Volunteers of the CEEM Benidorm collaborate in the cleaning of Serra Gelada Natural Park

A group formed by seven volunteers from the CEEM Benidorm (Specific Center for People with Chronic Mental Illness) carries out environmental activities every Wednesday for more than a year, a task that they develop together with an educator and the rural guard of the Benidorm City Council .

The main objective of this activity is for the group to become aware of and committed to the protection of nature and to the recovery of the natural environment, as well as to participate in the environment in an inclusive manner and developing tasks that favor the preservation of the environment.

Throughout the past year 2018 they carried out works of cleaning of waste in a green area next to one of the main accesses of the city, specifically "La Sequia Mare", works that were developed before the adaptation carried out by the City Council. At present, this group of volunteers is in charge of eliminating an invasive exotic plant, Pennisetum setaceum, of great danger due to its expansive potential, in the Serra Gelada Natural Park.

It is expected that this volunteer will be extended until next May, due to the good results it is having and the great motivation and satisfaction of the CEEM participants. These people are doing a great job of environmental impact in the municipality, of which its knowledge among citizens is important. In addition, this type of intervention confronts the general social perception towards people with a mental illness, who are often seen as potentially threatening persons for society as a whole.