TALKBANK Action Group Blog

Challenging Times

2008-03-18T03:30:00.000-07:00

Talkbank Times is coming along nicely - as is our deadline. Everyone's been involved with the process, writing, interviewing members of the public and gathering information for what promises to be one of the biggest and - ahem - best issues of our newsletter so far. Some harsh editorial decisions have had to be made in the printing process but hopefully it all serves to show Talkbank members how publishing really works and will help them to work with, and use, the media to their own advantage in the future.

Read All About It!

2008-02-27T07:50:00.000-08:00

At the moment, we're busy putting together the next edition of our Talkbank Times newsletter. Everyone was beavering away at our meeting on Monday, we're all mucking in together with stories, reviews, articles, even debate on celebrities such as Britney Spears and Amy Winehouse. Things are ticking along nicely - although, you could say the same about a time bomb...perhaps things are going a little too well. Some people are never happy, eh? Whatever happens, with all the work everyone's putting in, it promises to be an interesting and entertaining read and it's all down to the contributors. Phew! That's the heady, thrilling world of journalism for you.

See you all next time.

Monday's Meeting

2008-02-12T05:46:00.000-08:00

Well, what can I say? We had a visit from Joel Moors, a journalist from BBC Radio Stoke, who talked us through the work they do there and gave us an insight into how their studios work. Very interesting. Joel was very amenable and was open to ideas on how we can work with them to publicise our cause - that is, tackling stigma. A big thanks to everyone who attended and let's keep up the good work. We're planning more talks throughout the year so keep an eye on this post for updates.

Next week we'll be back around the table discussing the next issue of the Talkbank Times and collecting contributions from everyone who wants to be involved. If anyone thinks of anything in the meantime, please feel free to contact the editorial team (me) at talkbanktimes.org.uk

Until next time, keep the ideas coming!

Tune In To Talkbank

2008-01-22T06:26:00.000-08:00

Well, what can I say about yesterday's meeting? Personally, I thought it was great and I'd like to thank everyone for turning up and taking such an interest. For those who couldn't make it, we had a fascinating talk from a local radio station, Crossrhythms - you'll find them on 101.8fm if you want to listen. We're building links wiht them because they're very community focussed and are running a City Focus campaign, which in May this year will be looking at mental health issues and interviewing some of our members. The speaker, Crossrhythms' Jonathan Bellamy was a very amenable fellow, answered our many questions and was a very nice kind of fellow who showed a real interest in who we are and what we do and even ended up offering us a tour of their studios. We learned about how the radio station is funded and heard about how they go about getting a licence to go on air, how they pick their stories and got the general feeling that although they come from a Christian viewpoint, the radio station is very inclusive and in fact welcoming of everybody. I think I speak for everyone when I say thanks again to Jonathan for giving us such an entertaining talk and spending time getting to know us - he's more than welcome to our offices any time in the future.

We have another talk in a few weeks - this time from Radio Stoke. I only hope they can be as informative and open as Jonathan was. It's well worth coming along as it's an insight into the world of journalism that most people don't get to see.

Aside from all the excitement, we're also looking for articles for our next Talkbank Times, which is due out around April time. So anyone with any inspiration or ideas or who wants to contribute in any way would be most welcome. See you 11am on Monday.

All the best, folks

Shirley

Talkbank 2008!

