A workshop is being held in Pavlikeni to build “Meeting and Support Places” under the Equicares project

On June 17, a workshop was held at the Bacho Kiro Primary School in Pavlikeni to build local spaces for conversation, trust and support on mental health topics. The event is part of the activities under Work Package 3 of the international EQUICARES project, in which Center Amalipe is a partner from Bulgaria.

The meeting was attended by about 14–15 representatives of the local community, educational mediators, specialists and stakeholders. The main goal was to discuss with the people on the ground the real needs, difficulties and opportunities for creating more accessible support close to the community.

During the workshop, the idea of ​​the local spaces “Meetings and Support” was presented. They are conceived as calm and accessible places where people can talk about stress, worries, tension, difficulties in the family, school and everyday life, without fear of judgment or stigma.

The participants discussed what the main barriers to seeking help are. Among them were the lack of sufficient information, distrust of institutions, fear of different treatment, difficult access to specialists and the feeling that the topic of mental health often remains distant and incomprehensible to people.

The topic of stigma towards mental health was also touched upon in the conversation. Participants shared that the very separation of specialists and the strong association of the topic only with psychiatry sometimes makes people afraid to seek help. Therefore, it is important to speak more clearly that mental health support can start much earlier – through conversation, consultation, referral, a trusted person, mediator or psychologist.

Special attention was also paid to men in the community. They are often expected to be “strong”, not to show their concerns and always cope on their own. During the meeting, it was emphasized that men also have emotional and psychological difficulties and that seeking help is not a weakness, but a normal human need.

Participants also noted that informal support in the community is important, but not always sufficient. Neighbors, relatives and acquaintances may be the first people someone shares with, but they are not always the most appropriate channel for support. Sometimes a person needs to be referred to a specialist, mediator, school, social service or other reliable form of help.

Special attention was paid to the role of the school, mediators and local specialists as the first points of trust. They are often the people the community turns to first when there is a problem, question or need for guidance.

The meeting gathered ideas on how “Meetings and Support” could be useful in Pavlikeni and the surrounding settlements. Participants suggested that these spaces include conversations with parents and young people, the participation of psychologists and mediators, the provision of understandable information, as well as better communication between the community, school, institutions and available services.

The workshop showed that the topic of mental health can be raised in an accessible and human way when the conversation starts from the real experience of people. In the EQUICARES project, the community is not just a recipient of support, but an active participant in the search for solutions.

The meeting held in Pavlikeni is the next step in the development of EQUICARES activities in Bulgaria. The ideas and feedback collected will help plan future meetings, information activities and local initiatives within the framework of “Meetings and Support” in the municipalities of Pavlikeni and Strazhitsa.