasion of the International Day Against Drug Abuse. The Central Corfu and Diapontia Islands Mayor and President of the ‘Nikos Moros’ DIMOP Meropi Ydraiou talked today about this issue in a press conference which was held in the presence of DIMOP's Director Annetta Tselenti and the ‘Stirixi’ Society President Spyros Dolianitis.
 
The Mayor thanked Mrs. Tselenti and all the DIMOP staff for their cooperation and contribution, for DIMOP's continuous operation and presence during the pandemic at all levels of social support, as well as for the dialogue, actions and its experiential workshops. She referred in particular to the loneliness and general psychosomatic problems, as a result of the conditions that prevailed during the pandemic and lasted for a long time, and urged people to seek help from specialists, if they wish to, and to take part in the actions and events organised by the ‘Nikos Moros’ DIMOP.
 
Mrs. Ydraiou said that by realising the consequences of the pandemic and seeking help to eliminate them, we can once again be a key part of our society and stressed that DIMOP's actions and events contribute to social harmony and cohesion. “Life is irreplaceable, it is the greatest good we have and we must protect and care for it,” he said.
 
DIMOP's Director Annetta Tselenti said that mental health is vital for society, it is the basis of our daily life and referred to the challenges that DIMOP had to face in order to protect it after the psychologically stressful conditions that were caused during the pandemic. The ‘Stirixi’ Society President Spyros Dolianitis made similar statements as part of his cooperation with the ‘Nikos Moros’ DIMOP. He referred to the Society's organisation of voluntary blood donation, as well as its participation in basketball games, sailing competitions and women’s cricket matches.
 
The reason for holding this year’s events was the need to support and help children and adults who have been severely traumatised to socialise, as recent studies have shown an increase in anxiety, depression, addictions and domestic violence as a result of the pandemic.
 
Mental health is therefore vital for well-being and quality of life and is directly linked to biological, social, economic and environmental factors. It can be at risk under difficult and stressful living, working and economic conditions, from social inequalities, violence and conflict, as well as from overexposure to technology.
 
The pandemic has shown how vulnerable mental health can be. The challenges we all faced, children, young people and adults alike, lead us to change our habits and behaviours in order to manage the stress caused by the pandemic and the negative impact on the environment from modern lifestyle and our personal and collective choices.


 
They lead both us and the institutions to prioritise mental health prevention and care in order to:
 
- Ensure that mental health is an integral part of the response and recovery from the pandemic.
- Address stigma, exclusion and discrimination.
- Advocate and promote financial resources and investments in accessible and quality mental health services.
 
The Corfu Centre for the Prevention of Addiction and Promotion of Psychosocial Health, operating for 25 years through various actions focused on the needs and strengths of individuals, groups and in particular the school, family and community, continues to create conditions for dialogue and strengthening of mental resilience.
 
On 27 June and on 6, 13, 20 and 27 July, the experiential workshop for primary school children will also take place, focusing on strengthening self-esteem.