I feel that getting involved in things at CTDU has helped me to move on. I did the Active Citizens course and after that I wanted to do a project of my own. I got some funding from the Millennium Award to go to various groups to do banner work. I help CTDU with the bannermaking, I helped students with learning disablities at Falkirk College to make their banner. I've found it really good fun and a way for people to express their feelings and say what they think.
Putting
it on a banner helps people talk about it to other groups of people, explain exactly
what's on it. I've learnt how to take a workshop, get people's ideas for the banner,
using a flipchart - all learnt from CTDU. I approached them and a lot of work
was put into it they had never done a banner before. It was quite a challenge
for me because at that time I ended up in hospital - I was getting out during
the day so I would go to the groups to do the banner work. That helped me to recover.
It was very difficult and I did get quite emotional, but it benefited me so much,
it gave me something to look forward to doing, and was a challenge, because I'd
never had money from anyone to do my own groups.
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I also made a banner with a group of women at CTDU called 'Fact or Fiction' and another with Open Secret in Falkirk with adults who've been abused. At Open Secret, I went for 2 days a week for about 2 months; the Fact or Fiction was about the same. I made a banner with Reachout and we were asked to go to New Zealand to a conference and we did workshops explaining the banner. I gave them info about Reachout and how people develop through it. At the end of the conference, they laid it on the floor and they all started singing a song to say how much the banner had meant to them. It really burst our hearts. The reason I managed to do the banner work was through CTDU. CTDU made handouts to show young people in Ecuador how to make banners and some of our banners were pictured for that, we sent them to Ecuador with some banner making materials for the young people. Since the Millennium Awards, a lady called Jessie has asked if I can talk to surgeries, ambulance drivers etc and talk about my experiences with mental health services. She's recorded my talks and is going to put them onto a DVD for professional staff to learn from. The only reason I could do that is the confidence I got in CTDU's Active Citizens programme where we had to stand up and talk. I never used to be able to do that. Being able to talk in front of lots of people. I did a workshop in Stirling Royal for health workers, doctors, nurses and CPNs, for 45 mins - I had to prepare everything myself. I used the preparation the way CTDU taught me when I was on Active Citizens - working out what you need, make sure you've got your timing worked out. I took banners along and with two I told them what they were all about, but for the third one, I got people to write down what the banner meant and they gave feedback. A couple of weeks afterwards there was an evaluation and the evaluations were wonderful, they said that I had inspired them. | ||
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I do talks about my own experiences, and about my own mental health problems and experiences of not having the proper services, hope that doctors and nurses will try to change what they do. I'm able to speak out my own experiences to professionals. When I first went to CTDU I saw myself as a nothing, with a big nothing in front of me, I felt I couldn't offer anyone anything. I'm totally changed, I'm more assertive, more able to communicate with people. I do it really well. That's a big thing for someone to have especially someone with a mental health problem. I've learnt so much through CTDU. I'm currently involved at CTDU with a participatory action research about mental health. We've made a drama that we're going to perform to people with mental health problems. We want to collect their views. I got a Clackmannanshire Active Citizen of the Year award as well - a lot of that was through CTDU, learning to communicate, go into my own community to talk with different groups. When I left school I never felt I was wanted for anything, but now I am wanted and I can do various things for the my community. | ||
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When I was in hospital, one of the nurses had come back with my washing and it was all in rags - I couldn't even use them for a duster - I put the whole lot in the bin and I was angry. I said - I'm going to do a drama piece about this. Iyaah and I worked together on the short drama and wrote it. We performed this at a CTDU AGM with other CTDU members taking some of the parts. I also did this at International Women's Day in the Raploch in Stirling - someone who'd come to the AGM had got back to Iyaah. I use it in workshops and I took it to New Zealand and another psychologists conference in Exeter. This is another part of CTDU that I've learnt and can take it further and move on with it. I'm not learning things at CTDU and putting it in the bin - I pass it on to others too. The students association is a brilliant thing because all the students can get involved in the programme and learn things they've not been able to do eg fundraising, using a telephone - staff are encouraging. | ||
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What I have learnt at CTDU is that each person is a different person, we all see ourselves as being equal. With me working in different groups, I do come across jealousies within the groups, but there is never anything like that at CTDU. The way they work is that everybody get a chance to contribute and everybody that joins in feels good and don't have to be jealous of others. Bothkennar is a lovely place and the building is brilliant, enough room for lots of activities. Maybe CTDU could help me start on my own, help me apply for funding. Otherwise nothing needs to be changed. What
is special about CTDU is everyone gets treated the same - everybody's equal -
it can be quite frightening for people with mental health problems to go to outside
groups. I just wouldn't go to a day centre or a drop in centre now - I'm past
that now. | ||
