Powys People First champion self-advocacy

 

We have written about advocacy, and mental health advocacy services, on the blog a few times now, including Connecting with the mental health advocates when we found out more about the three different advocacy roles in Powys.

Today we talk to Rosie Mellerick-Wheeler, who works for Powys People First, about self-advocacy. Powys People First helps to organise self-advocacy groups for people with a learning disability across Powys. We were interested to know how self-advocacy could work for people experiencing poor mental health.

What brought you to work in the field of self-advocacy?

My background is in drama, and I wanted to go down the road of dramatherapy. So, I first volunteered with Theatr Wildcats (a drama group based on self-advocacy and the sister project to Powys People First) in 2014 and at the time had no clue what self-advocacy was! 

From there I learnt about Powys People First and the amazing work they do. Fast forward to 2018 and I started to work as a self-advocacy facilitator for Powys People First and Theatr Wildcats.

What is self-advocacy?

I asked the members the following few questions as they are the experts on self advocacy and the benefits!

• Speaking up for yourself and having your voice heard. 
• Letting people know what and how we want things. 
• Asking for help if we need it. 
• Supporting each other as well as ourselves. 
• Being inclusive.
  
  

Why is it important for people to speak up?

• To make sure we get the right support and help if needed. 
• To feel in control of your own life. 
• To make sure we make the choices that effect our lives. 
• It is good for your mental health, to be happy and be in a place that makes you smile. 
• It helps with sad and angry emotions, there is less frustration when our voices are heard.

What could happen if people didn’t speak up?

• People would feel upset and not have their voices heard.
• Mental health would be bad as feel angry, sad and tearful.
• We could get the wrong help and support, instead of being independent we rely on others.
• We might end up in hospital, feeling poorly and not being able to explain to anyone.

What are the benefits of self-advocacy over having an independent advocate? Can you do both at the same time?

There are benefits for both and both are useful for different issues. You can do them at the same time, most independent advocates would love people to build up the confidence to self-advocate. However, never be afraid to ask for help and support!

What are the main skills for being a good self-advocate?

Communication and listening!

You work in the learning disability field. Can self-advocacy work just as well in the mental health world?

Yes self-advocacy can work in any world, most of us do it each day without realising. What we are going to eat, where we live for example. 

Unfortunately for some people who need extra support these choices can be taken away from them and decided by others. This is where self-advocacy groups who can support each other to be a self-advocate are so important.

Give us some examples of where people could self-advocate

Daily decisions on what you are doing for the day, wearing, eating. Bigger decisions such as having a relationship or where you live. 

During lockdown some people realised they wanted to move (due to spending more time with housemates and not getting on) so speaking up and explaining this to support was important. Otherwise, people would be unhappy in their own homes.

Can people learn to self-advocate and if so how?

Yes, come along to a self-advocacy group! Independent advocates are also there to support you in speaking up and building confidence.

You run self-advocacy groups for people living with a learning disability. Why are the groups important?

Unfortunately, people with a learning disability are not always listened to and the correct support is not always there. As a group we can come together with people from similar backgrounds and experiences to talk through what we want. Our voices are stronger together.

Tell us more about the role of a Volunteer Advocate

Being a volunteer is amazing! We have many wonderful volunteers within our organisation (BCA Independent Advocacy Services) from advocates, self-advocates, drama facilitators etc. Volunteers with Powys People First come along to our groups and help facitlate discussions, making sure everyone has had a chance to be heard. We also run make and talk sessions so coming up with craft ideas and supporting members. Mostly it is about being a good listener!

What are the main challenges of your role?

Time and funding! Unfortunately it is difficult to get core funding for self-advocacy so there is always the worry about the future.

Tell us about some of the most rewarding work you have done so far in regard to self-advocacy

This is really difficult to answer as everyday is different and presents new challenges and lots of wins! I guess watching the Theatr Wildcats company on stage, being visible in the community (we go out and about exploring the local areas) and getting us onto Zoom during lockdown!

When you are not working for Powys People First, how do you enjoy spending your time?

I also run a youth theatre and theatre company, Ghost Light in Brecon which is great fun. When I’m not at the theatre I enjoy spending time with my beautiful 6 year old daughter, Edith and walking my dog Bear.

Many thanks to Rosie for telling us all more about self-advocacy. If you want to find out more you can contact Powys People First by emailing powyspeoplefirst@hotmail.co.uk or ringing 01874 622 240.

Celf o Gwmpas – Reaching Out, Drawing In

Maud & Pauline beneath a display of their artwork

Last week I attended the opening of this truly inspiring exhibition at Centre Celf in Llandrindod Wells. We originally wrote about one of the art organisation’s workshops for people living with dementia in Looking at me – an arts and dementia initiative - in 2017 in the early days of the project. 

This exhibition – "Reaching Out, Drawing In" - is the result of all the many workshops that have taken place over the past two years, for people living with dementia and learning disabled adults. 

Anne Evans is the chair of Celf o Gwmpas, and she told us more about the show:

In 2017 Celf o Gwmpas received funding from the Arwain LEADER programme for an ambitious project piloting new ways of delivering arts workshops to adults with a learning disability and people living with dementia and their carers.

We partnered this with funding from the Arts Council of Wales to run four residencies for artists with disabilities; two engagement residencies bringing to Powys highly regarded artists such as Helen Ivory and Ira Lightman, and a ground-breaking digital residency linking, in real time, with Canadian learning-disabled artist Scott Berry and participants with learning disabilities here.

We have run 174 workshop sessions, with an average attendance of 7 per workshop, and provided around 1218 places with this funding. It’s phenomenal really. Participants have experienced a huge range of art forms, developed skills in making and have taken up opportunities to explore aspects of their own lives through art. 

Artist Jane Mason worked with learning disabled adults in Tile Tales

The creativity really is amazing. We’ve had print making, puppet-making, film and animation, tile making, mosaics, watercolour painting, sewing and quilting, linocuts, multi-media personal mapping, poetry, instrument making and creative bird box construction. 

The Tile Tales ceramics workshops followed the story of tile making and explored ancient and modern decorative techniques to create two dimensional and relief designs out of clay.

In Dreamlands and Landscapes learning disabled adults worked with Vagabondi Puppets to explore their fears and dreams with puppeteer and sculptress Jo Munton using different techniques and materials.

Ruth Hogg, Project Coordinator, playing drums made from recycled materials

Some of the women in this wonderful project looked at what they were wearing when they were 25 years old in Fashion Memories: When we were 25. Artists Jane Titley and Annie Levy worked with people living with dementia to create quilted pieces using patterns and costumes which I remember from my childhood. The quality and creativity is excellent.

People may be living with dementia or as a learning-disabled adult, but that does not stop them from being artistic, creative and having skills that really should be shown which tells us about who they are. 

In the mosaic workshops participants worked with artist Terri Sweeney

Celf o Gwmpas is at the forefront of arts and health work in Powys, based on a 21 year history of working with socially excluded people and mentoring artists living with physical and learning disabilities, mental health difficulties and other ‘outsider’ experiences. 

We do a lot of work on very small amounts of money, and there are very few staff. This year we are starting up a membership scheme, so you can pay a small amount of money per month to support the work Celf o Gwmpas does such as offering arts activities like these.

You can continue to enjoy the exhibition until 4 April 2019 but gallery opening times are variable so please ring for details on 01597 822777 or email: centrecelf@celfogwmpas.org