The Hidden Barriers to Voting in the Upcoming General Election
In this blog Rachael Mole explains the inaccessibility of voting for many people across the country. Rachael is part of our Spokesperson Network.
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I Come From: New poems for International Domestic Workers Day
In the first Future Voices 3 workshop, Becoming a Visible Leader, the group was tasked with writing poems starting with the words “I Come From” by a poet, award-winning broadcaster and author Lady Unchained. Here is what they have written.
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Future Voices – Amplifying the Voices of Migrant Domestic Workers in the UK
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.
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Channel 4’s Big Mood: A turning point for how Bipolar is represented on screen?
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.
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Creating a safe space for Black and minoritised women to gather without judgement: Palma Black of Soul Purpose 360
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….
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Soul Purpose 360: Changing the narrative of Black women
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.
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Advocating for compassion and better treatment: transforming the coroner’s inquest system for those bereaved by suicide
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.
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You can’t fix what you don’t understand – exploring the culture of policymaking in the UK
Chloe Juliette a care-experienced social researcher and facilitator. Here, she shares her insights into the complex relationship between lived experience and policy development.
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What’s in Your Rucksack? Understanding the Weight of Life’s Experiences
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.
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Mothers are too afraid to ask for help
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.