Aimed at young people in the north of England who have personal experience of hearing voices or seeing visions, Listen Up! was a summer arts roadshow with Mary Robson (creative facilitator, Hearing the Voice) and Rai Waddingham (Behind the Label). Over a series of workshops, participants produced pieces of art that challenged the stigma around voice-hearing. Their work was subsequently shown at our exhibition Hearing Voices: suffering, inspiration and the everyday, and later travelled to the United States for the 2017 World Hearing Voices Congress in Boston. You can learn more about the project, view some of the artwork, and listen to a podcast featuring reflections from the participants on our exhibition website.
Hearing from the participants at the Listen Up! workshops, we were struck by the need for more support in the North East for young people who hear voices, their families, and friends. This has inspired Rai to deliver a series of training and awareness sessions for young voice-hearers and those who support them, which will take place in Darlington in January next year. Full details of the two training courses and the free awareness event can be found below.
Understanding and Supporting Young People Who Hear Voices
19 January 2018, 10am – 4.30pm @ The Forge, Centre for Professional Development, Teeside University, Vicarage Road, Darlington, DL1 1JW
This one day workshop explores: the experience and its impact; different ways of making sense of distressing voices and visions; links between voices, visions, emotions and trauma; ways of challenging the stigma surrounding ‘voices’ in youth services; safe ways of talking with young people about voices and visions; developing a toolbox of practical and creative youth-friendly coping strategies.
Fees:
- £75 Full (NHS, statutory and commercial)
- £50 Reduced (self-funded places and voluntary sector funded places)
- £20 Concessions (unwaged*, students and low waged self-funding places that cannot afford the reduced fee)
Special offer – buy one place get one free: to support the implementation of the approaches covered in this course we are offering a free place for another member of your team and/or family. To be eligible for this offer you must specify at booking. Unused places, which have not been cancelled more than 1 week before the course start date, will incur a £25 admin fee.
Facilitating Peer Support Groups for Young People Who Hear Voices
3 day workshop, 23-25 January 2018, 10am – 4.30pm @ The Forge, Centre for Professional Development, Teeside University, Vicarage Road, Darlington, DL1 1JW
This three day workshop provides trainees with the understanding, skills and confidence to set up peer support groups for young people who hear voices, see visions or have other unusual experiences. Training will cover: the role of peer support; strategies to enhance participation; planning and promoting groups in your setting; launching groups, and managing common initial challenges; facilitation skills and managing difficult situations.
Fees:
- £175 Full (NHS, statutory and commercial)
- £100 Reduced (self-funded places and voluntary sector funded places)
- £25 Concessions (unwaged*, students and low waged self-funding places that cannot afford the reduced fee)
Break the Silence
20 January 2018, 10:30 – 1:30PM @ Darlington Friends Meeting House, 6 Skinnergate, Darlington, DL3 7NB
A FREE open awareness course, come along to…
- Find out about Voice Collective peer support groups and the Hearing Voices Network
- Meet other young people who hear voices or see visions, and their families
- Challenge the stigma around voice-hearing
- Find out about how people can learn to deal with difficult voices or visions
- Hear about, and help support, local developments in the North East that can support young people who hear voices
Who is it for?
- Young people who hear voices or have similar experiences
- Parents and family members
- Youth workers and anyone interested in supporting these developments in the North East of England
For more information or to book your place, please email Rai or visit her website.
*If you are unable to attend because of financial reasons, please get in touch to see if we can work out a way to make it possible for you to attend.