Le istituzioni locali e il mondo associativo per la costruzione di una rete in materia di cooperazione, cultura di pace, integrazione multietnica, promozione dei diritti umani e della solidarietà fra i popoli.
Rome to Peking by train? Are you mad?
“Rome to Peking by train? Are you mad?" is the slogan of an extraordinary journey to Parolympics Games of 2008 in Peking for 250 people including people with mental disorders, their families, voluntaries and health care local administration workers’. This unusual group will leave Rome on the 8th of August, will stop in Bologna and Venezia and it will arrive in Peking on the 28th of August.
The journey has been organized by Anpis (National Association for social integration) and “Parole Ritrovate” with the sponsorship of Health Care Ministry. Last year another similar but sailing journey was organized by “Parole ritrovate” and Mental Healt Care Services of Trento.
Fight against prejudices and mental diseases- However this year the aim´s trip is different. In fact it would represent the occasion to overturn the prejudices against mental disorders and demonstrate that “doing together”, with the partecipation of disabled persons, their families and voluntaries, is possible.
It’s also funny and creative. In fact during this long tour through Austria, Hungary, Ukraine, Russian, Mongolian and China, the passengers of the train will write a “Log book” which will collect all the thoughts, images, photos, and experiences thanks also to the collaboration of a journalist and a photographer.
There will be also a radiofonic version of the experience: 5 minutes a day it will be possible to hear the adventures of the group on the radio.
Moreover in Mosca, Ula Bator and Budapest the passengers of the train will participate at international meetings on the mental health care.
So this long tour has the aim to fight against prejudices, and also mental diseases.
The journey- The cost of the journey has been 4.000 euro per person and one part of it has been already paid by the people themselves (500 euro per person), another part by sponsors, foundations, companies and administration, without forgetting the special discount of Trenitalia (Italian train service).
At the end, a documentary with all the adventures and episodes will be realized by the associations involved. The aim is again to demonstrate that overpass prejudices and mental diseases is possible thanks to integration, autonomy and respect of the others.
