Public Life Matters – Questionnaire

We’ve been asked to help publicising a questionnaire about the involvement of people with lived experience of mental health issues in public life. it seeks to identify the barriers preventing people from taking an active part in civic and public life – and how these can be overcome.

This is part of a partnership research project called Public Life Matters and is funded by DRILL (Disability Research Into Independent Living and Learning). The partnership is led by VOX and includes the Lived Experience Research Collective, the Mental Health Foundation and Strathclyde University. 

The first part of the project is an online questionnaire which asks some basic questions about the aspirations (if any) people with lived experience have in civic and public life – it might be anything from working as a volunteer, sitting on tenants’ associations or school boards to seeking election as councillors or MSPs –  as well as whether they vote in local or national elections. It also asks what factors deter them from an active public life. It should take less than 15 minutes to fill in.

This is felt to be a very important project as people with lived experience are very much underrepresented in local and national communities and it is in everybody’s interest to rectify this. To achieve their aim, they need to know what the barriers are so that they can recommend measures that might help these to be overcome as part of their final report.

The questionnaire is now live and can be found on line Here.

 Hard copies of the questionnaire can also be ordered from John Steel at VOX (0141 572 1663).

 If you need further information, you can access a blog, press release and information sheet by emailing Wendy Mcauslan at VOX on wmcauslan@mentalhealth.org.uk

thanks

SMHAFF 2017 – Call for artwork

Submissions of artworks by people with experience of mental health issues are invited for this visual arts exhibition during October 2017, which is part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival. The exhibition will primarily be in Summerhall in Edinburgh and also in other venues. You are welcome to submit artworks in response to the festival’s theme, which this year is Reclaim. However this is not a requirement and is open to interpretation. You can submit up to a maximum of 4 pieces, and work can be in any media. 

Please send the title, media, a short statement about your work/idea, dimensions if appropriate, any technical requirements and a image to Pam below by Thursday 31 August 2017.

We also would like to hear from venues such as galleries, community centres, cafés or interesting places, across the Lothians which may like to host an exhibition during the festival.

We look forward to receiving your submissions and questions. We will let you know whether we can include your work as soon as we can. Get in touch by email: pam@capsadvocacy.org or by
phone: 0131 273 5116
www.facebook.com/outofsightoutofmindexhibition/