INFOBUS JULY 26th 2018: Getting to know the ReachOut Online Community Team and Peer Support

[scared01]

cant wait

[Amirah-RO]

Hello Everyone!!!

I'm excited to be joining you in facilitating the Infobus tonight with our special guest @Jess1-RO to tell us a little about her, what she does as Online Community Coordinator at ReachOut and hear about some of her fantastic work in peer support! 

Double doses of RO tonight! Welcome @Jess1-RO! I'll kick off with a couple of introductory Q's: 

*How did you first hear about RO?

*How did you first get into working in the mental health sector, what drew you to the sector? AND

*What's something we might not guess about you? Any Weird quirks? 

[Jess1-RO]

Thanks @Amirah-RO

How did I first hear about RO:

I went looking for some information on mental health a few years back when I first came across the RO site. I started reading through their resources. I liked it so much I ordered a whole lot of stickers to hand out to other young people was working with.

[Jess1-RO]

I was first drawn to the mental health sector from my own personal experiences of mental health and recovery as a teen/young person, and as a young carer to those I love experiencing mental health concerns.

[Jess1-RO]

I have always wanted to help people, and I knew that from a young age. I thought that studying medicine would be my path to do that, but my experiences accessing mental health services helped me find my passion- to help people who were experiencing the same struggles I was facing. 

[lokifish]

@Jess1-RO that's awesome! I feel like a lot of people end up here by accident as they go looking for information online (I know I did )

That also reminds me that I have a bunch of RO stickers sitting around that I'm yet to cover everything with

[Amirah-RO]

That's so cool! Our stickers seem to be very popular  

@lokifish I'm going to try my best to get through your questions!! 

[Jess1-RO]

What got me into mental health was when I met an incredible mental health consumer advocate who changed my life. They helped me see the power and value that sharing my experiences has in helping people in their own recovery, and in creating better mental health services.

I can’t imagine working anywhere else other than mental health now!

[Amirah-RO]

Thanks for sharing that @Jess1-RO. We definitely find that having lived experience is a strength within peer support especially. Going to throw you a curve ball here, why is it that you think having lived experience is valued in peer support? 

[Bee]

so awesome @Jess1-RO
Same as @lokifish I find people end up here after looking for resources. That's how I ended up here, and I loved it so much I stayed