2008-01-07T06:08:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to all the Talkbank members, and especially Clare, who has returned to the fold. I hope everyone's well rested after the break - and that's because 2008 the year that everyone knows about what we do. Firstly, we have the new edition of Talkbank Times to start. We're looking at a deadline of around March - we'll get the date for you next week. I'm working on putting in place an editorial structure and titles so that each of us knows exactly what role we have, and who is responsible for what in terms of making the magazine look as sharp as possible - so it's going to take commitment from those who are helping put together the magazine. The focus of this edition of the Times is going to be eating disorders and we're looking forward to having contributions from Clare and Amanda on this subject, but we're still looking for more ideas and more material, so I'm hoping that everyone will be brimming with ideas at the next meeting. In a couple of weeks, Monday 21 January, to be exact, we have a guest speaker coming in from Cross Rhythms radio station, a local Christian radio station (101.8fm). Jonathan Bellamy, the one of the radio's directors, is going to tell us how broadcast media works and what they look for in a good news story. The station is also focussing on mental health issues in May and would like to involve some of our members in that campaign, so I shall be taking names of people who would be willing to do that.
We also had a long discussion on people's perceptions of mental health, what needs to be challenged and how we can do this effectively. I asked our members to come back next week with an example of discrimination or where they feel they have been misrepresented and ideas on how we can reverse it, so it should be interesting to hear people's thoughts on that next week.
Finally, we're working on the new course - with the intention that many new people will be walking through our doors this year and becoming involved with our work. From those who have already taken the Talkbank training, I'd like to hear what they found good and bad about the course/what was memorable and what they think was missing or could be improved. We have to collate this information so that I can use it to modify the course for the next group.

I think that's all for now talks...it was a long session this morning, with ideas flowing and lots of enthusiasm around the table. Keep up the good work!

Happy Christmas

2007-12-18T07:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Christmas

Thanks to everyone who's shown so much interest and kept coming to our Talkbank meetings on Mondays. It's been stimulating, fun, sometimes even emotional - we listened to Dave's testimony this week and the consensus was how well-written it was, and how moved we were that he could share his life experiences from the heart in such a genuine way. We're looking forward to doing some more of this work in the new year and also finding out what perceptions in particular trouble us and how we can best challenge them. We'll be looking forward to getting these down on paper so that we all know what to look for in the press and how we can tackle them. Hopefully we'll be welcoming some more new faces - and maybe even some familiar ones and having more input from the local media. So, watch this space..

Have a wonderful holiday everyone and see you all back here, usual time and place on Monday January 7.

All the best,

Talkbank Team

What a corker!

2007-12-11T02:28:00.000-08:00

Well, we had a humdinger of a meeting this week (always wanted to use that word, but didn't know how). Firstly, a few of us met Jim The Jogger for the first time - and it's great to see him back with his enthusiasm and ideas.
Amanda (Moran - that's the other Amanda), had written a personal testimony, sharing with us her life story and the difficulties she has experienced with mental distress. It was quite an emotional session but she kick-started a trend and we're looking forward to taking a turn and sharing our stories with each other - no holds barred. Well, almost none. It's a great way to get to know each other in a friendly environment and speaking out about our issues as a dry-run for talking to the media.
We also talked about MAGMH's remit in terms of the headlines we can challenge and those we can't. Of course, this led to ferocious discussion on the workings of the media and why they write in a certain way, and what we can realistically do to challenge this. The outcome of our talk was that we're all working towards the same goal in our diverse ways, and that this diversity is welcome. We also identified a need to see more definition about the Media Action Group - and the staff are currently working on a document that will, hopefully, give everyone a clearer picture of where we're going and what we're hoping to achieve.

That's all for now folks, so until next time...

Talkbank talkback

2007-12-03T06:53:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to thank everyone who turned up for our talk with The Sentinel this morning. I think we had a very productive meeting and everyone seemed to enjoy it. I know that some of our members took time out from their busy lives just to be here and I hope that you got as much out of it as I did. It certainly opened up the lines of communication and I hope that we continue to think of ways that we can use the media to our advantage. I'd like to see more of the faces that were here this morning because our campaign to challenge stigma seems to be gaining momentum and everyone's help is more than welcome, no matter how much time you can spare.

Keep up the good work!

Talkbank Meeting

2007-11-27T07:05:00.000-08:00

Good afternoon Talkbank members

Just an update on Monday's meeting. The usual suspects turned up, so thanks to them for attending. We're still trying to get people through the doors, so please remember that everyone's welcome.

On that note, I must say we had a very productive meeting this week. Dave and Josie have written letters to The Sentinel after a discussion about incapacity benefit - so watch this space. We also welcomed another newbie, called Amanda (not to be confused with the other Amanda). Amanda will be working alongside me to challenge stigma on our media campaigns. Incidentally, she's also famous! She's a part-time actress and has appeared in bit-parts in Corrie and Hollyoaks amongst other things. Please don't queue round the block for autographs though.

