At the South Okanagan Similkameen Mental Wellness Society we want to hear your stories and help share them. Using a personal storytelling model help shed a light on the reality and scope of severe and persistent mental illness. Sharing your experience can help in your own recovery as well as offer encouragement and support to others with similar experiences. Sharing your story also helps promote understanding and empathy to those without mental illness. In addition it helps to eliminates stigma, fear and misunderstanding around mental illness.

 Available roles: (Each role speaks for 5 minutes) 

 Mental Health Consumer: A person in recovery from mental illness. 

Mental Health Professional: Professional who has experience working with people who have mental illness. 

Family Member: A parent, sibling or adult child of a person who has mental illness. 

 Requirements: 

• Knowledge of the various types of mental illness and local resources (asset) 

• Willingness and ability to present in front of large groups of people

 • Willingness to be open and share about your experience

 • Criminal Record Check (Required) 

Time Commitment: Will vary according to the number of participants in the program, the number of requests for presentations, and the types of presentations requested. A full presentation will take between 1-2 hours each depending on audience. Volunteers will be emailed a list upcoming presentations with the time and location. If the volunteer is interested in volunteering for a listed opportunity the can inform the Family Support Worker.