A Chance to Change Scotland: Chance 2 Change Expert Reference Group with Lived Experience - report

4. Initial Ideas for Participation – Part 2

Digital Inclusion/'Oor Plans to go Digital' (implementation scheduled for early 2022).

As a result of the HIIC course (2020), the group expressed a need to be digitally up-to-date and were at the stage of discussing how to make this happen when Covid hit. Understandably, with the current pandemic arranging digital learning has felt impossible and ironically is needed more than ever.

The group have discussed initial training required to undertake this piece of work and have identified the following:

• Intro to tablets
• Intro to the internet
• Online safety
• Using a search engine
• Zoom/Teams
• Advanced training enabling the group to produce and edit videos themselves.

Following initial training, the group would like to use a platform such as Discord where all C2C members participate and this would be managed by a member to enable group empowerment. The reason something like Discord is recommended is that there are no ads or external messages that can exploit members.

The main purpose would be to create and establish positivity, which would be achieved by setting tasks within a time frame (week, 2 weeks, month, etc) that each member would then post to the platform. For example, these tasks could include 'take and post three pictures that make you smile', 'find the most positive quote', 'find the funniest joke', etc. These tasks can be developed further to be specific to the group, such as 'post a photo of your favourite self-defence move', 'what were the funniest lines from the HIIC course', 'post your favourite picture from the photography course', 'post the most interesting theme from the SG work and say why?', etc.

C2C would also set up a range of 'Guest Speaker' forums via zoom. The group could interview the speakers and learn about the way that the world is currently communicating/zooming enabling them to be part of this 'new world'. Lastly, the group would like to video the entire learning process (Action Research) outlined above (good and bad) to iron out the creases, enhance the positives, creating a model for future learning

Medical staff often talk about encouraging people to take accountability for their own health - with knowledge and resources, they can. The group have proposed having a medical professional teach them how to measure weight, take blood pressure, peak flow etc, but, most importantly, the danger levels and when to seek medical advice. It has recently come to the group's attention that digital appointments with medical staff may become an option where appropriate. The group would like to run mock consultations with GPs/nurses using all the knowledge learned above (videoing the whole process to use as a learning aid). This piece of work will empower people with the knowledge/resources to care for their own needs as well as those of their communities, whilst reducing the pressure on an already overwhelmed NHS.

Peer Support

• The group have been discussing the key ingredients for a successful peer support group and have found this the most challenging theme to answer.
• In my opinion, as facilitator it is a process of development but for the group it is a 'feeling' that they are finding difficult to express.
• Previously the group had the privilege of taking part in workshops conducted by Charlie Sherry of Inclusive Images, a social enterprise helping Community Voice groups to share their stories via photography (http://www.inclusiveimages.org/). C2C used photography as a form of identification and expression. The workshops were hugely successful. Therefore, the plan is to utilise this previous learning and implement a small project where group members take photos that they believe represent C2C. This will form the basis for discussion with the hope being that this enables the group to identify/express their views on successful peer support.