English 
Sessions to educate and raise awareness about the prevention of mental illness among upper secondary school students in the cities of Naples, Palermo, Padua, Lecce and Lamezia Terme.
Progetto Itaca Naples, with the support of Enel Cuore, the non-profit branch of the Enel Group, in collaboration with the Municipality of Naples, the Mental Health Department of the Naples 1 Local Health Authority and Luigi Vanvitelli University, will hold a round table titled ‘A Community for Mental Health’ on Tuesday, 1 March 2022, at 4 pm.
It will be a chance to discuss the need to build an educative community focused on mental health and, to that end, to get schools, healthcare services, local entities and the voluntary sector involved. The event will also include a screening of the short film titled Questa Volta Muovo Io (This Time I’m Moving), produced by Progetto Itaca Naples and Enel Cuore, realized by Progetto Itaca Naples, based on a screenplay Emanuela Zincone and directed by Mario Sposito.
Progetto Itaca, a foundation that promotes and coordinates the operations of 15 regional associations, has been active in the promotion of mental health in schools since 2000, with tens of thousands of students at hundreds of Italian establishments involved over the years, and dozens of professional psychiatrists, volunteers and social workers engaged in educational sessions in the third and fourth years of secondary school. The goal is to ‘inform to prevent’, in which prevention, when collective, becomes a cornerstone to mental serenity and a full, satisfying life for youths who are grappling with psychological issues.
According to a study published in October 2021, commissioned by the Council of the Italian Order of Psychologists (CNOP), which consulted over 5,600 Italian therapists, the number of minors under 18 years old in psychotherapy increased by 31% compared to the year prior.
Mental health disorders often have their onset in adolescence, especially in contexts and conditions that are conducive to their appearance. Due to the lack of detailed, up-to-date information, they often go unrecognized or underestimated for long periods of time, and there is a lack of access to treatments that would be effective in the majority of cases. Moreover, prejudices about mental illness abound, thereby isolating those who suffer from them, making the path to mental wellbeing even more complicated.
To try to meet this need, we must develop an organic system that meets the mental health needs of young people, with increased economic resources and staff to ensure that treatments and services are widespread, present and timely.
In this context, it is essential to enhance the contribution of those who are already involved in the education of minors, promoting greater awareness and knowledge about mental health topics among families, schools, athletic associations, religious organizations/parishes, and in every educational entity that works with adolescents.
Programme
A Community for Mental Health
Speakers:
Gaetano Manfredi | Mayor of Naples
Maria Filippone | Deputy Mayor and Councillor of Education, Municipality of Naples
Lucia Fortini | Councillor of Social Policy, Region of Campania
Lucio D’Alessandro | Chancellor, Suor Orsola Benincasa University
Felicia Giannotti | Chair, Progetto Itaca Foundation
Angelica Carnelos | General Secretary, Enel Cuore
Fabio Pignatelli della Leonessa | Chair, Itaca Napoli Onlus Project
Andrea Fiorillo | Professor of Psychiatry, Luigi Vanvitelli University, and Chairman of SIPS (Italian Society of Social Psychiatry)
Gaia Sampogna | National Secretary of the Italian Society of Psychiatry (SIP), Youths
Participating in the debate:
Luca Trapanese | Councillor of Social Policy, Municipality of Naples
Luisa Russo | Head of the Department of Mental Health, ASL NA 1 centre
Giuliana D’Avino | Head of the G. Rossini Hoteliers Institute of Naples
Stefano Consiglio | Professor of Corporate Structure and Department Chair of the School of Social Sciences, Federico II University, Naples
Moderator: Mariella Mucci | Deputy Chair, Progetto Itaca Naples
