Christmas appeal
Every year our Christmas appeal is used to buy a small gift (treats such as chocolates, fruit and coffee) for every patient to remind each one of them that they are unique, special and cared about. This year, as well as the usual edible gifts, we want to go a bit further; it is easy to lose the motivation to look after yourself when you live in a total institution and have no possessions.
Receiving the gift of some nice smelling soap, a toothbrush, toothpaste or other small personal hygiene item, can make a big difference to how you look and how you feel about yourself. Most patients have no access to any of these things.
This year we are partnering with a group of local people from Tarnaveni to provide Christmas gifts to the patients. This will include a personalised Christmas card and a social event for the local donors to meet with some of the patients.
The gift giving will be coordinated by our Romanian team to ensure that your donation goes directly to benefit the patients on the closed wards, that each patient receives their gift and is able to enjoy it.
To donate click here or a cheque can be sent to Treasurer, VfMH, Flat 2, 33 Westbere Rd. NW2 3SP
Thank you
Receiving the gift of some nice smelling soap, a toothbrush, toothpaste or other small personal hygiene item, can make a big difference to how you look and how you feel about yourself. Most patients have no access to any of these things.
This year we are partnering with a group of local people from Tarnaveni to provide Christmas gifts to the patients. This will include a personalised Christmas card and a social event for the local donors to meet with some of the patients.
The gift giving will be coordinated by our Romanian team to ensure that your donation goes directly to benefit the patients on the closed wards, that each patient receives their gift and is able to enjoy it.
To donate click here or a cheque can be sent to Treasurer, VfMH, Flat 2, 33 Westbere Rd. NW2 3SP
Thank you
Arte Inclusive
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In September three artists from the Bearpark Artists' Co-operative held a week of interactive workshops with participants from Tarnaveni Hospital, Asociația Catharsis and local high school Colegiul Tehnic Târnăveni.
In involving these different groups from within the Târnăveni community the project aimed to promote a message of inclusion, participation and collaboration. The beautiful artwork that our participants produced demonstrated that we all have skills, abilities and contributions to make, and that everyone – no matter whether or not they have a mental health diagnosis – should have opportunities to participate within their community on an equal basis with others.
We thank our partners Suzie, Romey and Barrie from the Bearpark Artists' Co-Operative for their hard work in organising and facilitating the workshops, and our Romanian team Ale, Estera and Radu for their dedication, support and hard work throughout the project.
In involving these different groups from within the Târnăveni community the project aimed to promote a message of inclusion, participation and collaboration. The beautiful artwork that our participants produced demonstrated that we all have skills, abilities and contributions to make, and that everyone – no matter whether or not they have a mental health diagnosis – should have opportunities to participate within their community on an equal basis with others.
We thank our partners Suzie, Romey and Barrie from the Bearpark Artists' Co-Operative for their hard work in organising and facilitating the workshops, and our Romanian team Ale, Estera and Radu for their dedication, support and hard work throughout the project.
Great East Swim 2016
Jen and Bex, two VfMH volunteers are entering the Great East Swim to raise money to provide activities for the patients in Tarnaveni Psychiatric Hospital. Support them by donating here
Songs of Love and Loss
Coming together in music to think of those in Tarnaveni Hospital, Romania.
7pm at the Crediton Congregational Church, High Street, Crediton, Devon on March 15th.
7pm at the Crediton Congregational Church, High Street, Crediton, Devon on March 15th.
Great East Swim- 18th June 2016
Following the success at the Great North Swim, members of VfMH will be entering the Great East Swim on Saturday 18th June 2016. So far we have people signed up for the following three races:
The 2 mile swim is at 10am
One mile Swim at 11am
Half mile is at 13:30
If you would like to join the team please sign up directly on the Great East Swim for one of the above races Sign up here
Once you have signed up please let us know: info@vfmh.org.uk
The 2 mile swim is at 10am
One mile Swim at 11am
Half mile is at 13:30
If you would like to join the team please sign up directly on the Great East Swim for one of the above races Sign up here
Once you have signed up please let us know: info@vfmh.org.uk
Christmas Appeal
It's that time of year again and our Christmas appeal is in full swing! Please consider giving just £2 to VfMH and we will ensure that all the long term psychiatric patients we support will know that the 25 December, 2015 is not just another Friday of isolation and loneliness. Donate to our Christmas gift campaign
VfMH is proud to be a member of Mental Health Europe
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World Mental Health Day - 10th October 2015 |
This year’s theme for World Mental Health Day is "Dignity in Mental Health".
