"Mind the Mind" from the inside

We asked one of our new Local Coordinators for a quick interview! His name is Jan and he studies at the medical faculty in the Czech town - Brno. Jan is an example of the connection between psychology students and medicine students in our campaign.

1. Why did you decide to get involved into a psychological campaign?

I felt that there is a lack of psychology projects in my home non-governmental organization of medical students called International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA). Furthermore, I am interested in psychology and miss this opportunity to practically use psychological knowledge during my medical studies. Plus, I perceive psychology as one of the most important subjects in medical education, because we treat people not diseases.

2. How do you feel in your role of Local Coordinator?

It is a great experience. Passing my enthusiasm to others is kind of natural for me. What I learn are the practical skills: organization, time management etc. I am glad to be part of such a great people network.

3. What do you think is the crucial point of a cooperation with your co-LC's?

In my opinion it is communication and sharing our ideas and motivation. We know each other well when it comes to our talents and interests. That's why we work effective, using our strong skills. The respect and willingness to do something more is also the reason why I feel so comfortable in our team.

4. What is your current situation in Brno? How many volunteers/workshops do you have?

We are finishing a preparation phase and soon we will deliver our first workshop. By this day we have about 8 high school workshops and at least 5 workshops we want to perform at a university. Together we sustain 35 people and 20 of us passed training, which enables them to deliver workshops.

We also organize a public event called "Strhni nálepku" ("Get rid of"), where people with mental illness discuss their ordinary lives. There will also be an exhibition "Příběhy bláznovství" and also our university professor will speak about the proper language, that should be used to destigmatize. We wish for the big number of visitors, ideally about 300.

5. What do you think is the message of Mind the Mind?

If we generally like people, we don't need the evidence to show mercy and understanding for their problems. The negative X-ray image is not the reason why we should treat people suffering with a mental disorder differently. We are all humans. We all have problems. We are NOT ALONE.

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