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INFOBUS JULY 26th 2018: Getting to know the ReachOut Online Community Team and Peer Support
We are excited to announce that Infobus is back next week!
Join us on Thursday the 26th of July from 7pm-9pm to talk about all things peer support, ReachOut forums, and getting to know the ReachOut team with Jess (me!).
This month we are going behind the scenes at ReachOut to meet the newest member of the online community team.
I have a professional background in Peer Support, and will be online to talk about all things peer support, the ReachOut forums, and any questions you have to get to know me and the rest of the online community team.
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This month, we have received requests from the community to get to know the ReachOut team better and those that are responding to posts on the forums. All of the ReachOut team are passionate about improving the mental health of young Australians, and we all bring a wealth of different knowledge and experiences to ReachOut's work. This infobus is your chance to ask questions and get to know a member of our team!
Submit any questions you have in advance here - it's anonymous!
Two days to go until the infobus! Make sure you get your questions in!
I just wanted to share a small bio so you know a bit about me before Thursday:
My name is Jess and I am the new Online Community Co-ordinator at ReachOut. I have been working in mental health for the last 8 years, and I am dedicated to improving the lives of young Australians. My professional background is as Child and Youth Peer Support Worker in mental health services, a lived experience educator, public speaker and youth advocate. I have worked across many roles in hospital and community mental health settings, sharing my story to support others going through similar experiences and in improving mental health services.
People often ask me what a peer support worker is? To me, it is about being able to share my lived experiences of mental health in a purposeful way that provides hope to other young people that recovery and wellbeing is possible, and support them to take action in their own recovery journey.
Coming onto the forums, I am excited to see the incredible levels of peer support that are offered here. Every day in the forums I see conversations that invite connection, hope, compassion and empathy between young people going through similar experiences, and watch peers encourage each other to take positive steps to improve their health and wellbeing. This is what I am passionate about.
I look forward to talking to you more and answering questions you have.
Remember to submit your questions here!
Can't wait to get started
Hello everyone
Just a reminder that the infobus will be starting in 30 mins!
We are also very excited to announce that @Amirah-RO will be joining us to facilitate the discussion tonight!
Before we start, please make sure you are familiar with our community guidelines.
Speak to you very soon!
@scared01@May_@mrmusic@roseisnotaplant@lokifish@N1ghtW1ng@letitgo
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?
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.
I think having lived experience gives you that extra layer of empathy that you don't have otherwise. Obviously you can still empathise even if you haven't experienced something, but it can really help you connect to others if you have
@lokifish off the top of my head I have no idea, I have coins hidden in places everywhere... I should probably buy an album to put them in! LOL
totally @lokifish, everyone has their own path with education and there are so many different entry points and ways to education out there! It's important people know they have options
With the coins - My favourite coin would be the round 50c coins. My grandfather collected them and passed them down to me and they are so amazing.
What is great about starting work in mental health is that there are so many ways you can go! A lot of peer workers I know start off doing peer support in communities like this, are advocates and representatives or wanted to share their story more broadly. Of course there are also clinical routes too. There are so many options for people interested in working in mental health
definitely @lokifish! It takes time to feel prepared to tell our stories, even with families and friends. Having people around to support you when you choose to share your story is really important. I've found that with every person I've spoken to over time my confidence grew.
I have been working in mental health for 8 years now. I started when I was 15 years old. I have learnt so much in these years and have grown as a person from working in mental health