< Want to find out more?: Contact Us >
About The Project
What Is Voice Collective?
Voice Collective is a 2 year project set up to develop, and co-run, peer support groups for young people (aged 12-18) who hear, see or sense things that other people don't.
It's part of Mind in Camden's London Hearing Voices Project, which has been supporting people to set up groups for over 18s since 2005.
How does it work?
We know that there are lots of organisations out there who are doing great work both with, and for, young people. To develop the peer support groups, and make sure that they last well into the future, we decided to hook into this expertise.
We are working in partnership with a range of organisations (voluntary sector and NHS) who want to improve the range of support they can offer to young people. We provide them with training, support and an experienced group worker to co-facilitate the groups.
Over the next two years we will work with group members to help them become actively involved in the project. This may involve training young people to run their own groups, supporting them to put together events or helping them create a collection of their own experiences. We're open to ideas.
It doesn't end there, though. We also run training workshops for parents and other supporters. For us, this is all about raising awareness and giving out a positive message. The more people who hear this message, the better.
Why is it needed?
The idea that people can support one another through difficult times is nothing new - it comes naturally to most people. Still, the experience of hearing, seeing or sensing things that others don't can make people feel really isolated.
The truth is that 8% of young people hear or see things that others don't. Still, movies and news reports can make it all sound much more scary and unusual than it really is. The fear of being judged or labelled can be really hard to deal with. Because of this, meeting others who understand what you're going through can be very important.
At the moment there are over 180 peer support groups for over 18s who hear voices in the UK. The problem is that for under 18s groups like this are really rare. This project is our first step towards changing this.
< Want to find out more?: Contact Us >