The main news of the day though is that next Monday, December 3, we have some visitors to our offices. The Sentinel's Assistant Editor Martin Tideswell and their health correspondent, Dave Blackhurst are coming to give us a talk about how the newspaper is put together and what makes a good news story or feature. They will be available afterwards for a question and answer session. We'd like this to be well attended, so please, please try to make it on the day. We might even have some extra special biscuits in honour of the occasion. But it should be really interesting and it's a chance to put our message across.

Anyway, hope to see you all this coming Monday and at our future meetings.

Talkbank letters

2007-11-14T06:11:00.000-08:00

Hello Talkbank members

Just an idea, but I was thinking of setting up a supply of letters that we can access during the week. It's all very well meeting on a Monday, but things are happening all the time, in fact, an interesting letter was published in The Sentinel today (Weds 14/11), which ties in nicely with the campaign about the psychiatric hospital in Cobridge. I've drafted a letter in response and will continue to do so with anything else that's relevant. All I need is someone who endorses these views and will put their name to it. Of course, you can just use the letter as a draft - re-write it, edit it and add what you like, it's just something to get us thinking and maybe get some ideas flowing. It's better for the letters to come from MAGMH/Talkbank members, because of course, it's all about you and shows the public the kind of support we have.

Anyway, we can discuss it on Monday - just wondered what people thought...

Shirley

17th Post

2007-11-12T08:21:00.000-08:00

Hello to all our Talkbank members

Those of us who didn't succumb to the lurgy that's doing the rounds, met up as usual on Monday and there was lots to talk about. Firstly, I introduced myself: I'm the new member of MAGMH, officially in charge of our media and communications campaign but it's all hands on deck as ever, so it's certainly not exclusive and I'm hoping to be involved in lots of other things too.

That said, I'm the person to speak to if you're planning a campaign to the media on behalf of MAGMH and I'll certainly help you out where I can, you only have to ask.Back to what was discussed at the meeting earlier.David's recent letter to The Sentinel was soundly lauded by everyone, it was well-written and very much reflected the mood of all our members, so well done to him. His letter has already produced a response from a member of the public in favour of our campaign to Stamp Out Stigma - so we're already beginning to make changes and reach out to people. Long may it continue.

On that vein, I'm looking for more volunteers to keep our cause in the public eye. Anything that catches your eye, makes you sit up and think: 'that's not right' - why not write a letter? We're here to help if you need to talk things through or want some inspiration, but we mustn't be shy. If we keep niggling away at the little things, eventually we're going to change things for the better - for all of us.

That's all for now folks, but please contact me for a chat if you think of any letters that need writing or publishing opportunities.

Best,Shirley McLellan
Media and Communications Co-ordinator
MAGMH

16th Post

2007-10-30T04:49:00.000-07:00

Hi, it's Jim here

Today we have been talking about at the general public's perception of mental health, and what we can do to challenge it.

We want to get the message across that people who have experienced mental distress are just the same as everybody else. We want to make people aware that things that are accepted as a part of everyday life, such as exam or work related stress, could be considered mild forms of anxiety; an illness that still receives a lot of discrimination as it is a form of mental ill health. By raising awareness of this, we hope to make the topic of metal health seem less threatening, so the 1 in 4 of us who experience some form of mental ill health at any one time don't have to feel ashamed or alone.

At the moment, we are just bouncing ideas off the walls about in what directions we want to take this, but have made no firm decisions as of yet.

15th Post

2007-10-15T04:31:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

This is Natalie of the Talk Bank Action Group. The group thought that it would be quite apt for me to write this weeks post as I wrote the first one and as this week is my last week at MAGMH.

The group are focusing on writing letters to the editor at the Sentinel today. The focus of such letters will be....

What a shame the Sunday Sentinel has ended!

This will be from a mental health focus as there will be a lack of personal interest stories, such as the Personal Testimony Articles that Talkbank members often feature in.

Where is the male feature to match the 'Sentinelle' pull out published on a Tuesday.

This is important to our group as the Sentinel has expressed that it will be difficult to feature male focused pieces now that the Sunday Sentinel has finished.

