Community Voice & Advocacy - This is The Third Element of the Social Prescribing Organization I am advocating for in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

 

By Kendall Worth

  

In today’s BLOG post I am bringing readers a report on the third element of the Social Prescribing Organization I have been advocating for, here in Halifax. If readers would like to better understand the wider vision for this proposed organization, they can read my past reporting on Social Prescribing here.

For a broader overview, of the full idea behind the Social Prescribing Organization, I am advocating for, readers can also see this BLOG post.

The idea behind this proposal is based on the belief that improving mental health in our communities cannot rely only on traditional professional systems alone. Many people continue to experience social isolation, loneliness, poverty-related stress, and a lack of meaningful community connection. What I am advocating for is a community-based Social Prescribing Organization that focuses on friendship, peer support, community belonging, creativity, and first voice participation.

Before speaking further about today’s topic, I first want to recap the first two elements of the organization I have previously written about.

The First Element can be found here. In this proposal I discuss the need for a program involving Non-Professional Friendship Peer Support Workers. The purpose behind this idea is to recognize that many people within the community I advocate for have experienced friendship breakdowns, long-term social isolation, and difficulties maintaining healthy social relationships. Some individuals have even been told to have no further contact with former friends, leaving them increasingly isolated and disconnected from community life.

The Second Element can be found here. In this post I discuss the need for support groups and friendship skills workshops. These workshops and groups would focus on helping people build healthier social relationships, improve communication and boundary skills, and create affordable opportunities for community connection and belonging.

Today’s BLOG post introduces the Third Element of this wider Social Prescribing proposal:

Community Voice & Advocacy.

The idea for this element comes from one of the many difficult lessons learned by activists and advocates alike - one person alone cannot create lasting social change. In order for meaningful change to happen, people with lived experience must have opportunities to come together, support one another, and collectively speak about the issues affecting their lives.

The Social Prescribing Organization I am advocating for would serve many different first voice individuals throughout Halifax, including:

• People living on Employment Support and Income Assistance, often surviving on approximately $1022.00 a month or less depending on their circumstances. Many individuals within this group continue to face ongoing struggles connected to ESIA policies and regulations. Readers can see more of my reporting on these issues here.

• People who return home at the end of the day to socially isolated evenings in their apartments, after working part-time jobs, attending support groups, visiting places such as Hope Cottage, or simply trying to get through daily life alone.

• People seeking affordable social opportunities outside of traditional spaces such as churches or recovery meetings.

• Individuals who have experienced repeated friendship breakdowns and ongoing social disconnection.

The reality is that many people affected by these issues feel that the current mental health system, while important, does not fully address the deeper issues of loneliness, belonging, peer connection, and community participation. Many first voice individuals continue to feel unheard and disconnected from decisions affecting their lives.

Part of the inspiration for this proposal comes from my past involvement with the Benefits Reform Action Group. During its existence, BRAG provided an important first voice platform for people living on Income Assistance throughout Nova Scotia. Readers can learn more about BRAG through the following links: https://nsadvocate.org/tag/brag/ and https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/search/label/Benefits%20Reform%20Action%20Group 

One of the unfortunate realities today, is that there are now fewer organized first voice groups advocating publicly for people affected by poverty, social isolation, and barriers within the Income Assistance system. Part of what this proposed Social Prescribing Organization could help accomplish is rebuilding opportunities for first voice advocacy and community participation.

However, Community Voice & Advocacy goes beyond simply recreating past advocacy models. As discussed in this BLOG post.

Many creative solutions are covered when people are brought together through community activities, conversation, and creative work. A Social Prescribing Organization is ultimately about creating opportunities for people to reconnect with community life, support one another, and work together toward improving both individual well-being and the wider social conditions affecting their lives.

The long-term vision behind this Third Element is not simply creating another program. The goal is to help build:

• stronger first voice participation,

• greater community belonging,

• peer-led advocacy opportunities,

• creative community engagement,

• and healthier social connections throughout Halifax.

At its core, this proposal recognizes that community connection itself can become part of improving mental wellness

Part of the reason why stronger first voice advocacy is so important is because it helps create better public understanding around these issues. I believe that with the right first voice individuals speaking openly about their lived experiences, greater awareness and compassion can develop throughout the community regarding why Social Prescribing approaches are needed in Halifax.

As this BLOG post, “Reflections and Conversations on Social Prescribing”, provides evidence of, and this BLOG post, “In Which I Conclude That It Will Take...”, further elaborates on, there are still many people within the financially better-off community who mistakenly believe that Social Prescribing organizations are simply taxpayer-funded social clubs. With the right people advocating and sharing their lived experiences, we can help the broader community better understand that Social Prescribing is not “just a social club,” but rather an important and necessary part of the mental health support system in Nova Scotia.

In many cases, people who have personally experienced social isolation, barriers to community participation, mental health challenges, or difficulties accessing support services can provide perspectives that professionals and policymakers alone may not fully understand. Their voices help humanize these issues and demonstrate how community-based supports, peer connection, and inclusive social initiatives can positively impact both individual well-being and broader public health outcomes.

My BLOG post reporting on the Forth and Final Element is coming soon. So Stay Tuned!