Topic Tuesday // Tools for Advocacy // Tues 19th October, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

[Daisydreamer]

Hi everyone! Great to see you here tonight 

I might start by introducing myself  Here on the forums, I am the Community Manager. I am really excited to be here tonight to talk about one of my favourite topics.

A little bit about me, for more than a decade before I started at SANE I was a lived experience advocate, educator and Peer Worker. In fact, I would say that starting a career in advocacy was the turning point in my recovery.

One of my biggest passions is advocacy. As people with lived experience, we are the experts in our own experience and our stories have power.

From my early experiences in the mental health system many years ago, I saw early on the importance of knowing my rights, and using my voice to ensure my goals and my needs were front of mind in recovery planning.

In later years, advocating alongside others as a peer support worker, I learnt that we can be help others to advocate for themselves and empower those we are walking alongside. Advocating within services, I am constantly reminded and motivated by the power our stories and our knowledge can have in shaping services.

And that’s what I am here to talk about today! We will talk a bit about how you can advocate for your recovery goals and needs with services, friends and family. For those supporting a loved one, how you can support a loved one or advocate alongside. For those who are interested in taking the next step to advocate within services or on committees, we will talk about skills and resources for representation.

[Daisydreamer]

Welcome @Former-Member 🙂 Great to see you here. Stigma is still something too many people experience, and advocacy is an important tool we can use

[lev15]

Really interested in peoples experiences of advocating for change and improvement in mental health services. Wins and challenges! Thanks for sharing your learnings

[Daisydreamer]

Before we start questions tonight, I do want to acknowledge that a lot of my answers come from my personal experience in advocating for myself, advocating alongside loved ones and in my work experiences as an advocate. All my experiences have been shaped and inspired by the advocates who have paved the way before me, and have helped shape the person I am today 🙂 

We are all advocates, and I encourage you to share your thoughts, experience and tips as we go. I look forward with the shared learnings we can bring to this discussion

[cloudcore]

Welcome @lev15, @chibam  and @BPDSurvivor  

[BPDSurvivor]

Thanks for sharing @Daisydreamer !

Just to clarify for others who may join tonight, can you explain what is involved in "advocacy"? Or what it means? It may help guide the conversation a little.

Hi @cloudcore  and @Former-Member !

BPDSurvivor

[Daisydreamer]

Hi @lev15,

Happy to have you here! Really love your passion, and very interested to hear your thoughts and perspectives as well 🙂 

[cloudcore]

Great prompt @BPDSurvivor , that is actually our first question! 

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Question 1. What is advocacy and what does effective advocacy look like? @Daisydreamer 

For the community, what has advocacy looked like for you?

[lev15]

Thank you. I will acknowledge that in the early stages attempting to work to change hearts and minds and as a result systems can feel like a lonely place to be. Im really interested in tips and tools to maintain momentum and energy when sometimes you make a step forward but then also loose ground and have to rally to pick up the fight again. these forums are so important for that. for reaffirming we are all parts of a shared vision and network