Meet our 2023 Spokesperson Programme Cohort
Today we are excited to announce our new cohort who will be taking part in our 2023 Spokesperson Programme for grassroots leaders with lived experience of social injustice and inequality.
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Stigma Sucks: addressing stigma to overcome poverty
Steve Arnott, Founder and CEO of Beats Bus Records in Hull, shares how the long lasting impact of stigma against poverty manifests and explains his work with Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s design team ‘Exploring Stigma and Poverty’. Steve is part of the Sounddelivery Media Spokesperson Network.
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‘Every Day is an Awareness Day When you are Living with Bipolar Disorder’
Beth Thomas is the Mentoring Scheme Manager and Safeguarding Director at Our Place Support in the West Midlands. She has a MSC in Child and Adolescent Mental Wellbeing. Here she shares her experience and insights on Bipolar Disorder, what has made a difference for her, and her hopes for change. Beth is part of the Sounddelivery Media Spokesperson Network.
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The Secret Life of Mothers – Stories from the frontline of motherhood
The Secret Life of Mothers is a new podcast from Maggie Gordon-Walker at Mothers Uncovered from our Spokesperson Network. In this blog she shares the inspiration behind her new podcast series and why we need to talk about the highs and lows, the ins and outs of becoming a new mother.
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Steve Arnott: How We Can Support Our Young People this Children’s Mental Health Week
Steve Arnott, Founder and CEO of Beats Bus Records in Hull, explains how creativity through arts and music could be the key to supporting children’s mental health. For Children’s Mental Health Week 2023, Steve shares the process and thinking behind Beats Bus Records and how they support young people.
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Why it’s Time To Count children bereaved by parental suicide
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. Here Anna talks about her Churchill Fellowship Report and her new BBC Radio 4 Four Thought sharing her own experience and speaking on why we need better support for children and young people who lose a parent or primary caregiver to suicide. And why that should start with counting them.
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As South Asian women, are services hearing our voices?
Shaffia Khatun is the Co-Founder and Director of SKY Positive Minds, an award-winning charity that works to empower vulnerable women, girls and children from the local community who have experienced domestic abuse, sexual abuse or have been affected by mental health or other challenges. Here she explores why services are not hearing the voices of South Asian women.
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Amanda Hailes ‘Listen to the voice of people with lived experience’
Amanda Hailes is part of the Hull-based women’s collective An Untold Story – Voices, campaigning for women’s rights and social justice, and is in the Sounddelivery Media Spokesperson Network. Here she writes about her experience of challenging self-limiting beliefs and practices and unlocking the power of lived experience to build her own power.
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Zain Hafeez ‘The cost of living crisis will further marginalise those seeking asylum’
Zain Hafeez is a Community Organiser and a Team Leader at Citizens UK where he supports asylum seekers, victims of domestic abuse and modern slavery. He possesses more than 10 years of lived experience of going through the asylum and immigration system. He writes on how the current cost of living crisis will further marginalise asylum seekers.
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Steve Arnott: The hardest fight of my life – living with a Stoma
The 1st October marks Stoma Aware Day, this year Steve Arnott from our Spokesperson Network has had a breakthrough around his Stoma of three years and is now campaigning and raising awareness to challenge the stigma that surrounds Stomas. He shares his experience in this guest blog.