The Uniform of Hope campaign is a call to action that uses 28 high-profile athletes to act as role models for mental health, breaking down stigma, and encouraging open dialogue by encouraging young people to share their stories.
Under the auspices of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, Religion and Sports and the Hellenic Olympic Committee, the National Awareness Campaign on the mental health of young people in Greece begins today, July 16, and lasts for three months with the Mental Health Ambassador Tatiana Blatnik and Breathe Hellas.
The Uniform of Hope campaign is a call to action that uses 28 high-profile athletes to act as role models for mental health, breaking down stigma, and encouraging open dialogue by encouraging young people to share their stories.
The “Uniform of Hope” campaign transforms the athlete’s uniform into a symbol of mental health and wellness. With optimistic messages in favor of mental fortitude.
Through the campaign, under the leadership of Breathe Hellas organization, from July 16th to October 10th, all over Greece, videos, photos and messages will be displayed on the internet. With the support of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, the campaign aims to make Greece a pioneer in mental health and prevention.
Minister of Health Adonis Georgiadis, Deputy Minister of Mental Health Dimitrios Vartzopoulos and President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee and member of the International Olympic Committee participated in the official presentation organized by the Hellenic Olympic Committee and Breathe Hellas at the Panathenaic Stadium. Committee, Spyros Kapralos.
Tatyana Blatnik, founder of Breathe Hellas, emphasized: “Today we are together to illuminate another side of strength: mental strength and not only physical strength.
Today, with this campaign, we strive to highlight the importance of sensitivity and vulnerability, to create communities where everyone can freely express their feelings and share their stories. Our goal is for people to feel safe and get the help they need and when they need it. As Greece prepares for the 2024 Summer Olympics, it’s a great time to support the heroes of Greek sport and celebrate victory against the odds. We hope that just as the Olympic torch is passed from athlete to athlete, our campaign will inspire more people and communities to join our efforts to end mental health and stigma. This is an open invitation to athletes from Greece to join our project.”
Referring to this initiative, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis said that the ministry will present the relevant documents on Friday. its Mental Health Act. “People have been trying to hide mental illness for years. They are diseases like all other diseases. They need proper treatment,” said the Minister of Health, adding that in the campaign, “athletes unite their voices by talking about their mental difficulties and raise awareness among young people suffering from mental illness.” Good luck in your endeavors, we will have our support, he concluded.
The campaign features personal interviews recorded in May 2024 where athletes and coaches share their stories, both triumphs and challenges. They talk about defining moments, share their strengths and weaknesses, and describe the strategies they use for good mental health alongside physical exercise.
Deputy Minister of Mental Health Dimitrios Vartzopoulos stated that we need a civil society that offers voluntary work outside the state structure. “One of the biggest problems with mental illness is stigma. It is that young children who are sick realize that they can be helped and seek help for mental illnesses together with their parents.”
The President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee and member of the International Olympic Committee, Spiros Kapralos, said that we are here today, at the Panathenaic Stadium, “to bring mental health into the spirit of the Olympic Games, 10 days before the athletes start competing. Olympic efforts Paris Games”. In sports competitions there are emotions like pressure, anxiety and fear and therefore athletes and all young people need psychological support, he added and concluded: “Athletes are here to break taboos by taking part in this campaign and we hope that the message reaches its target”.
The campaign material will be gradually published over the next three months and will be available everywhere in Greece, as well as online, with the aim of creating an experiential experience that is accessible, meaningful and interesting at the same time. In Greece, the Breathe with Hellas campaign, designed primarily to raise awareness of mental health among young people, is a powerful tool in combating mental health stigma. The first material was published by Breathe Hellas on July 16 on the platforms YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and on the website www.breathehellas.com.
Many of the athletes and coaches involved in the campaign are members of the Greek Olympic Team that will travel to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games and have attended and participated in the event.
The full list of participants includes Alexandros Ginnis, Emilia Ephraimoglou, Alexandra Ephraimoglou, Alexis Pappas, Anni Pantazis, Antonis Tsapatakis, Demi Nikolaidis, Dimitris Itoudis, Dravis Goudiou Bourousi, Ioannis Fundoulis, P. Maria Polyzou, Nikoleta Kiriakopoulou, Nora Drakou, Patrick Mouratoglou, Polychroni Tzortzakis , Stelios Malakopoulos, Takis Khouri, Thodori Iakovidis, Vasiliki Millousi and Vasiliki Pleuritou.
Alexandros Kambouroglou, Director of Donations at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), noted that the Foundation supports this effort to raise awareness of mental health among young people. “We hope that the campaign will be successful and that the message will reach as many people as possible, because all people have needs, goals and limitations.”
President of Health Policy Institute Kyriakos Souliotis said greetings at the event, saying that 20% of young people in our country have difficulty finding something positive in their lives and Dr. Lilly Peppou, scientific advisor of Breathe Hellas and coordinator of the Department of Social Psychiatry and Psychosocial Care, Research Institute of Mental Health, Neurosciences and Precision Medicine, Kostas Stefanis University.
The campaign was developed as a necessary “response” to the global increase in depression, stress and anxiety, and focuses on the increasing prevalence of these unpleasant conditions among young people in Greece. The Unit of Hope campaign aims to promote self-care and community-based primary care mental health practices, while promoting exercise as a preventive measure recognized as key to preventing serious mental conditions. From 2021, the mental health tools provided by Breathe Hellas are available online at www.breathehellas.com.
The campaign is under the auspices of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Religion and Sports, Hellenic Olympic Committee, and the Institute of Mental Health, Neurosciences and Precision Medicine of “Kostas Stefanis” University.
The production and promotion of the campaign is supported by donations from the Greek Initiative, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), the Stelios Foundation and the Petroheilos Foundation under the SNF Global Health Initiative.