At this very moment, countless people around the world with mental health conditions, including many living in the EU, are being deprived of their human rights. According to the World Health Organisation, “They are not only discriminated against, stigmatised and marginalised but are also subject to emotional and physical abuse in both mental health facilities and the community. Poor quality care due to a lack of qualified health professionals and dilapidated facilities leads to further violations.”
We at VfMH are striving to change this, and ahead of this year’s World Mental Health Day we’ve been reflecting on what dignity means to us. Here are some of our thoughts.
"For me, dignity comes from having respect from others and having space to have peace and quiet. In order for me to maintain my dignity I need to feel clean and have access to hot water." - Victoria
"I think that dignity is recognising the uniqueness of who we are and who each other is. It is treating ourselves and each other in a way that makes ourselves and each other feel that we have an incredibly important place in the world. Dignity is taking care of ourselves and each other." - Caroline
"I heard an acronym recently - P.A.N.T's - it stands for 'people are not things'. Then I remember that long term psychiatric patients at the hospital in Romania don't even have underwear. I'd like to change that and many other things too. We have a long way to go to uphold equal human worth and that's what dignity means to me." - Sam
"If I think about what dignity means for me it's about being treated with equal worth and valued for who I am not who other people want or expect me to be. As a member of VfMH when I think about the undignified way in which patients are forced to lead their lives I don't think of them as victims. They are the strongest and most dignified individuals in spite of their circumstances that I know I will ever meet. When I think of them as I often do, I celebrate who they are, many as role models to me in lots of different ways." - Laura
"To me dignity is a sense of self worth and self respect that a person has for oneself. It's that one small part of our psyche that we cannot lose, but we can forget about its existence. The more I learn about the patients that the VfMH work with, the more I realise how difficult it must be for them to remember that they have that little light inside of them that makes them special, and special they are. I think it is our job as an organisation but also as members of society to make sure that no matter what the situation we respect people around us and make sure they never forget that they are unique human beings that deserve to be listened to and respected." - Estera
"Dignity is about being worthy of respect and human dignity is related to the ability of humans to choose their own actions [Kant]. Human rights arise from dignity and are embodied in the Preamble and Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights [1948].
I do not feel that the patients on the wards are treated with dignity and their rights are frequently violated but I think that Hazel's project work is a good beginning to starting the process of restoring their dignity. The 1997 Convention for the Protection of human rights and dignity addresses the problem of safeguarding human dignity with regard to the application of medicine and biology. "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights" [ Article 1 UDHR ]. I agree with Sam - we have a long way to go." - Mary Jean
"To me, to be treated with dignity means for people to treat me in a way that acknowledges my worth, value and uniqueness as a human being. My own personal dignity comes from how I respond to people and situations, there will always be times when other people treat us in an undignified way and the challenge is to maintain your personal dignity. Working with VfMH has shown me amazing inspiring examples of people with incredible resilience and personal dignity." - Fiona
There can never be any justification for robbing a person of their dignity and every reason to preserve it. Dignity is a fundamental human right and also a subjective value. Supporting dignity is to accord respect to others and value who they are, this should be the first principle of all human relationships and especially those where power is unequal. To me it is about having autonomy, capacity and purpose; when these are lost we still find other ways to retain dignity." - Clare
"Dignity, to me, is about having the ability to express myself in a way I’m comfortable with. It’s also about having choice and control over aspects of my day which might be very simple, such as what I eat, what I wear or how I manage my own time." - Jen
At this very moment, countless people around the world with mental health conditions, including many living in the EU, are being deprived of their human rights. According to the World Health Organisation, “They are not only discriminated against, stigmatised and marginalised but are also subject to emotional and physical abuse in both mental health facilities and the community. Poor quality care due to a lack of qualified health professionals and dilapidated facilities leads to further violations.”
We at VfMH are striving to change this, and ahead of this year’s World Mental Health Day we’ve been reflecting on what dignity means to us. Here are some of our thoughts.
