Question time is back - the community voice for Black
African Caribbean men. We would really welcome all
black men from the community to come forward as they
have done in previous meetings to talk openly about
what the hard hitting issues in the community are
that are not being addressed. Previous topics have
been around accessing Healthcare, Education, Fathering,
Youths and lack of things to do and well being.
Please come again and leave your vital comments that are now being
fed into the next strategic meeting on October 9th.
I will be feeding back thereafter.
Please leave ideas and concerns as these issues then can
be taken forward!
5 comments:
The event proved to be successful again as local African Caribbean men engaged in a debate specific to mental health and services on offer. On behalf of the men I have been asked to concise the main points of the meeting which were:
• Local statutory professionals still need to engage in the initial debate regarding African Caribbean men in particular with the recommendations from the document ‘Breaking the Circles Of Fear’(Dep. Of Health). It was highly expressed that local commissioners still need to ‘switch on’ and engage in a humane relationship with the local men, something that points to a relationship of value. At the heart of this, the wishes of the men need to be churned into a proper service that means something to the men and not to the services.
• Local men expressed that a service like this would have to reflect identity, emigrational experiences of all generations, mentoring and a real human affiliation with the underlying neglect of African Caribbean men in the current services on offer, and that no one would wish to access current services. More critically this service needed to be resourced by appropriate African Caribbean staff
• It was expressed that the African Caribbean centre remains a neglected community space that needs real resources and support as it is the only real ‘safe haven’ for African Caribbean men.
• The men expressed a real sense of tiredness regarding being consulted on some very dated issues that had not even been looked at properly yet.
Black Mental health the Practioners and Commissioners need help but they apparently don’t like the prescribed remedy listen to the communities, listen to users, asses the mistakes of the past treat them as learning opportunities implement the recommendations outlined in the David Bennett report.
This is informed change however there are those resistant almost impervious to change as the agenda doesn’t equate to their own personal critique in understanding the issues and the prescribed remedy.
“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them” Albert Einstein
If anyone from mental health actually reads my comments it would be good to see your response here on the blog its called communication.
African Caribbean Man not BME
BLACK FEAR .. BLACK HOPE …..BLACK RECOVERY
BME – Be Mindful Everyday
ACP Black Mental Health – Breaking The Circles Of Fear in Warwickshire
So many reports, so many pieces of research, so many recommendations but the fear continues…….In 2002 yet another report was published on the condition and experience of mental health amongst African and African Caribbean communities
In seeking to establish meaningful support for African and African Caribbean communities our collective aim must be to come together, our objective to come together, our activity to come together in coming together and sharing our collective experiences we can listen to each other, hear each other, offer hope to each other and provide the support for one another in our collective desire for healing through our own paths of recovery.
In Leamington Spa last week in the shadow of the ashes of the building next door a small group of men met all with different stories to tell of their experience of mental health provision. A discussion was facilitated in which the group explored the 15 recommendations of the Breaking Circles of Fear Report. Much of what was concluded from the report was not news to those who truly understood the plight of those striving to survive the trauma of mental ill-health. We all had fears!
The presentation focused on the continuing fear and how breaking the circles of fear amongst patients /sufferers / survivors /carers, family member and the medical community was something that we had to take charge of. We have to set our own agenda for our own pathway to recovery support.
The building blocks for any initiative require taking the plans, laying the foundations and building a system of care that supports recovery. People require support, people require meaningful care. Therefore each one teach one and each one help another.
Come and join our future gatherings at the African Caribbean Project, Bath Place Leamington Spa.
• Wednesday 28th October 6.30pm -9.00
Black Mental Health: ‘One Size Don’t Fit All’ – Alternatives Perspectives & Approaches to Care and the Need for Culturally Centred Care.
• Wednesday 25th November 6.30pm -9.00
Black Mental Health: ‘Taking Care ’- Developing Support & Self Help for African and African Caribbean Patients & Carers.
‘It is your mind that creates this world ….change is a process of action not a conference event’
Hello,
The meeting I attended at African Caribbean Project was very informative and I enjoyed very much. I hope to attend future meetings.
Hello all. The outcome of the meeting with the local council commissioning team was very positive. A Mental Health strategy will be put together that will incorporate specific elements of the ‘Breaking of Circles of Fear’ document.
What interested me also was the request for BME local people and service users to come forward and to then go out and interview current organisations delivering on Mental Health and the BME agenda. We know we are at and what needs to be done – this will be a great chance for local people to get involved from the start in the strategy and finally look at properly addressing these issues as a community!
Let’s bear all this in mind and in the next meeting coming up on the 28th I would really hope some of you local men will come forward to participate in steering these interviews! See you all next Wednesday
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