Welcome to our blog; a platform for thinkers, activists and system shakers to share their thoughts and news.
Oliver Townsend
Head of Partnerships and Practice
At Platfform, we believe hope is a way of being, a process. It is why we are excited that we have received funding from the Moondance Foundation for two years of a ground-breaking project in the Caerphilly area.
We have outgrown the story that people having a tough time with their mental health are just experiencing the fate of biology, genetic potluck and lacking ‘personal resilience’. If we understand that distress and mental health is not rooted in disease and pathology then it makes no sense to construct our understanding from this starting point.
This is why we believe change urgently needs to happen - to bring about an evolution in how we understand and respond to mental health.
Read the latest blog from Ewan, CEO at Platfform.
We must stop putting the issue of mental health onto the person and blame them or think of ‘them’ as second-class citizens but we must recognise the role adversity, trauma, distress and injustice have on our mental health.
Positive relationships have been talked about for a long time in housing and support. It’s not a new idea. However, with each year we see more often that our systems get in the way of building positive relationships.
'The energy price cap, while welcome, won’t address the fears of those dreading winter in a cold house. It won’t stop their savings being eaten away. And it won’t undo the damage done to our collective health’ - our Head of Policy explains the need for deeper change.
I have been on a significant learning journey during my time at Platfform, I am coming to understand more how our feelings about our work, and changes to it, can impact on how we act. It is why I am particularly proud of the Wisdoms work that we did alongside Caredig housing association.
The 22 August is the UN's International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence based on Religion or Belief. As someone who is a victim of violence on the basis of my faith, I wanted to share what happened to me and my family, how that trauma is still real today many years on, and how it has affected my mental health and day-to-day life.
I am working to create change at Platfform, to ensure that there is an equal playing field for all, and to help make us an organisation that reflects a wider range of backgrounds and experiences.
