Did you know that we all have incalculable potential to develop our skills and our own humanity for the benefit of others? Learn about the project launched by the Delegation of the Philippines to enhance the skills of people living with a mental illness.
My name is Sindhu Nesamma and I am a Sister Hospitaller from India. Last July, I completed my studies in Psychology and I am currently involved in the mission in Trivandrum (India) at the Benedict Menni Psychosocial Rehabilitation Centre.
For some time, we wanted to launch a new project that would integrate all the members of the Hospitaller Community while, at the same time, promoting the rehabilitation of our residents: women living with a mental illness.
That moment arrived this year when we began preparing celebrations for World Mental Health Day. We wanted to create something different, a new way of engaging with each other. The sisters and collaborators met to design strategies to follow and define the project’s goals as an ongoing and reviewable initiative. From this collaboration we came up with the idea of a project that would enhance the skills and values of each member of this small Hospitaller Community, despite our inherent differences and vulnerabilities.
Fun rehabilitation
Finally, the idea came together in the form of a theatre group, a dance troupe, and a music group. Each group consists of sisters, collaborators, and residents. Our first show was 10th October, World Mental Health Day. In preparation, the different groups organised their schedules and rehearsals (creating a buzz around the centre), and the inherent skills in each of us began to show. We learned that we could forge new ties, assume new responsibilities, break communication barriers down, combat resistance to change, boost creativity and socialisation, and become more resilient. In these groups, institutional roles became obsolete, replaced by new bonds of companionship and sisterhood. Frustration decreases and, most importantly, an atmosphere of happiness, determination, and teamwork is created.
In addition to discovering and developing skills and talents through creativity, this project aims to achieve four specific objectives:
1. To develop a sense of optimism based on the idea that “I can do more than I think”;
2. To promote teamwork, while respecting the preferences of each member of the group. To create an atmosphere of collaboration and openness to others’ ideas, even when they differ from our own;
3. To create a routine that encourages individual responsibility and organisation on a daily basis;
4. To create an environment of peacefulness and wellbeing that enables those suffering from mental illness to experience a playful and festive approach to rehabilitation and reintegration.
This project will last one year, ending in October 2022. Each group will deliver a monthly performance and the results will be assessed every three months.
We can confirm that the first performance was a positive, beautiful, and motivating experience, allowing us to see each person express their creative talent in amazing and engaging ways, demonstrating that we can improve our abilities. Mental illness, no matter how chronic, does not diminish our social skills if we are able to exercise them. The eagerness of our residents to work in groups with collaborators and sisters is remarkable. The project clearly gives them life, energy, and motivation. We want to encourage these types of activities to promote their rehabilitation and social integration by showcasing their best qualities. That is what we learned from our great teacher, St. Benedict Menni.
