International networks and projects

Mental Health Europe (MHE)

projekt UDENFOR has been a member of the European umbrella organization Mental Health Europe/ Santé Mentale Europe since 1997. The members of MHE are organisations that work with mental healthcare outside the public health services. MHE has members all over Europe, and in 1999, projekt UDENFOR and MHE organised a cross-European conference in Copenhagen with the title Dialogue.

Mr Preben Brandt, chairman of projekt UDENFOR, has been our primary contact with MHE and has participated in their conferences, seminars and annual General Meetings. Mr Brandt has also contributed several times to the debate in MHE’s news letters.

You can read more about MHE on their web-site: www.mhe-sme.org

 

Mental Health Social Exclusion (SMES)

In 2000, projekt UDENFOR helped establishing Mental Health Social Exclusion/Santé Mentale Exclusion Sociale, a cross-European organisation. Its members are a number of small national associations and organisations, and a number of private individuals. All of them work with issues related to social exclusion of people with particular psycho-social problems. The Association participates in small-scale EU seminars and knowledge exchange efforts in connection with the EU-based open method of coordination. In addition, projekt UDENFOR has also worked in close cooperation with SMES on setting up conferences in Lisbon (2002), Prague (2004) and Berlin (2005).

projekt UDENFOR has had a particularly long and close co-operation with the founder of the association, Mr Luigi Leonori. Until 2004, Mr Preben Brandt was a member of the SMES board of directors. This post is now held by Ms Ninna Hoegh.

You can read more about SMES on their web-site: www.smes-europa.org

 

European Federation of National Organisations working with the Homeless (FEANTSA)

In 2004, projekt UDENFOR was adopted as a member of the European umbrella organisation, European Federation of National Organisations working with the Homeless/Féderation Européenne d’Associations Nationales Travaillant avec les Sans-Abris The members of the organisation are national NGOs who work with homelessness and people who are homeless. projekt UDENFOR participates actively in work groups, seminars and conferences and contributes regularly with articles in the association’s electronic and printed newspaper.

You can read more about SMES on their web-site: www.feantsa.org

 

The effect of international work

Our participation in the above organisations has given projekt UDENFOR an important network all over Europe and we have had the opportunity to visit national organisations that work with homelessness and social exclusion in most of the Capitals and major cities all over Europe.

In this connection, projekt UDENFOR began establishing an exchange programme in 2006, which gives social workers the opportunity for visiting another country for a long or short period of time, to study and work with similar problems there. In this connection, we hosted an Italian social worker from Milan, Italy, in November 2006. projekt UDENFOR focuses on co-operation and knowledge exchange with other Scandinavian countries and Mr Preben Brandt, Chairman of projekt UDENFOR, has been very active in this respect: he has worked closely together with research units in Sweden, dealing particularly with analysis of the conditions of the homeless in terms of economy, begging and health, and with different projects in Norway that dealt with housing issues in particular and efforts to help people with double diagnoses.