South Jeolla-Gwangju Integrated Special City has designated Oct. 10-24 as Mental Health Promotion Week to coincide with Mental Health Day on Oct. 10, with cultural events and awareness campaigns planned throughout the period.
This year's events are organized around the theme "Face It — Mental Health Begins When You Face It," aimed at fostering a social environment in which residents can take care of their own mental well-being in daily life.
The city is hosting the events jointly with the Gwangju-South Jeolla Regional Mental Health Welfare Center, with participation from 27 local mental health welfare centers and seven addiction management and support centers.
A commemorative ceremony will be held Friday at 2 p.m. at the main conference room of the integrated city's Gwangju office.
The first part of the ceremony will include a mayoral commendation for individuals who have dedicated themselves to mental health and suicide prevention, followed by a celebratory performance by pop-opera group Chin Chin Classic.
In the second part, Park Jae-yeon, director of the Replus Human Research Institute, will deliver a special lecture titled "The Freedom That Comes When You Face Your Emotions."
Outside the venue, information programs on alcohol and other addiction disorders will run alongside promotional activities for the city's mental health programs across different life stages.
Campaigns and events to raise awareness of mental health will be held across South Jeolla Province and Gwangju.
An exhibition of works by people with mental illness will run from Thursday through Oct. 15 at CM Art Hall in Dong-gu. On Oct. 14, a "Psychology × Music Concert" blending psychology and the arts will be held at Bitgoeul Citizens' Culture Hall in Nam-gu.
Additional events are planned by district and city: a talk concert in Gwangsan-gu, a music talk concert in Yeosu, a public lecture in Suncheon, an addiction-recovery project in Dong-gu, and walking campaigns in Naju, Gurye, Haenam, Yeongam and Wando.
sij@heraldcorp.com