Why didn't the Sentinel report on World Mental Health Day?

For obvious reasons!

How great the World Mental Health Day Celebrations were!

To draw attention to the events that took place that were not featured in the Sentinel.

So just to leave you all with the following sentiment really,

keep on keeping on folks!

It has been a real pleasure to work with a group of such intelligent, inspirational, strong and thoroughly nice people. You should be very proud of your achievements. I will be keeping an eye on the blog to see the great work that I'm sure you will be doing and will look forward to reading the next edition of the Talkbank Times!

Take Care

Nat

14th POST

2007-10-08T12:40:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone this is Helen, I am doing the post this week for the TALKBANK TIMES. and what a busy day it has been! (so busy that I didn't have time to do the post in the office....I'm doing it from home....it's 8-50pm.) What dedication!!....just joking.
The Talkbank Action Group members met up at 11am (David, Josie, Claire, Faz, myself, together with Amanda and Natalie)

We started by proof reading the first draught of the Talkbank Times, looking for any omissions/errors etc.

We then went on to decide on the order the pages were going to be displayed.

Next stage was the photocopying.

Then stapling all the pages together.

Would you believe we now have a nine page news letter, (all the previous editions had just 4 pages)

We have our first 100 copies completed!

We have also done a colour version, (which looks fantastic!!)

And finally we have done a p.d.f. format, (which is brilliant!!)

The final end result is superb!!....a work of art!!!

What great teamwork!!

13th POST

2007-10-01T04:36:00.000-07:00

Hello my name is Joe Knapper and i am writing about todays quote about positive thinking 'A road walked twice is never as long' Mental Health Aawareness Week is here and we at the MAGMH are helping to promote mental health issues Once a road as been walked once the next walk is not as long .Joe Knapper Media Action Group For Mental Health.

12th Post

2007-09-24T04:14:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone! My name is David and I have been a Talkbank member for a few months now.

Having had a long-standing mental health problem, I have found Talkbank to be both a positive and engaging experience. Both staff and members are a friendly bunch and have made my time here extremely enjoyable, as well as educative and informative.

If you fancy getting involved yourself, I am sure you would be made to feel quite welcome.

Today we have been completing our preperations for the new issue of the Talkbank Times, which should be available by 10th October, World Mental Health Day.

Jim and Claire have been completing their interview on what it is like to take part in the Talkbank training course, while Helen and myself have been attempting to write a small article on Sanity Fair.

Josie has been looking for positive quotes to put in the Talkbank Times.

In the meantime, we all continue to monitor the media for signs of discrimination against those who suffer mental ill health.

11th Post

2007-09-17T05:02:00.000-07:00

Today we've managed to get loads done for the next Talkbank Times. David and Josie have finished their wordsearch, Helen and David have finished the "Meet a Mindbloggler" interview and Claire has interviewed Joe about his role as a carer.

Tenth. Post

2007-09-10T04:12:00.000-07:00

Hello, my name is Jim Griffiths. This is my first week as a member of the Talkbank Action Group, having just completed the Talkbank Media Training course.
We discussed the Talkbank Times and have set a deadline for all items for this to be in by Monday 1st October as we want to have the latest edition published for World Mental Health Day. Helen and Dave are working on the "meet a mindblogger" feature, Claire and myself are doing a "meet a talkbank training course member" and Faz is researching World Mental Health Day which is on the 10th October 2007.
For World Mental Health Day, we are going to have a film night in the film theatre at Staffordshire University. We are hoping to show the Sanity Fair DVD, filming from the Food for Thought conference and some of the television training from the Talkbank Training Course. This will be on the 10th October and further details on the time will follow.
Natalie has arranged a 'presentation day' for everyone who has completed the Talkbank Training course this year. It will be on Wednesday 3rd October at 1pm, and we'll be able to watch the films from the TV training and there will hopefully be a buffet!!

Thanks, Jim

9th POST

2007-09-03T03:59:00.000-07:00

hi I'm Josie
I'm writing the post this for the talkbank action group.
we are pleased that the reply letter that we had back from channel4 regarding
the comments and certain words that was used in your programme, big brother, have been noticed.
words that was used are psycho schizophrenic,
we are so glad that in future big brother will recognize and pick up these words
when they are used and deal with them appropriately.