"For me, dignity comes from having respect from others and having space to have peace and quiet. In order for me to maintain my dignity I need to feel clean and have access to hot water." - Victoria
"I think that dignity is recognising the uniqueness of who we are and who each other is. It is treating ourselves and each other in a way that makes ourselves and each other feel that we have an incredibly important place in the world. Dignity is taking care of ourselves and each other." - Caroline
"I heard an acronym recently - P.A.N.T's - it stands for 'people are not things'. Then I remember that long term psychiatric patients at the hospital in Romania don't even have underwear. I'd like to change that and many other things too. We have a long way to go to uphold equal human worth and that's what dignity means to me." - Sam
"If I think about what dignity means for me it's about being treated with equal worth and valued for who I am not who other people want or expect me to be. As a member of VfMH when I think about the undignified way in which patients are forced to lead their lives I don't think of them as victims. They are the strongest and most dignified individuals in spite of their circumstances that I know I will ever meet. When I think of them as I often do, I celebrate who they are, many as role models to me in lots of different ways." - Laura
"To me dignity is a sense of self worth and self respect that a person has for oneself. It's that one small part of our psyche that we cannot lose, but we can forget about its existence. The more I learn about the patients that the VfMH work with, the more I realise how difficult it must be for them to remember that they have that little light inside of them that makes them special, and special they are. I think it is our job as an organisation but also as members of society to make sure that no matter what the situation we respect people around us and make sure they never forget that they are unique human beings that deserve to be listened to and respected." - Estera
"Dignity is about being worthy of respect and human dignity is related to the ability of humans to choose their own actions [Kant]. Human rights arise from dignity and are embodied in the Preamble and Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights [1948].
I do not feel that the patients on the wards are treated with dignity and their rights are frequently violated but I think that Hazel's project work is a good beginning to starting the process of restoring their dignity. The 1997 Convention for the Protection of human rights and dignity addresses the problem of safeguarding human dignity with regard to the application of medicine and biology. "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights" [ Article 1 UDHR ]. I agree with Sam - we have a long way to go." - Mary Jean
"To me, to be treated with dignity means for people to treat me in a way that acknowledges my worth, value and uniqueness as a human being. My own personal dignity comes from how I respond to people and situations, there will always be times when other people treat us in an undignified way and the challenge is to maintain your personal dignity. Working with VfMH has shown me amazing inspiring examples of people with incredible resilience and personal dignity." - Fiona
There can never be any justification for robbing a person of their dignity and every reason to preserve it. Dignity is a fundamental human right and also a subjective value. Supporting dignity is to accord respect to others and value who they are, this should be the first principle of all human relationships and especially those where power is unequal. To me it is about having autonomy, capacity and purpose; when these are lost we still find other ways to retain dignity." - Clare
"Dignity, to me, is about having the ability to express myself in a way I’m comfortable with. It’s also about having choice and control over aspects of my day which might be very simple, such as what I eat, what I wear or how I manage my own time." - Jen
Collaborating with Penumbra
This year we are very pleased to have made a formal collaboration with the mental health charity Penumbra. Penumbra is an NGO with many years' experience of providing services for people with mental health needs in Scotland, and they were also instrumental in setting up the Estuar Foundation in Romania over 20 years ago. Penumbra's chief executive, Nigel Henderson, has been extremely supportive of our work, and earlier this year he visited the project at Tarnaveni Hospital to gain a better understanding of our work and to meet the patients and senior management team. We are also extremely honored to have been chosen to be their "charity of the year" in celebration of Penumbra's 30th birthday in 2015.
Working towards deinstitutionalisation at the European level (April 2015)
Laura Thomas, our Development Director has been recently developing our international profile through our membership with Mental Health Europe (MHE).On 25th & 26th April 2015 Laura attended MHE's annual general meeting and conference in Brussels where Volunteers for Mental Health were officially accepted as members of MHE. On behalf of VfMH, Laura attended a number of workshops pertinent to the work VfMH do in Romania. Of particular importance was the presentation about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and the progress each European country is making in the implementation of this law.
On behalf of Mental Health Europe, Laura was also asked to attend a conference hosted by the Latvian Presidency on 15th June 2015 entitled "Deinstitutionalisation Practices and Further Development of Social Care Policy in Europe". This was a unique opportunity to meet senior officials of other European countries and hear how the process of D.I. is occurring. Presentations at this conference included guest speakers such as the Regional representative for Europe, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Vice President of European Disability Forum. In addition, she actively engaged with a specific workshop hosted by the European Expert Group on the Transition from Institutional to Community-based Care.
