Guillem Febrer Fons: "Mental health still carries social stigma"

ManacorGuillem Febrer Fons (Manacor, 1973) for practically three decades has been the manager of Estel de Llevant, the pro-mental health entity that has already helped thousands of users and families from the Llevant region. Now that it is opening a new space in the Torre de Manacor neighborhood, we speak with him calmly.

Has it been very difficult to transform this old abandoned raffia factory into a training space?

— We have been under construction for about three years. The project started in 2022 and we haven't been able to open until now. It was very important for us that the space remained recognizable and that we could, in a way, recover the old raffia factory as a neighborhood building. Achieving that the renovation left its structure recognizable was a challenge.

Satisfied with how it turned out?

— We are very happy with the result, because it is more or less as we imagined it. It has cost almost 2.2 million euros in works, which have been subsidized by the Ministry of Social Services, plus another 50,000 euros, which have been financed by the La Caixa Foundation in order to equip the cafeteria.

How is the building divided?

— The building is structured on a ground floor and a first floor. Downstairs there will be the cafeteria and the occupational service, which would be an extension of what already exists on Fàbrica street. In addition to a small supervised apartment for two people, which is complemented by another for 6 on the first floor.

The cafeteria-restaurant will therefore have a social part

— The cafeteria will serve to develop a dual waiter training for users of Estel de Llevant. With 50% theoretical training and 50% paid.

Did you expect to get this far when it started?

— When we started 30 years ago, in 1996 in the sacristy of the parish of Dolors, we didn't think we would get this far. We attended a dozen people, as best we could... Now, according to the figures for the year 2025: we attended 317 people with a mental disorder and 170 families. There has been a quantitative increase, but above all qualitative. In this sense, we increasingly try to cover all the person's needs so that they have a full life, so that they can recover it. As full social and work integration as possible.

After all these years, does the stigma for mental illnesses still exist?

— Less and less often, it's true. But there is still a path to be taken to transform stigma into esteem. I believe it is a path we are all treading together. I think diversity and difference are increasingly understood, which sometimes stems from a mental disorder and from wanting to live and do things differently. I believe that this message, this pedagogy, has been increasingly understood and shared over time.

What are Estel de Llevant's aspirations now?

— A growth of services, the most innovative and of the highest possible quality, with new methodologies. You always have the feeling that you could have done better and it is clear that not all needs are met, but maintaining and improving what we have is also a challenge that is exciting.

What is this dream challenge?

— A service to allow attending to people in moments of crisis and that it is not necessary to go to the hospital, with more home visits. We are based on an open dialogue methodology developed in Finland.