This Thursday morning, the presentation of the 2024 Solidarity Calendar took place at the headquarters of the 'El Cribo' Association. The mission of this calendar is to showcase the commendable work carried out by entities such as 'El Cribo' and 'Gamas', and to break the stigma of Mental Health.
The presentation was attended by the President of the Gamas Association, Marta Ceñal Pérez, the President of the El Cribo Mental Health Association, Rosa María González Betancort, the Island Director of Education of Lanzarote, Carmen Pellón, the Director of IES Costa Teguise, Octavio López Soto, the Deputy Mayor and Councilor for Tourism of the Teguise City Council, Rita Hernández Callero, the Religion teacher Francisco José Santana Gutiérrez from IES Costa Teguise, two other teachers, Miriam Hernández and Esteban Cabrera, and the 2nd year ESO-2nd year Baccalaureate Religion students from Costa Teguise. In addition, other colleagues from 2nd year of Baccalaureate Humanities and Social Sciences, who intervened in representation were Alba, Miriam, Eduardo, Luis and Manuel, who explained how the calendar work had been carried out and how aware they were of the issue of Mental Health.
This project arises within the educational center motivated by the students themselves with the support of the management, teachers and family members, with the purpose of starting to normalize and talk about Mental Health, to stop considering it a taboo.
"Without Mental Health, There Is No Health!"
These were the words of the President of the 'Gamas' Association, Marta Ceñal Pérez. The main objective of the 'Gamas' Association (Mutual Aid Group of People Affected by Suicide), is the prevention of suicide, making known the previous verbal and behavioral signs, fighting for better Mental Health.
At present it is a "very big problem" that seems to be "invisible" to society in general. "All the participants of the association, in a direct or indirect way, have suffered closely from suicide or attempts", either by a "diagnosed pathology or by extreme situations: such as emotional, economic or social". "We must destigmatize the word suicide in order to prevent it", González stressed.
"We must destigmatize the word suicide in order to prevent it"
Social stigma is one of the "problems" faced by the person with a mental disorder. "The feeling of being singled out, makes the person reject himself (self-stigma), feeling useless and without the right to lead a dignified life like any other person".
Mental health problems have "existed and will continue to exist all their lives but it is their ignorance that is to blame for the fact that for centuries they have been stigmatized, treating them, as we have seen in countless media in a wrong way, as violent", and in the worst of cases, murderers", he points out.
"This society has to stop considering it taboo and start normalizing and talking about mental health and raise awareness among people who suffer from it", because behind a mental problem "there is someone who is suffering and needs our help", he stressed.
Rita Hernández Callero stated that from the town hall they also support "these activities and more from an early age", as they help to "break the taboo that existed for many years" around this important social issue. In addition, committing to young people in these initiatives that make "visible and patent" that we must all work in favor of the mental health of our population in general.
A very "excited" Carmen Pellón, addressed those present, especially the students, to congratulate them for the work carried out. She was "very proud", since in a not very distant stage, she had served as Director of IES Costa Teguise. Now, from the Island Directorate, she will continue to "support" in all those projects in which they are working and have such a "good social impact" as this one.
The 2024 Solidarity calendar is already on sale and the money raised will go to the two associations: 'El Cribo' and 'Gamas'.
