RECIPE
FOOD
ENGAGEMENT “how do we get people to come to us/how do we approach people”.
Having had years of experience running a very successful breakfast club, which achieved some really positive outcomes for Service Users. We also saw that it was a very effective way to engage with a wide range of Service Users including treatment naive (people not aware of available services), people with addiction/substance misuse problems, people with mental health problems and people who are poorly housed and not in receipt of benefits.
Although people initially came in just for the breakfast we saw that it was an excellent opportunity to chat with them.
When people walked into the breakfast club they were welcomed with a smile and made to feel valued. People were treat with dignity and respect. Relationships were formed and a good energy was created, we saw that this really helped to develop their confidence and allowed them to talk a little about some of their issues and problems.
Service Users also said “that they felt that the breakfast club was a place where they could relax and feel safe". We were also aware through experience that we needed to challenge certain negative behaviour to maintain a good “vibe”. We gained a lot of invaluable experience from running the breakfast club and subsequently know many of the people still in need of support.
OUT IN NATURE - WALKS
CREATING A NEW LIFE IN RECOVERY “the system sometimes create a dependance on the service. People in recovery need things to do, places to go and people to be with to break this dependence”.
In our experience we saw that if people were going to get into recovery from addiction/substance misuse they needed to distance themselves from negative people, people who are still using and in the addiction lifestyle. We saw people start to do this only to become isolated because they found it difficult to develop new social networks, friendships and life experiences. Service Users needed things to do, places to go and people to be with especially after services closed at 5pm and at through the weekend.
Our service users told us that these were the time when they felt bored and isolated, one of the things that we feel has been really successful over the years are our organised recovery walks in nature. We have been running these for some years now and our service users have told us they have been very useful in getting them out of the town, in to nature and around other people in recovery.
We have always found that nature has had a very calming influence and allows people to feel safe and relaxed. It is also an excellent form of exercise,helps build fitness and creates an appetite. It is also an excellent opportunity to socialise with their peers and hopefully develop friendships, a love for the outdoors and encourage them to take up hiking themselves.
Our Service Users have told us that the Sunday walk really helps them to get through the weekend.
SUPPORT - SUPPORT GROUP
GETTING TO THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM “the system became very good at treating symptoms, but found it more difficult to get to the cause”.
In our experience we found that some people with addiction/substance misuse problems engaged well when given opportunities to talk about their thoughts and feelings with a group of their peers in a safe, positive and friendly environment. The groups that we ran helped to develop trust between the participants by agreeing as a group that we would not mention any names of group members outside of the group. We experienced the therapeutic value of being able to relate and identify through shared experiences with our peers.
We saw unity and bonding start to develop and participants having break throughs, insights and gaining awareness of their issues. We feel that group work is an invaluable intervention in supporting people to change as well as an excellent opportunity to develop new friendships and social networks.
As with the breakfast club we saw that negative behaviour needed to be challenged and boundaries established to create a positive and relaxed atmosphere where people felt safe.
OTHER IDEAS
Please watch this space every week.
As we develop we will be looking to our Service Users for new ideas, projects and activites, fuelled by passion, committment and motivation.
PROJECTS
