Reflections...by Isabel

Art for more is giving me the opportunity to be in touch with Greek social services and the surrounding social reality. At the same time, I learn more about the culture, the people, the human relations, the customs that give me a more general view of this city, of what the social services are, and of the local community’s conception of its own culture.

My experience in Spain is different from the one that I am having here, and for that, greatly enriching. Back in my country, things work in a more organized and more bureaucratic way. Here, everything works slower and I have the feeling that this is more human, as people have kept a closer contact to each other, almost like it happens in small villages. In Spain, I sometimes feel that the social services work, but in a mechanical way.

On the other hand, concerning mental health in Greece, I have realized that it is still invisible to the eyes of the society. It is not a conscious problem, and therefore people forget and isolate mental health service users and mental health as a whole. Economic resources are limited and human resources are there but…unemployed! The society continues ignoring this problem and even families attitude are affected turning them also to the ignoring-solution.

Thanks to the Future Capital and to these few people that are motivated and are helping us, the processes are easier for us especially since we are foreigners. We are trying to contribute something to this isolated and forgotten minority. Certainly it is a small step, because we cannot change the whole reality with our hands, but with small actions we are offering an extra granite of sand that promotes the way of the change. We hope that the results will be satisfactory not just for us but also for the "special" people with who we cooperate and work. Hopefully, our activities will play, even a small role, in the sensitization of the local community.

We are not considering ourselves as heroes. We simply think that through our will, time, knowledge and personalities, we will learn a lot in the social field and mental health but at the same time, promote the de-stigmatization of one of the most forgotten minorities. Our opinion is that nobody should be invisible and everyone should have equal opportunities because we may be different but still equal.

Thankfully, there are still motivated people that believe in this change. People that are sweating behind the scenes and that never run out of good will and strength. This makes our work easier and more significant as we know we are not alone and also that everything is possible.

Isabel