When the pandemic changed lives forever, our collective stepped up our action plan to advocate for Mental Health Issues relating to BAME’s. Shaun attended key forums to present the case, as intersectionality was not a priority with regards to demographic charting for providers.

 

These included The ‘Camden Assembly on Social Care' and 'LGBTQ Health Matters' (2019) and most recently (March 2022) the ‘Talk for Health’ Programme, which gave him a grounding in interacting with other people who had lived experience of Mental Health episodes and anxiety, especially as it sessions were both online and face- to-face.

 

Many of the cohort were social housing tenants from Camden, who were severely affected when austerity measures were imposed in 2011. This clearly had an impact on a sense of well-being and introduced a fractious relationship with the borough and public services – who were themselves constrained by cuts to funding.

 

Yet it was at the ‘LGBTQ Health Matters’ panel debate in St Pancras Hospital where he found his advocacy mark; gaining confidence once he realised how many audience members related to the topic and appreciated the advocacy.

 

In 2020, Shaun contacted Anita De Pan from Camden Council’s Public Health Department as he was experiencing difficulty accessing culturally appropriate counselling during the pandemic, which did for a while challenge his own well-being.

 

Having explained past experiences with LGBTQ Mental Health Providers in the borough, Anita invited him to the Co-Production Meetings that were about to begin. Shaun attended both categories of Co-Prod meetings: in his capacity as Director of Arc of Triumph – to potentially bid for procurement of a delivery contract; and also as an individual service user.

 

This fortunate interaction meant that he was included in approximately 10 of their themed Co-Production Meetings via MS ‘Teams’ in Summer 2021 - an opportunity to engage in the values of Co-production in practice. In the middle of a world pandemic the nature of immediate changes to normal interactions meant he became more self-aware - thus appreciating other views more readily. From a management perspective, it taught him about the time it takes to devise policy and coordinate delivery, especially in a post pandemic world.

 

As London maintains its position as one of the most multicultural cities in the world; Camden, a pioneer in Social movements, and as the LGBTQ community consolidates its inclusion in all aspects of civil society, Shaun hopes to contribute by collaborating on programmes that highlight intersectionality and lived experiences in its Mental Health sector.

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Health advocacy, then will  be focused on creating bespoke content for a well-being App, and connecting affiliated organisations, in order to help build a much needed eco-system, via Arc of Triumph projects.

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