Hi everyone,
Here is our last Newsletter and Schedule of 2015, as per usual more great work from the team!
Enjoy Folks, All the best!
John M.
Monday, 30 November 2015
#Dignity - Stories From Gateway Members
Hello Everyone,
Up next in our member's #Dignity stories is a lovely piece by Gateway Member Mary.
Mary: The Warm Welcome
I was in a bad ‘aul place. I felt disconnected and alone. Not knowing where to turn, someone suggested gateway, a community project which was something different, and definitely something new for me.
As I got off the 16 bus and headed for Mount Drummond I was feeling nervous and excited at the same time. Excited that this might be a place for me and also nervous that I mightn’t fit in.
Making my way through the gates and past the trees [I could see a colourful sign for gateway in a window on the ground floor.Looking in I could see people laughing and chatting around a big table. Filled suddenly with anxiety, I turned to leave.
I didn’t get far however before one of the project workers came out to ask my name. Her welcoming approach put me at ease and I relaxed enough to follow her in for a cup of tea, where much to my relief everybody was just as kind and friendly.
Five years on I’m proud to say that I’m still a member of Gateway. It’s my second home, a place where I can relax and be myself.
Wouldn’t it be great if there were warm welcomes like this everywhere?
Tuesday, 24 November 2015
#Dignity - Stories from Gateway Members
Howdy all,
We will be posting member's stories from Gateway's #Dignity Workshop on the blog here.
It's really great inspirational stuff - have a read, see for yourselves!
Up first is 'The Stigma of Being Human' by Kevin.
Becoming very withdrawn at age 15, I was in a mind state of fear and negativity. I couldn’t punch my way out of a paper bag. I was very passive & would not or could not go to a doctor. I was in a prison of the mind.
Then Success! At age 30 I finally found my feet with a course in Amenity Horticulture. The identity of being both a student and gardener agreed greatly with me, giving me a role in this theatre of life, and the confidence to start thinking about how I could make positive progress on other areas.
For the first time since I was a child I had the confidence to go to the barber shop and take part in the everyday conversations held there. Up until then my father had always cut my hair at home. I remember feeling a glow, a halo, around my head coming out of the barbershop that day now that I had an identity, a trade of my own. I even began to advertise in newspapers as a gardener and got work maintaining private gardens.
Looking to develop even more, aware that something was still amiss, I made up my mind to see a shrink. I think the use of the word shrink for a psychiatrist is to do with the shrinking of an oversized ego through therapy, I read that somewhere.
In any case the Doctor got down to business. After a few years in therapy, my progress was, to my mind poor as I still didn’t seem able to go out and socialise in the everyday world as I had hoped.
Looking back I believe the Doctors straight talking approach gave me a fair crack of the whip and I found his diagnosis helpful – throwing light on my life story up to that point. I learned I was a solitary person with an emotionally withdrawn personality. This did make sense to me. I was advised that ‘I had to work on it,’ – a very sensible piece of advice.
Things eventually started to improve for me when I joined GROW Mental health, and over the years GROW,Gardening, Music, Gateway, Positive Psychology have all conspired to improve and enrich my like making it worth being human, worth living.
We will be posting member's stories from Gateway's #Dignity Workshop on the blog here.
It's really great inspirational stuff - have a read, see for yourselves!
Up first is 'The Stigma of Being Human' by Kevin.
Kevin: The Stigma of Being Human
Becoming very withdrawn at age 15, I was in a mind state of fear and negativity. I couldn’t punch my way out of a paper bag. I was very passive & would not or could not go to a doctor. I was in a prison of the mind.
Then Success! At age 30 I finally found my feet with a course in Amenity Horticulture. The identity of being both a student and gardener agreed greatly with me, giving me a role in this theatre of life, and the confidence to start thinking about how I could make positive progress on other areas.
For the first time since I was a child I had the confidence to go to the barber shop and take part in the everyday conversations held there. Up until then my father had always cut my hair at home. I remember feeling a glow, a halo, around my head coming out of the barbershop that day now that I had an identity, a trade of my own. I even began to advertise in newspapers as a gardener and got work maintaining private gardens.
Looking to develop even more, aware that something was still amiss, I made up my mind to see a shrink. I think the use of the word shrink for a psychiatrist is to do with the shrinking of an oversized ego through therapy, I read that somewhere.
In any case the Doctor got down to business. After a few years in therapy, my progress was, to my mind poor as I still didn’t seem able to go out and socialise in the everyday world as I had hoped.
