From www.oneinfourmag.org
"'What do we do now?' - Mental health, user leadership and communities
One in Four conference 16th March"
Firstly, my advice is to go have a look for yourselves.
My view is what we have is another little clique that sets itself up as some 'expert group'..charging those who can least afford it...even if they are giving a concession to service users. £35 plus travel expenses, is alot to ask of people on the lowest incomes in the country!
How many groups have come before this. Remember the fanfare of spin that came from The National Service User Network (NSUN) and all that dosh they got from Comic Relief and Kings College Fund?. And what exactly has happened to them since, have they made any difference to the lives of people with severe MH problems and where did all that money go?
I know the media (as an entirity) doesn't like discussing mental illness unless it is some headline grabbing story of someone with mental illness running riot with a machete or some half cock theory on 'recovering the mentally ill through work' but surely fraud would be of some interest to them. Possibly 'The Guardian' that has finally jumped off the Happy Clappy bandwagon and started thinking a bit more independantly about what it is like to be mentally ill and the first to be facing the government firing line for no other reason than being mentally ill.
Just where is all the money, that these pseudo MH profs/organisations get, end up? I really think it is time people were told and the media would be best able to get in there and find out...and then share what they find out with the rest of us. Actually, maybe their heart just isn't in it. Mental illness isn't sexy enough. Hmmm..someone/people..somewhere must be able to access this information and get it out there.
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Wages, nice new computers, meals out to discuss how to get more money, new building, wage rise. Then finding somebody who knows what MH means.
ReplyDeleteHello you cynical old bat! NSUN is still going strong and is involved in some very positive work. They've just been awarded more funding, specifically for the employment of a researcher (yes, some funding has tags attached). They're weekly bulletin is worth a mint anyway but they do a helluva lot more and have now taken on the running of the Survivor History project. Importantly they're also doing a lot of work with peer to peer developments - yes MH users supporting MH users.
ReplyDeleteThe AGM is in Birmingham (The Custard Factory) at the end of October and they're asking for trustees. Can I put your name forward?
Heddwch.
Mike.
Sorry that should be "Their weekly bulletin."
ReplyDelete