Southwark Association for Mental Health is a new, user-run mental health charity with
growing membership, aiming to improve the well-being, civil liberties and social standing of
people who experience mental distress.
It was formed as an offshoot of the previous Southwark Mind, with the aim that it
should continue it's innovative and campaigning and user-led heritage. Many of Southwark
Mind's previous projects are now run by the recently incorporated Lambeth & Southwark
Mind. SAMH is still in development, but real progress is starting to be made.
.We are pleased to be supporting the user-led BME mental health group KINDRED MINDS to re-establish
itself following its departure from the former host organisation Social Action
For Health. Kindred Minds has been running drop-ins on a shoestring budget during the year,
but we have now been awarded some funding from the National Mind Small Grants
Committee to renew these activities with complementary therapies, social activities
including outings, and peer support training between now and the end of March 2015.
Kindred Minds has also been awarded some funds from the Trust for London
to appoint a part-time project leader, with the aim of developing a comprehensive
BME user mental health Manifesto. The idea is that the Manifesto, which will eventually
be available both on-line and as a paperback publication, will be used as a campaigning
tool to influence positive changes in mental health services, policies and services,
as well as in other factors affecting the lives of BME mental health service users
like the police and the welfare system.
We hope to appoint the project leader early in the new year and start work on
this project as soon as possible. SAMH also supports Mental Health Resistance Network's
welfare rights drop-in SolidariTEA - this being an independent project, which recently
organised its first public demonstration.
