B & LM works alongside people with mental health needs and dementia, in the London Boroughs of Bromley and Lewisham, to improve their quality of life. Bromley Mind was formed in 2000 with the merger of three long-standing and well respected mental health charities: Beckenham Mind (founded 1966), Orpington Mind (founded 1964) and Stepping Stones Club (founded 1954). In 2011, the charity began providing services in the London Borough of Lewisham and in 2013 changed its name to become Bromley & Lewisham Mind.
At the heart of Bromley & Lewisham Mind’s work lie the following core values:
- Person-centred approach, understanding the individual and tailoring support to their needs
- Active participation, recognising and using the skills of people with lived experience of mental health needs and dementia
- Embracing diversity and ensuring equality of opportunity for all
- Continuous improvement to deliver high quality services that meet changing need
To achieve their purpose, B&LM:
- Enable people to make informed choices about their lives
- Enable people to cope with, manage and improve their own mental health
- Provide access to fulfilling activities and valued roles in their community
- Provide safe and trusted services when people are most vulnerable
- Improve awareness and understanding of mental health needs and dementia.
At Deptford Lounge:
NOW are delighted to be creating and developing our connections working with Bromley & Lewisham Mind on two of our workshops during our residency at Deptford Lounge: Wednesday 25th June Workshop ‘This Voice Here: Building Confidence and Playing With the Voice and Body’ (3:00-3:45pm) and ‘Managing Stress & Anxiety NOW: A Practical Workshop’ (3:00-3:45pm)
Mental health adviser Jessica Mackinnon will lead ‘This Voice Here: Building Confidence and Playing With the Voice and Body’, a workshop on increasing confidence in communicating with others by using theatre techniques with the voice and body.
2 Minute Interview:
How does your workshop relate to being in the NOW?
This Voice Here is a regular workshop series which myself and my colleague Salome Salam run for clients of Mind Community Support Service in Lewisham. We work with a range of people experiencing mental distress for whom using their voice can be a challenge. The workshop series uses theatre techniques to enable people to explore their voice, to experiment and to have fun. This in turn can aid people’s confidence, in themselves and in their capacity to be around others. Anxiety is an experience shared by many of the people whom we work with. Therefore it makes absolute sense to run a workshop as part of the Anxiety Festival with NOW.
What are you most looking forward to doing within your slot at NOW?
In four weeks we sow seeds, new ideas. This is what I am most looking forward to about the workshop. Introducing people to ways of using their voice and their body that they might not have realised that they were capable of. Enabling people to surprise themselves.
Any tips on how the audience can most benefit from your workshop?
Go with… save questions… wear comfy shoes.
blmind.org.uk / /