A follow-up project focused on increasing knowledge, reducing stigma, and creating more openness around mental health on Curaçao, with special attention to neighbourhoods and communities. It built on earlier work with Mental Health First Aid and aimed to make mental health more discussable and more recognizable in everyday life.
Thinking about mental health complaints and disorders on Curaçao is still often influenced by stigma and misunderstanding. Because of this, mental health problems frequently remain unspoken, and people may seek help only at a late stage. After the introduction of Mental Health First Aid in an earlier project, this follow-up focused on expanding knowledge and openness in society, especially in neighbourhoods and communities.
When stigma shapes how people think about mental health, problems remain hidden for longer. That means less openness, more delay in help-seeking, and fewer supportive conversations in daily life.
This project responded by working at neighbourhood level, helping make the conversation around mental health more accessible and less burdened by shame or misunderstanding.
The project focused on reducing stigma around psychological disorders and increasing knowledge about mental health among a broad audience. By creating more openness, it aimed to improve recognition, lower barriers, and support a more understanding environment.
Make mental health problems easier to recognize so people and professionals can respond earlier and more appropriately.
Encourage more open dialogue about mental health so that psychological vulnerability becomes easier to discuss in society.
Reduce thresholds that prevent people from seeking support and contribute to a more supportive environment for people with psychological vulnerability.
The project worked at neighbourhood level on destigmatization and awareness. It used tools and methods that had already been successfully applied in the Netherlands and adapted them to the local Caribbean context.
A campaign was used to increase general awareness and understanding around mental health in a more accessible and visible way.
Low-threshold information sessions were organized in neighbourhoods, making it easier to talk about mental health close to people’s everyday lives.
Existing interventions were adapted to the local Caribbean context, while organizations and professionals from the field worked together to support the project.
The project contributed to greater awareness around mental health on Curaçao and helped strengthen the network of organizations working on destigmatization and early recognition.
By bringing activities closer to people in their neighbourhoods, the project helped make mental health a more approachable topic. That shift matters because awareness and recognition are often the first step toward earlier support and a more caring social environment.
This page is based on the project description and overview text provided in the project document.
It forms part of a broader development in which destigmatization, early recognition, and recovery-oriented collaboration gradually became stronger building blocks for the Green Recovery Space.