A Philosophical Walk Towards New Insights into Mental Health

On Saturday, 7 March, a Philosophical Walk was successfully held as part of the project “Recognise, Accept and Strengthen!”. The activity brought together students at the Youth Center Zadar, from where we set off on a walk through the Voštarnica neighborhood, observing everyday spaces from a different, more reflective perspective. The aim of the walk was to encourage participants to recognize scenes, places, and situations in their surroundings that might remind them of different aspects of mental health and mental health difficulties. Through walking, observation, and conversation, the students looked for connections between what they saw in the environment and concepts related to emotions, challenges, vulnerability, support, and resilience.The special value of this workshop lay in the fact that it enabled students to talk about the important topic of mental health openly, thoughtfully, and without stigma. The Philosophical Walk proved to be an excellent way of connecting everyday life, personal experience, and dialogue, and the participants greatly enriched the activity through their observations and reflections. We would like to thank all the students for their participation, openness, and the seriousness with which they approached this topic. Activities like this are an important step in fostering understanding, empathy, and empowering young people to care for their own mental health and the well-being of their community.