Benidorm’s Mental Health Week Starts Today With Events Across the City
Benidorm's Mental Health Week gets underway today, with a programme of films, talks, activities and personal stories designed to raise awareness and challenge the stigma surrounding mental health.
The four-day programme begins on Monday 5 October and continues until Thursday, with this year's events putting a particular focus on the experiences of people who have gone through mental health diagnosis and recovery.
The opening event takes place at 11am today in Benidorm Town Hall, with a screening of the documentary Beckett y el rinoceronte blanco, followed by a discussion involving actor Miguel Such.
Tuesday will see professionals from psychiatry, psychology and social work come together for a round-table discussion looking at mental health within the community and the importance of social connections.
Wednesday's programme includes a special radio broadcast, an adapted chair-yoga session at La Torreta Social Centre and awareness sessions at local schools.
The week will finish on Thursday with one of the most personal events in the programme.
Four people who use mental-health services in Benidorm will share their own experiences during a session titled “Rewriting My Story After Diagnosis: The Human Network That Supports Me.”
Organisers say the aim is to give people with lived experience a stronger voice while showing that recovery is possible and that support from family, friends and the wider community can play an important role.
The programme is being organised by Benidorm Town Hall together with local organisations and services working in the mental-health sector.
Although World Mental Health Day falls on 10 October, Benidorm has brought its main programme forward to encourage greater participation.
There is also another major event already planned for next month.
AFEM has announced Benidorm's first Solidarity March for Mental Health, which will take place on 15 November.
The three-kilometre route will start at Elche Park at 9am and will be open to the public, with organisers aiming to make it accessible and inclusive.
For Benidorm, the week's events are intended not only to raise awareness but also to encourage people to talk more openly about mental health and reduce the stigma that can surround it.
