The core of Collective Advocacy is making sure that people’s voices are heard. And what better way to do this than by literally making sound recordings of their voices? In these sound recordings you can hear people speaking in their own voice, on their own terms. People with mental health issues started the project to make sound recordings at the People’s Conference in 2024. They chose the use of sound as a way to bring perspectives of people with mental health issues to life in a way that makes them very real. Now those people have directed the editing of the sound recordings and launched them at CAPS’ In our shoes event in May 2025.
The People’s Conference is an annual event for people with lived experiences of mental health issues in the Lothians. They use it as a way to talk about how they might change things for the better. The Lothian Voices group chooses the conference topic. The entire process, from planning the format to following up with project work, is the product of Collective Advocacy by the group.
In 2024 the topic of the conference was on involving people with mental health issues in work that impacts them. It asked the questions:
- What does lived experience involvement feel like?
- How can it be improved?
- What are the challenges involved?
- Whose voices are being heard?
The recordings of individual people speaking about their experiences were made throughout the day of the People’s Conference. Once all the recordings of individual people were gathered, the Lothian Voices group found themes and decided on the structure of the final piece. You can listen to the completed interviews, arranged into four themes below.
Listen to the recordings
Power dynamics
“I feel I’m taking back some of the power that has been lost”
“I’m not defined by my labels. I’m a human being y’know.”
“I have value and worth.”
Helping others
“I can speak on behalf of others now, people that find it difficult to speak up.”
Self care and challenges
“They don’t ask me the question “why you are here?”. That’s incredible cus they don’t judge”
“Those questions, also can be very traumatic”
Working on our terms
“If I am kept informed then that’s great”
“Do I really want to spend my time talking to somebody that’s not listening?”
Please contact Angharad with any comments for the group angharad@capsadvocacy.org