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Adelaide Psychiatrist, Dr Phillip Salonikis has been recognised for launching a global mental health initiative named Ludo Aequitas, promoting mental health and equality in and through sport. This recognition is, in part, a result of Dr Salonikis’ extensive work within the mental health arena as a private Psychiatrist in Adelaide, South Australia.
Dr Salonikis, a native of Adelaide, has been focusing on the world of mental health in sport specifically over the past five years, launching his not for profit organisation Ludo Aequitas website www.ludoaequitas.org in May 2017. His motivation was the failure of a number of well-intentioned campaigns to deal with the problem, where two recurring themes emerged: not enough was being done and what was being done did not work. In response to a question on the driving force behind his success, Dr Salonikis has explained how it really boiled down to becoming the dominant global force for social change by unifying two significant themes: sporting values and social values.
Reflecting on the recognition Dr Salonikis is quoted as saying: “The existence of racism and other forms of discrimination continues to be a scourge of modern society. Moreover, it is reprehensible for an individual to be vilified on the basis of race, colour, age, sex, gender, religion, disability and social status. It leads to psychological suffering, anger and the potential for violence. As a social issue, we all aspire to eradicate racist and discriminatory behaviour in the pursuit of an ideal, moralistic society that is fair, just, egalitarian and respectful of an individual’s rights.”
In a recent one-to-one interview, Dr Salonikis reminisced on other past achievements, which helped build momentum towards the present day. Notably, one of the proudest was speaking with the United Nations about Ludo Aequitas in 2014.
In the same interview, Dr Salonikis stated his intentions for the future. The primary goal for the next 12 months, Dr Salonikis states, will be to continue to promote Ludo Aequitas with local philanthropists and journalists, and create the platform for people to be able to share more inspiring stories about their experiences of overcoming discrimination and inequality. Looking farther ahead, the aim for Ludo Aequitas is to become the dominant global force for social change by unifying two significant themes: sporting values and social values. It is envisaged that Ludo Aequitas will find its way into mainstream society promoting equality and change and will also be used by non sporting groups. It will have a role in mediation, education and research.
Dr Salonikis closed the interview when asked more personally about how he wants Ludo Aequitas to be perceived and remembered, Dr Salonikis said: “to be recognised as the global leader in promoting mental health and equality in and through sport.”
Further information can be found at http://www.ludoaequitas.org
Release ID: 231433