Presentation of the Erasmus Plus project ” Prometheas “
Chios Marine Club hosted its August annual gathering for members and friends last Thursday at the Grecian Castle Hotel, just off Bella Vista, in the capital of Chios.
This year’s event successfully combined the reunion supporters in their place of origin with news of the progress of the Erasmus Plus project “Prometheas” in which our club has long been participating in collaboration with IDEC SA, a training consultancy based in Piraeus.
The event was graced with the presence of the minister of Immigration and asylum Mr Notis Mitarakis; the vice-regional governor of North Aegean in the tourism and social care sector Mr Nikolaos Nyktas; the vice-regional governor of North Aegean in the e-government sector Mr Pantelis Bournias; the commander of the Deck Officers Merchant Marine Academy of Oinousses Mr Dimitrios Kloumasis; Radm (Rt HCG) Stavros Michaelidis, president of PES AEN Chios; Mr Anargyros Hatzelenis, the president of PES SPF (Seamen’s Pension Fund) of Chios Mr. Stylianos Koumbias; the president of Pensioners SPF of Vrontados City, Mr Zacharias Kyladitis; Mr Michalis Pariaros (Cosmos Training Center /Chios) and the president of EVAT (Union of Vrontadousians of Attica) Mr Ioannis Gialas.
The president of the club, Capt Antonis Pitsilos, introduced the event on the subject of the Prometheas project which addresses the mental health of seafarers. Then Mr Aris Chronopoulos – president of IDEC took the floor along with his associate, project manager Mrs Irini Gotsi, delivering an excellent paper.
The PROmoting project MEntal HEalth at Sea , as is the full name of the Prometheas project , had from the beginning the aim of supporting merchant shipping and the shipping industry. It focused on developing a training programme and learning resources to be used by shipping companies for their seafarers to maintain and improve their mental health. Mr Chronopoulos outlined issues arising from mental health difficulties and detailed that he has already offered trainees the necessary information and advice to deal with these problems.
The main target group of the Prometheas project is merchant marine captains and engineers, cadets and seafares. Additional beneficiaries will be mental health and anti-bullying trainers, vocational education and training centres and sector consultants, as well as maritime academies and shipping companies. The programme is in its final stages, since it will be completed with its pilot application in mid-September 2022 with the participation of 150 Greek seafarers.
“Chios Marine Club has developed in recent years very good cooperation in the field of European programmes. Through these we enrich our know-how and develop an outward orientation as an Association”, added Capt Antonis Pitsilos.
The presentation was followed by light food and drink, live music and singing by Ms. Gianna Fafaliou.
Photo material from the event can be found on the club’s Facebook page :
https://www.facebook.com/chiosmarineclub/ and on the Club’s website: www.chiosmarineclub.gr
The president of Chios Marine Club, Capt Pitsilos and its board of directors, expressed heartfelt thanks to all the participants, wished them well in their continuing activities, and looked forward to meeting them again next year!
