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Friends and Advocates is many things to many people. For the
Ontario Ministry of Health this program is classified as a
community based, member driven, consumer survivor peer
support program. For members it can be a substitute for
family, a self-help program, or a place to go to pass the time
with other people. For some members it means having
someone to call when they feel they are getting into a crisis
situation and for others, it's having someone to call to
celebrate getting a new job.
But for all members it is quite clear, this program is member
driven and the members make the decisions from hiring new
staff, to spending money on a big trip such as camping. Much
has been said about recovery and the involvement of
members in planning and implementing programs but few
survivors involved in this type of model actually sit on Boards
of Directors or make major decisions about staff
appointments, salaries or budgets.
The members of Friends and Advocates Centre make major
decisions. Each member has one vote, and a monthly General
Members' Meeting is held to discuss issues and
recommendations that may have been forthcoming from a
prior committee meeting. Our General Members Meetings take
the place of monthly Board meetings. It is at this monthly
meeting that final decisions are made, and where every
member who attends has the opportunity to propose changes
and convince others of his/her position. Staff is considered
members as well, and each staff person who attends this
meeting is also entitled to one vote.
Committees are open to all members to plan social activities,
deal with personnel matters, take action about social issues or
to produce our quarterly news magazine. Members can
choose to be involved with some of these committees or
none, depending on their interests. But for those members
that are involved in planning and implementation committees,
there is an enormous sense of pride and accomplishment
when an action is completed successfully.
To comply with Ontario's laws and the Corporations Act, Five
members are elected annually to act as executives and to be
our nominal Board of Directors. They voluntarily share their
decision-making power with the rest of our members and they
only have one vote at a General Members' Meeting like
everyone else.
Often we hear the same story from agencies, and other mental
health workers, that the people they deal with are just not
capable of making these kinds of decisions or working on
Boards or committees. The irony of this is that many times they
are talking about the same individuals who very successfully
make these decisions at Friends and Advocates. We feel
everyone has something to offer, even if it is just being
present at a meeting to support other members and saying
little. The key is to make meetings comfortable, where
members are not intimidated and feel their opinions are
valued. Currently Friends and Advocates Centre follows
Roberts Rules of Order to come to agreements. Almost all of
our members have one or more psychiatric diagnosis, or a
major mental health problem, and most have been hospitalized
at one time or another, sometimes repeatedly. Also, most
members are on medication and see a psychiatrist or therapist
on a regular basis. It is important to be aware of these facts
about the program to refute the belief of many professionals
that people who have major mental health problems cannot be
involved in decision-making and in taking the responsibility
for their program.
When Friends and Advocates Centre began 30 years ago, as a
grass roots organization the one vital belief that still exists
today is that everyone has something to contribute; that
everyone has a right to voice their opinion. Even though the
program has been changing to meet the members' needs and
with the changing times, it’s basic philosophy is still the same.
Staff are looked on as resource people to help members solve
problems or intervene in a crisis if asked to. Their main duties
are to facilitate members' decisions and to try and motivate
members to get involved with the program. The Personnel
Committee made up of members in the program hires staff, all
who are survivors. Staff home numbers are provided to each
member in case of emergency or crisis. Staff is available
twenty-four hours a day if needed, and this opportunity is
seldom abused.
The social/recreational aspect of the program comes up with
approximately 40 or more activities per month occurring
during the day, evenings and on weekends each month. We
also have various committee meetings that we encourage
members to attend. The Recreation and Leisure Planning
Committee, chooses activities to include on the calendar to
meet the needs of approximately one 200 members whose age’
s range from sixteen to sixty, and this is not an easy task.
However, if members do not like the events they can go to this
monthly committee meeting and plan other things. That is their
responsibility.
Although there are many scheduled social events, friendships
form and people get together on their own to pursue
interests. Some of these interests have resulted in marriages
or long-term relationships, but for others who have been
socially isolated, this intimacy is more difficult.
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Member Information:
We want to keep all the members updated on each other
about the latest happenings within the organization and in
order to keep up to date on how fellow members are doing,
we want you to send your event information also links of
your personal web sites.
To follow up information about specific members. We will list
each member's birthday for the month, or other significant
events, such as weddings or birth etc...
Getting Involved
To get involved in our worthy causes, we here present
different options and encourage you with others to join us.
Also below is some of the interesting and fun activities our
organization have.
Register for an Upcoming Event:
It will be great and fun activities to involve the event Click
here to the "Upcoming Events".
Volunteer Your Time:
We'll give you the information about how and where to
volunteer your time and energy.
We hope to update this page often with new photos.
Write a Letter or Sign a Petition:
We will give you the information about how to list the names
of people to write to or suggest signing an online petition.
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