From 22 – 26 October, for the first time ever, there is an Advocacy Awareness Week #AAW18
Advocacy Awareness Week is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the power and impact that advocacy has on people’s lives.
S’s story: the empowered person
S came to Speak Out as a young woman with a number of problems and high levels of anxiety. Over many years she has had support from a volunteer citizen advocate as well as support from a paid advocate to address some specific needs S had around housing. She became gradually more confident and took part in drop-in groups. After 15 years or so of involvement on and off S took part in training the trainer – a group that enables people with learning disabilities to make presentations and representations to groups of professionals and decision-makers. S has since taken part in film-making, making training presentations to health and social care staff, attending drop-ins, and taking part in providing useful peer-support to others. S is now a full trustee having tried it out first as an observer – she is, with others, implementing Speak Out’s work programme and ambitions for people with learning disabilities across the city.
Do you have a story you’d like to share that will help raise the awareness and power of advocacy?