In 2021 Mind and Body worked with Odyssey to deliver the Citizenship Project.
The Citizenship Project began with two people, Jim and Alice, who were either homeless or accessing mental health services in the mid-90s. Their views of the future were that they did not belong and lacked connection to a local community or to the wider society. The original Citizenship Project was a community coalition and aimed to facilitate the community inclusion of people who were most marginalised. It focuses on the five Rs, namely the Rights, Responsibilities, Roles, Resources and Relationships that society makes available to people in their day-to-day lives and the powerful sense of belonging that people have in the simplest to most important moments of everyday life. A sense of belonging and the 5 Rs support and influence each other. This programme provides a framework of building a sense of belonging for people traditionally most marginalised by society’s prejudice.
The Citizenship Project has been profiled in Whāriki’s latest newsletter (below), with a link to the profile on the Whāriki website. Te Whāriki o te Ara Oranga is a network for innovators, leaders and influencers in mental health and addiction services to share great ideas about what works. It supports creative collaboration and builds connections to transform services.
The Citizenship Project profile includes a slideshow of student stories about the personal impacts of the project for them.
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Please take some time to view the article. It’s a wonderful read.