Spain
participants
The primary objective of the activity was to heighten awareness regarding mental health challenges, with a particular emphasis on the young population and exchange moblity scenarios. The occasion for this initiative was the World Mental Health Day.
Spill the tea is our "social coffee", we created this project which is usually repeated two mondays a month. It consists of bringing different topics of society or cultural concerns to the table and generating a safe space where young people, both volunteers, international students and some local people, can share ideas, debate and generate a footprint in society.
This activity always takes place at La Perrera ("dog shelter" in Spanish, because it was a Dog Shelter before) which is a sociocultural centre of the Town Hall of Bilbao were many youth activities take place, both for local and international young people.
We open these activities to local young people as well as we like to invite other associations or institutions to participate with us in order to increase our impact through collaboration and count with the point of view of people who are more experts than us on the topic.
In commemoration of World Mental Health Day on October 10th, we organized a presentation with a specific focus on various mental health issues, giving particular attention to the challenges experienced by international students and young individuals. This presentation also offered practical advice on promoting mental well-being, disease prevention, and information about available support services.
We were privileged to collaborate with professional psychologists from the AVIFES non-profit association, an organization renowned for its active engagement in mental health advocacy in Biscay and its substantial cadre of young volunteers.
The presentation, skillfully crafted by AVIFES, featured English text on the screen, with bilingual explanations provided (with the help of our volunteers) in both English and Spanish to ensure accessibility. After the presentation, we conducted a question-and-answer session, followed by an open discussion where participants had the opportunity to share their experiences and concerns about mental health.
We are particularly pleased with the positive feedback received, affirming the event's utility and the impact it had on the audience.
