For families supporting a child with physical or cognitive difficulties or an older relative with dementia, the right care can make the difference between coping and feeling alone. With the launch of MINDFUL in Taranto on 30–31 October 2025, partners from Greece and Italy are working together to design more inclusive, person-centred support for people with cognitive or physical difficulties and the caregivers who stand beside them.
At the BAC – Nuovo Parco delle Arti e della Musica, the Local Health Authority of Taranto hosted the kick-off meeting of MINDFUL – Mental health INnovation for Diversity, Fostering Universal Living, a cross-border project co-funded by the Interreg VI-A Greece–Italy 2021–2027 Programme. The event marked the official start of a shared effort to rethink how communities on both sides of the Ionian Sea approach mental health, autonomy and social inclusion in everyday life.
Rather than adding another layer of theory, MINDFUL will focus on what happens in real places, with real people. In Maruggio (Taranto), a new recreational therapy hub will offer indoor and outdoor activities designed to help children and young people with disabilities build confidence, autonomy and social connections in a welcoming, natural environment. In Corfu and Western Greece, partners will test community-based care models for people living with dementia, bringing support closer to home and making it easier for families to access guidance, respite and specialised services.
Guided by the principles of cooperation and shared responsibility, partners from both sides of the Ionian Sea – Fondazione Vanni Longo (Italy), Cohesion Network 2Gether (Greece), General Hospital of Corfu (Greece) and Frodizo (Greece) – met in Taranto, with the participation of members of the Joint Secretariat, to pursue a long-term goal: leaving tools, methods and services that strengthen communities’ capacity to care.
