11 September 2026
ODOS is preparing its traditional recovery and wellbeing retreat, taking place from 18 to 20 September 2026 near the Domaša reservoir in eastern Slovakia. Despite increasingly challenging financial conditions and other obstacles, we are pleased to continue this important activity in a peaceful natural setting surrounded by forests and water. We will invite two representatives from each of the 17 mental health organisations in our national network to participate.
The three-day retreat will provide space for recovery, peer support, relationship-building and the exchange of experiences among people involved in mental health organisations across Slovakia. It will also help strengthen cooperation within our network and create an opportunity to discuss the current needs and challenges of our member organisations.
A new training workplace supporting recovery and social inclusion
We are also preparing to open Training Workplace Úsmev, an innovative model of community-based psychosocial rehabilitation and occupational therapy. Although it will operate in the form of a training café, it is not designed as a conventional commercial business. Its main purpose is to serve as a supported transition between the protected environment of a psychiatric day-care centre and the open labour market.
The initiative is based on the recovery approach and recognises that mental healthcare should support people in rebuilding their participation in society, independence, self-confidence and quality of life. The workplace will offer people experiencing mental health difficulties an opportunity to restore their working habits, develop practical and social skills, gain experience and gradually prepare for future employment in a supportive environment.
The programme is designed as a low-threshold opportunity open to people with different mental health conditions and levels of ability. Rather than selecting participants according to their current limitations, the working environment and responsibilities will be adapted to their individual needs and changing condition. Volunteers, people with lived experience of mental health difficulties and their relatives will also have opportunities to become involved and contribute to the development of an inclusive and supportive community.
Art for Mental Health workshops
In September, we are also beginning a series of workshops within the international Art for Mental Health project, implemented in cooperation with the Finnish organisation Taiteen Sulattamo. The project connects artistic expression, creativity and mental health promotion, offering participants a supportive space for self-expression, connection and shared learning.
The workshops will combine creative activities with mindfulness and reflection, enabling participants to explore mental health and wellbeing through different forms of artistic expression. Selected participants will also have the opportunity to take part in an international exchange in Finland. The creative outcomes produced during the project will later become part of a joint digital exhibition.
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