"You and I together", in Soufli

A special event was organized in Thrace, in the framework of the Youth Engagement Scheme (YES) of Child & Adolescent Mental Health Initiative, in its second year of operation. Alongside the 5 Adolescent Advisory Groups that operated in the 5 cities where CAMHI Hub Centres exist, this action was planned to take place at the Soufli High School, which is attended by both Muslim and Christian students. Entitled "Me and You Together" this event allowed a group of children, with different religions and mother tongues, to explore together issues of identity, and social integration as well as their emotions, and relationships, through games and improvisations, using theatre techniques. The action was coordinated by the animator Lia Voulgaridou in close cooperation with Soufli school teachers and a CAMHI psychologist.

The action included 7 meetings in Soufli and one in Alexandroupolis, that took place in early April, at the art space 'Art Attack'. There the Soufli group met with the members of the YES Teenage Advisory Group of Alexandroupolis, got to know each other better, and presented short theatrical sketches that the children had prepared themselves. Then they did improvisations, games, and free discussions together. The whole meeting had a festive character, with predominant feelings of joy and satisfaction. Children, initially unknown to each other, played, got to know each other, exchanged different experiences, ate together, created sketches, and demonstrated in practice ways in which teenagers can cooperate and communicate, overcoming differences, prejudices, and stereotypes. This activity highlighted the importance for all children, especially for groups of children with different languages, religions and backgrounds, to learn to co-exist, communicate and share dreams, joys, worries, difficulties and perspectives.

The action in Soufli and, more broadly, YES, is part of the Global Health Initiative (GHI) of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). GHI comprises a multidimensional set of projects, supported exclusively by SNF, with the aim of improving access to healthcare for all.