We are excited to announce the third cohort of our Future Voices programme – our collaboration with The Voices of Domestic Workers to develop their own network of confident and skilled migrant domestic workers as public spokespeople.
Beth has over 12 years’ experience of providing support services to children and young people. She manages mentoring services across Birmingham which support their emotional, mental, and social wellbeing. Beth has her own lived experiences of childhood trauma, homelessness, issues with the education system, and (child and adult) mental health issues, including living with bipolar disorder. She is passionate about using these experiences to inspire others who have experienced trauma and issues with their mental health. Beth shares her thoughts on Bipolar representation in Channel 4’s new comedy Big Mood in this guest blog.
A recent racism row involving slurs against Diane Abbott MP shook the nation, dominating the news headlines. The slurs were revealed just as SDM Network’s Palma Black Soul Purpose 360 launched her new campaign Definition Redefined, to promote Black women’s empowerment. Palma Black has written specially for us….
This year International Women’s Day (IWD) on the 8th March 2024, has the theme ‘Inspiring Inclusion’. Soul Purpose 360, a UK-based Black Women’s empowerment organisation and founded by Spokesperson Network member, Palma Black, is launching their campaign aimed at changing the narrative of Black women.
Ellie Hatto is the founder and voice of Beside Yourself CIC, a lived experience-led social enterprise focused on talking openly about life after suicide. This thought piece aims to amplify the voices of those who have lost a loved one to suicide, shining a light and raising awareness of their subpar experiences within the flawed coroner’s inquest system. Ellie urges individuals and organisations involved in shaping the system to reflect on how their actions or inaction adversely affect those bereaved.
Chloe Juliette a care-experienced social researcher and facilitator. Here, she shares her insights into the complex relationship between lived experience and policy development.
Siobhan Down is the Founder and CEO of Yellow Brick Road Projects. Having experienced poor education, homelessness, debt, exploitation, exclusion, Siobhan now supports young people who face similar experiences to find their seam of GOLD to amplify their voices so that everyone can hear what is going on. Here Siobhan reflects on the weight of those experiences of young people.
Maggie Gordon-Walker, is the founder of Mothers Uncovered, a Sussex peer-led organisation that supports women in matrescence (the transition to motherhood) with creative groups led by past participants. In this blog, she explains the mental health difficulties facing mothers.
Anna Wardley is the Founder and CEO of Luna Foundation, a social enterprise dedicated to transforming the support for children after suicide. Anna’s dad, Ralph, took his own life when she was nine and that loss had a profound impact on both her own life and the lives of those around her. In her Mumsnet’s guest post, she explains her campaign, Time to Count. This campaign urges the government to count the number of children who are impacted by the suicide of a parent or primary caregiver in the UK.
Sam Southern is a Lead Suicide Prevention and Bereavement Coordinator at Empowerment Charity in Blackpool. As a dedicated mother of five, Sam has faced adversity, including the tragic loss of her husband to suicide in June 2020. This experience has driven her passion and commitment to raise awareness and offer hope to those who may be struggling. In this guest blog she talks about approaches to suicide prevention, sharing her experience.
