Projects

COL.D.D – Cold water swimming for the prevention of Dementia and Depression

Cold Water Swimming for the Prevention of Dementia and Depression project aims to explore the existing methods of cold water exposure, synthesizing the main, most significant, and most promising methods.

WELL@SME: MENTAL WELLBEING IN SMEs

The “WELL@SME: Mental Wellbeing in SMEs” project responds to the specific needs of employees and managers/owners of SMEs by designing and making available tailor-made resources, tools and strategies to prevent and contrast work-related stress and negative mental health impact of working conditions. The project aims to create and develop a flexible learning offers aiming to promote positive mental health in the workplace adapted to the specific learning needs of owners and employees of SMEs. The project integrates an array of different digital learning tools, thus supporting the strengthening / acquisition of digital skills among learners.

The expected tangible result of the project is a set of complementary resources to support SMEs owners, line managers and employees to prevent and tackle mental health issues in the workplace through information, education and implementation of practice.

The project has a built-in integrated approach which is based on: protective measures, reduction of risk factors, mental health literacy (MHL).

The tools correspond to the following Project Results:

Database of best practices of health and wellbeing interventions in the workplace:

a publicly available and multi-lingual data base that provides a searchable repository of practices, policies and lessons learned in relation to effective promotion of mental health in the workplace applied in the context of SMEs. Users will be able to filter by action areas, implementation activities, sectors and themes, language, and by regions and countries. The aim of this tool is to provide users (primarily: Human Resources Managers, SMEs associations, mental health practitioners, policy and decision makers) practical examples complemented with suitable tools that can be transferred in their context.

WELL@SME web-based programme:

self-directed e-learning course targeting employees and managers of SMEs and aimed to support the acquisition of skills which will improve their mental well-being in the workplace. This is an accessible tool for any interested company / employees to start a process to create a more positive and healthier environment, thus supporting an improvement in job satisfaction, retention and productivity.

WELL@SME podcasts for SMEs owners: 

a podcast series where experts and/or SMEs owners from the different countries involved in the project will be interviewed to discuss and provide suggestions to SMEs owners about how to recognize signs of poor mental health and what they could do to respond or to prevent them.

Methodology for the creation of a network of companies concerned with mental-health of their employees:

the result is a methodological framework on how to engage stakeholders from different levels around the issue of mental health in the workplace in SMEs involving companies, associations of SMEs, mental health and social practitioners, organizations working in the field of health and safety at work, educators, NGOs etc.

Website: WELL@SME – MENTAL WELLBEING IN SMEs (mentalhealth4work.eu)

Inter-Active Living for Mental Health - “InALMH” Project

OBJECTIVES:

The Inter-Active Living for Mental Health (InALMH) project aims

to contribute towards the development of an upgrated Policy Framework in the form of Recommendations for EU Guidelines for the use of Sport/PE on Mental Health and

to create an Interactive Platform (IP) for the collection, the organisation and the dissemination of information concerning the PE Practices providing free access to all interested parties and individuals together with the enhancement for the development of new practices. The IP is a structured WEB space that includes - a Digital Library where the evolutions and updates related to the wider area of Active Living for Mental Health would be hosted and communicated - an innovative Practices' Generator Tool (IT application) in order to enhance and promote the actual use of Sport and Physical Exercise for the benefit of the Mental Health by generating new customised practices. - a User’s Online Forum for the mobilization and participatory involvement of professionals and stakeholders of the two fields.

OUTPUTS

1. Data collection on the existing policy background – List of policies

2. Drafting Recommendations on EU Guidelines

3. Data collection of ALMH practices – List of practices

4. Interactive Platform in 5 Linguistic Versions

TARGET GROUPS

The target groups of InALMH are - Sport/PE and Mental Health professionals - Sport/PE entities of all sectors - Mental Health organisations and services providers - EU institutions and networks - State and Local authorities / services - Educational Institutions - General public

PROJECT DURATION: 18 months

PARTNERSHIP

ENALMH - Coordinator

University of Thessaly – Trikala,

Greece National & Kapodistrian University of Athens– Athens Greece

Associazione per la Ricerca sulla Salute Mentale e Fisica dell'Anziano (ARISMA) - Bologna, Italy

FOKUS CR- Prague,

Czech Republic Instituto Politécnico do Porto,Health School - Porto, Portugal

Merseyside Expanded Horizons - Liverpool, United Kingdom

Greek Association of Alzheimer - Thessaloniki,

Greece Mental Health Europe, EU Network – Brussels, Belgium

Sport & Citizenship, EU Think Tank - Paris, France

GAMIAN Europe, Global Alliance - Brussels, Belgium.

EVERTON in the community - Liverpool, United Kingdom

OVERVIEW:

ASAL - “Advanced Skills for Active Living” is a project funded by the ERASMUS+ Sport Programme, which is implemented in Greece, Italy, Spain, Czech Republic and Belgium. The project is part of an overall strategy which utilizes physical exercise and sport activities in the field of Mental Health. Based on the results of two very relevant initiatives, i.e. “MENS” (Mental European Network of Sport Events) and “EVENTS” (European Voluntary Events for Therapy through Sports), ASAL adds the training/ educational component to this strategy.
Its basic aim is to train professionals from the field of Sports Science and Physical Activity to develop skills needed in order to be able to engage and work in structures that target population with mental health illnesses, by providing high quality services and assisting the therapeutic process. The project has the following objectives:

Website: https://asalproject.eu

MENS Project - MENTAL EUROPEAN NETWORK of SPORT EVENTS

The core target of MENS project is to develop strong European institutional procedures for the specific contribution of sports and physical exercise to the prevention, therapy and rehabilitation regarding Mental Health field. Within this frame main objectives of the project are:

-The development of a documented and evidence based approach of the use of sports and physical exercise in the treat of mental illness (12 Policy papers)

-The establishment of a European Mental Health Sports Network

- The public awareness on the necessity of a new specific approach on the conjunction of Sport with Mental Health within the EU wide Awareness Campaign “Life is like a bike”.

EVENTS Project - EUROPEAN VOLUNTEER EVENTS for THERAPY through SPORTS

EVENTS Project aims to develop strong institutional procedures for the specific contribution of sport and physical exercise to the prevention, therapy and rehabilitation of mental health service users at european level within the overall Active Living  context. The core activity is the implementation of the 3-day 1^st  European Sport & Physical Exercise pilot Event for Mental Health in September 2018 in Athens, Greece, as the first step towards its adaptation as an institution. Innovative aspects of the 1^st European Sport & Physical Exercise Event for Mental Health pilot Event for Mental Health:

-Mixed participation of population with or without mental disorders

-Combination of Sport and Physical Activities

-No competitive concerns among the participants

-The assessment of participation impact and the utilization of the results in therapeutic processes

-Multiple choices activities instead of strictly structured sport programmes.

-Direct relation with the natural environment instead of activities that can be implemented only in sport premises