Title: Lead yourself! – Promotion of Leadership and Empowerment Capabilities project
Country: PORTUGAL
Form(s) of actions:
“Leadership training with national and international guests from the academic and intervention areas, specialized in various areas, including: advocacy and human rights, peer support and mutual aid, recovery and communication skills; Peer for Leadership workshop sessions for users of mental health organizations in the national territory (promoted independently by the group of collaborators); Awareness-raising and appreciation sessions for human diversity in secondary schools and universities, were facilitated by the group of collaborators; Development of a National platform of people with experience of mental illness so that people with experience of mental illness can develop a sense of community with their peers and, together, can act as a movement that fights to defend their own interests and rights; International Conference: Leadership and empowerment of people with experience of mental illness in Portugal – Nothing about us without us”.
Type(s) of actions
Networking/partnership building; (own services/proposals for solutions).
Summary:
The Lead yourself! – Promotion of Leadership and Empowerment Capabilities project, having as one of its aims to promote the creation of a National platform of people with experience of mental illness (empowerement and self-advocacy), is a citizens’ initiative proposed by the Association for the Study and Psychosocial Integration (AEIPS) with funding from Active Citizens Program – EEA Grants.
Aim:
“1. Develop the capacities of people with experience of mental illness to exercise leadership; 2. Strengthen contacts, connections and a sense of community among people with experience of mental illness at national and international level; 3. Promote the creation of a national platform of people with experience of mental illness that plays a leadership role in advocating for human rights and citizenship; 4. Prevent and combat stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness and promote the empowerment of people with experience of mental illness and the appreciation of human diversity”.
Main stakeholders:
AEIPS – Association for the Study and Psychosocial Integration (proponent); ANARPS and ASMAL (partners); Professionals and participants from the three non-profit associations in the field of mental health involved, including a group of people with experience of mental illness from these associations hired as official collaborators within the scope of the project; Two international Partners (Stiftelsen Milepælen; Napha); Active Citizens Program – EEA Grants (funder); Persons with experience of mental illness.
Issues addressed:
Grounded in recovery, empowerment and advocacy, inspired by the theoretical models of community psychology, the focus is on the capacities and potential of people with experience of mental illness and the promotion of their role as active citizens, through “engagement in an informed and empowered way in the fight against stigma and social exclusion, in favour of the protection and exercise of their civic and political rights”.
Outcome:
In total, 14 online training sessions were held, with the participation of 6 national and 8 international trainers. Twenty awareness raising and appreciation sessions reaching 586 students were organized. Two cycle of peer workshops (total: 6) were organized that were attended by 75 persons. Through the testimonies of the persons that participated in the different actions it seems that the aims were achived, although it is difficult to make a more complete assessment considering the data made available. The national platform was developed and a Charter of Rights and Needs for People with Experience of Mental Illness was prepared solely by people with experience of mental illness from all over the country, reflecting 10 rights and needs they want to see fulfilled, these include in synthesis: 1. Right to full integration into the community; 2. The right to accessible housing, dispersed and integrated into the community, with home support services if requested/necessary; 3. The right to inclusion in the regular and competitive job market with individualized support; being able to accumulate with other income (e.g. social benefits); 4. Educational opportunities in schools and universities, through inclusive and supported education programs and providing places and scholarships; 5. No discrimination and the right to equality. The right to marriage and/or de facto union and to parenthood; 6. Raising awareness and educating children, young people and adults about mental health and illness in schools and universities; 7. The right to property, access to bank loans and health insurance and similar services; 8) More investment in mental health: Adequate training of mental health professionals (towards a new vision of recovery) including in training the participation of PEMI; More support services for greater deinstitutionalization and more opportunities for a dignified and integrated life in the community; 9) The right to choose hospital treatments; no compulsory hospitalization; the right to choose and to sign informed consent forms; 10) A professional peer support network. The professionalization of paid peer support providers.
Sustainability:
The link to register to National Platform is still active but there are no information on further activities of the Platform after the end of the project. There are wishes to expand and dynamize the platform and to disseminate/publicize more the Charter (including to the National Parliament). Nevertheless, lack of further funding/support may hinder its dynamization and therefore its sustainability. The maintenance as an informal structure (without the formalization into an association) seems to be an obstacle to its recognition and impact.
Link(s):
http://www.lidera-tu.pt/; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-bjNii3hbU
Data source: The Project’s webpage; The Charter (acceded through personal communication); Other sources (interventions made in the final conference; interviews given)
