A recovery-oriented mental health service system should focus on empowering people with mental illness.

To analyse the feasibility of setting up a web-radio run by 13 subjects suffering from mental disorders.

The patients involved in the project attended a one-year preparatory course promoted by the Province of Reggio Emilia, before the factual setting up of “Radio TAB”. After six months, each patient was asked to fill in a qualitative questionnaire addressing motivation and personal competences; opinions on the preparatory course; the identity of the radio, objectives and values shared by participants, the satisfaction they obtained from the activities and their vision of the radio then and for the future.

• • great motivation for joining the project and holding on to it

• • the preparatory course was judged to be effective to acquire technical, communication and interpersonal skills;

• • expectations and objectives of participants were consistent with the values underpinning the radio and the outcomes of the project, suggesting good internal cohesion;

• • a well-defined vision of the radio as a result of the work emerged, which will hopefully lead to setting up an actual workplace in future.

The experience of “Radio TAB” could be a good example of empowerment strategies, encouraging individuals to autonomy, reintegration and sense of active citizenship.