Stella Maris – Manila, a maritime charity, will host a nationwide seminar next week for guidance counselors and student affairs officers at maritime schools to address the mental well-being of aspiring Filipino seafarers.
The seminar titled “Mental Health: An Urgent Concern for Seafarers!” will be held at the Manila Prince Hotel from Dec. 2 to 6.
Supported by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Archdiocese of Manila, the initiative aims to “empower guidance counselors and practitioners of student affairs and services as they interact with students and as they help in developing future Filipino seafarers, who are mentally healthy to face the challenges of the seas.”
Organizers emphasized that “mental well-being of a person is a blend of different environments and that the academe plays a big role in preparing aspiring Filipino seafarers, one of the most preferred worldwide, not only cognitively but also effectively and psychologically.”
Among the speakers at the seminar will be Fr. Jason Laguerta, episcopal vicar and director of the Manila archdiocese’s Office for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.
Alwin Macalalad, regional coordinator for Pacific-Asia and Oceania for the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, will also speak at the event, representing Cardinal-elect Fabio Baggio, the dicastery’s undersecretary.
Tim Hill, chief executive officer of Stella Maris-United Kingdom, and Bishop Ruperto Santos of Antipolo, CBCP Bishop Promoter of Stella Maris-Philippines, will also offer their insights on this critical issue.
About 100 representatives from maritime schools, government agencies, Stella Maris chaplains, and Scalabrinian missionaries will participate in the event.
Officials from the Commission on Higher Education, the National Center for Mental Health of the Department of Health, the Maritime Industry Authority, the National Maritime Polytechnic, and the Association of Licensed Manning Agencies will also attend the seminar to provide updates on the issue.