VfMH are privileged to be able to be part of the dialogue at a European level on how people with disabilities and psycho-social (mental health) needs should be treated and the type of services that should be developed in all European countries in order to maximise dignity and independence. The work that Laura is doing as Development Director will support VfMH in the development of our delivery plan and the projects we want to undertake in Romania to improve the quality of life and treatment for those we support at Tarnaveni psychiatric institution.
On behalf of Mental Health Europe, Laura was also asked to attend a conference hosted by the Latvian Presidency on 15th June 2015 entitled "Deinstitutionalisation Practices and Further Development of Social Care Policy in Europe". This was a unique opportunity to meet senior officials of other European countries and hear how the process of D.I. is occurring. Presentations at this conference included guest speakers such as the Regional representative for Europe, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Vice President of European Disability Forum. In addition, she actively engaged with a specific workshop hosted by the European Expert Group on the Transition from Institutional to Community-based Care.
VfMH are privileged to be able to be part of the dialogue at a European level on how people with disabilities and psycho-social (mental health) needs should be treated and the type of services that should be developed in all European countries in order to maximise dignity and independence. The work that Laura is doing as Development Director will support VfMH in the development of our delivery plan and the projects we want to undertake in Romania to improve the quality of life and treatment for those we support at Tarnaveni psychiatric institution.
'Portrait of a Volunteer'- International Volunteers Day (5th Dec 2014)
Current volunteers organised an event on 5th December for this special day for three main reasons:
The event was very successful, with the attendance of the mayor and an article in the local media, Tarnaveni.ro.
- To help raise awareness of the benefits of volunteering in general and how volunteering at all different levels contributes to a successful community;
- To raise the profile of the local volunteering organisations in Tarnaveni, and to arrange a formal acknowledgment, recognition and thanks for the work these groups do for the local community;
- To help build relationships between VfMH and these local organisations, and to strengthen our alliance with people with similar values to VfMH, so that we can better support one another in the work we undertake with the different vulnerable groups in Tarnaveni.
The event was very successful, with the attendance of the mayor and an article in the local media, Tarnaveni.ro.
'Keep Fit, Keep Well'- Maintaining positive mental health through exercise (11th Oct 2014)
Connected with the ‘This is Me!’ exhibition held on the 9th October, VfMH volunteers organised a community bike event to raise awareness of the benefits of exercise to help improve and maintain positive mental health. We worked in collaboration with the local cycling group, the local gym and a local coffee bar to help support the event through offering free gym memberships and free and discounted drinks for participants in the event. The cycling group supported the event by helping us to organise the route around the town (1hour and 20mins long), as well as accompanying us on the ride itself. The local police topped and tailed the 70+ strong group of children and adults who chose to participate in the event.
'This is me'- A celebration of World Mental Health Day (9th Oct 2014)
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VfMH volunteers wanted to mark World Mental Health Day to celebrate positive mental health, raise awareness and address stigma and discrimination against people living with mental ill health. Local VfMH volunteers worked with 23 patients and in collaboration with two other local organisations, Catharsis: a local association of families of children with learning disabilities, and the local school for children and young adults with disabilities. Together, all three organisations and their beneficiaries created an exhibition to celebrate this international day, to highlight what people have in common and to state that positive mental health is a right not a privilege. The strap-line for the day was the official statement from the World Health Organisation, ‘There is no health without mental health.’
For 2014, World Mental Health Day focused on ‘Living with Schizophrenia’. Therefore, VfMH volunteers advertised information as part of the exhibition dispelling myths and giving information about schizophrenia. This event was attended by senior management of the hospital, the local mayor made a speech and many members of the public attended. |
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'See me, Hear me'- Photography Exhibition (9th May 2014)
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We supported patients to produce a series of creative and thought-provoking photographs that explored and recorded personal identity and/or individual experiences of living in an institution. This exhibition involved 13 psychiatric inpatients and culminated in a week-long exhibition at the Casa de Cultura (Culture House) in Tarnaveni. This event was supported by the senior management team of the hospital, the local Mayor and many members of the public. It was also advertised in the local media tarnaveni.ro along with a separate article the following week about what it is like for VfMH volunteers living in working in Romania. |
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