Looking back I believe the Doctors straight talking approach gave me a fair crack of the whip and I found his diagnosis helpful – throwing light on my life story up to that point. I learned I was a solitary person with an emotionally withdrawn personality. This did make sense to me. I was advised that ‘I had to work on it,’ – a very sensible piece of advice.
Things eventually started to improve for me when I joined GROW Mental health, and over the years GROW,Gardening, Music, Gateway, Positive Psychology have all conspired to improve and enrich my like making it worth being human, worth living.
Educating Gateway - Planning for Gateway's Future
Howdy folks,
We will be running a planning workshop in the near future and would like you to get involved. Please see the attached flyer, we have 18 places available for this one so if you are interested, don't delay - let us know and we'll put your name down on the list.
Cheers Folks
Cheers Folks
Monday, 23 November 2015
Important Conversations Group
Hi Folks,
Our next important conversations group will take place on Thursday 3rd December in Parker Hill from 5pm to 7pm, and will deal with the themes of Connecting and Gateway Networking.
Pizza and refreshments will be provided on the night. We have 18 places available for this one folks, so if you are interested in attending please let us know in the office and we will make sure your name is put down for it.
All the best folks,
John M.
Our next important conversations group will take place on Thursday 3rd December in Parker Hill from 5pm to 7pm, and will deal with the themes of Connecting and Gateway Networking.
Pizza and refreshments will be provided on the night. We have 18 places available for this one folks, so if you are interested in attending please let us know in the office and we will make sure your name is put down for it.
All the best folks,
John M.
Thursday, 19 November 2015
Launch of the D12 Community Mental Health Forum - invitation to the community
The Dublin 12 Community Mental Health Forum is celebrating its official launch as part of a new initiative to progress positive mental health and recovery across the Dublin 12 community Wednesday 25th November from 10.00-12.00pm...
To celebrate the official launch of the Dublin 12 Community Mental Health Forum (D12CMHF), members and workers in the community are invited to join the Laughter Lunch with very special guest comedian and poet John Moynes, will take place on Wednesday morning, 25th November from 10.00am-12.00pm in Father Kitt Court, St Agnes Road, Crumlin Village and will include a light lunch. The launch will also hear from guest speakers Orla Barry, Chief Executive of Mental Health Ireland, and former Director of Mental Health Reform. Ms Barry will be joined by William Finnegan, a local person with lived mental health experience and D12 CMHF member. See launch booklet below:
The D12 CMHF was established in November 2014 by a number of community, statutory and voluntary organisations in Dublin 12, Rathmines and Tallaght working collaboratively to promote positive mental health and advance recovery in the local community.
Take a look at the blog for more information here: D12 Community Mental Health Forum
click here for google map
To celebrate the official launch of the Dublin 12 Community Mental Health Forum (D12CMHF), members and workers in the community are invited to join the Laughter Lunch with very special guest comedian and poet John Moynes, will take place on Wednesday morning, 25th November from 10.00am-12.00pm in Father Kitt Court, St Agnes Road, Crumlin Village and will include a light lunch. The launch will also hear from guest speakers Orla Barry, Chief Executive of Mental Health Ireland, and former Director of Mental Health Reform. Ms Barry will be joined by William Finnegan, a local person with lived mental health experience and D12 CMHF member. See launch booklet below:
The D12 CMHF was established in November 2014 by a number of community, statutory and voluntary organisations in Dublin 12, Rathmines and Tallaght working collaboratively to promote positive mental health and advance recovery in the local community.
Take a look at the blog for more information here: D12 Community Mental Health Forum
click here for google map
Monday, 16 November 2015
UCC Cork conference 'Critical Perspectives on and Beyond the Therapy Industry' WEBCASTS
Last week a group from Gateway attended the UCC Cork conference 'Critical Perspectives on and Beyond the Therapy Industry' in University College Cork, Ireland on 11th & 12th November 2015. It was both a stimulating and fun experience and great to go again as a group. Thanks to DCC for helping us to fund this trip through a small community grant.
For those who are interested and fancy learning more, the organisers have just uploaded the keynote presentations online, click on the link here to see the webcasts and other information relating to the conference this year: http://www.cvni.ie/index.php/this-years-conference
Enjoy!
Fionn
For those who are interested and fancy learning more, the organisers have just uploaded the keynote presentations online, click on the link here to see the webcasts and other information relating to the conference this year: http://www.cvni.ie/index.php/this-years-conference
Enjoy!
Fionn
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