8th post

2007-08-20T04:18:00.000-07:00

Hello my name is joseph and i am a member of the media action group for mental health.
I am a carer and i am a member of the north staffs carers association .I also do mental health work I joined the Media Action Group For Mental Health three and half years ago and it has helped me in a lot of ways and i really enjoy attending these meetings The staff are very helpful and it is a friendly enviroment to be in. They do a good service and any body is welcome to become a TalkBank member.

Today the group have been doing different things icluding:

Writing a letter to the sentinel
&
Working on the quiz section of the Talk Bank Times next issue

i have been doing a mind blog.

Thank you

Joseph Knapper Media Action Group For Mental Health.

7th Post

2007-08-13T04:15:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone this is Domenica, it is my turn to do this week's post for the TALKBANK ACTION GROUP.

We have contacted the Sentinel regarding one of our members featuring in the 'Make-over'
section.

We have also informed them that we have other members who have expressed an interest in taking part in the other sections, currently being featured.

We have not received a reply to the letters we sent to the Guardian newspaper or Channel 4. (we intend to 'chase these up')

We will be incorporating a new category in the next edition of the Talkbank Times.....featuring an article from a carer's prospective. (Joe will be making this his contribution to our news letter)

We have decided to compile the Data-Base using the 'Word Document' (making it easier for everyone to add information)

We have just listened to the pod-cast (which Faz heard broadcast) on the Stephen Nolan Show, on Radio Five live on Saturday 11th August. There were a number of extremely derogatory comments made by a caller regarding mental health. (We will of course be contacting Radio Five Live and also the Sentinel concerning this particular broadcast)

6th post

2007-08-06T04:50:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the sixth TAG (Talkbank Action Group) blog.

I'm Faz. I joined the team two weeks ago and I will be bringing you this weeks entry. What can I tell you about myself? I'm female for a start you may not have been able to tell that from my name. I'm a chocoholic. I first experienced depression in childhood. It wasn't treated and I never fully recovered. Depression is something that has recurred throughout my life. Sometimes I break down and cry in the street. People say,

"What's up with you?"

I explain that I can't help it. I'm depressed. Other times I can walk down the street and burst out laughing. Then people say,

"What's up with you? I thought you were depressed."

People don't understand they think that because I'm often depressed that I must always be miserable. I like messing around and having fun as much as anyone else and that's why I'm here.

We're a friendly bunch of people here and what we all have in common is that we've experienced mental distress or we care for someone who is distressed. We moniter and talk to the media because we want people to understand. We want to eradicate the stigma surrounding mental health and to promote positive images.

If you want to know more about us then feel free to explore our website, join the Mindblogging project or post a comment.

If you live in Stoke-On-Trent you can join theTalkbank. We hold regular Talkbank training courses throughout the year. You could even join the TAG team, like me. At the very least come along to our annual street festival, Sanity Fair and say hello. Come on. What have you got to lose?

A fortnight ago I wrote a letter responding to a newspaper article and last week it was sent off the the paper.

This week we had a very intense and productive meeting. We discussed our on going press campaign. We set deadlines for receiving a reply to letters sent out before chasing them up. We also plan to set up an address database for contacts. We had an editorial meeting for the Talkbank Times. Major changes in layout are ahead which should make Talkbank Times more accessible and reader friendly. Frankly, I'm shattered and all we did was make plans and talk.

FIFTH POST

2007-07-23T05:02:00.000-07:00

This week we have been discussing the following:
- continuing to moniter the media and sending off letters to the press on matters of immediate concern, contacting their offices immediately.
-completing a new Talkbank Times in time for October and World Mental Health week.
-having an active involvement with The Sentinel's "Your Time Out" feature in the Saturday paper, specifically "your top walk", "you and your pets","your top dish","your top table", "your watering hole".
-Faz will be writing a letter in respose to an article on new mental health law in "The Guardian".
-We will be compiling a database of contacts for the national press, so that our responses to issues raised can be quick and immediate.
-David will be sending off his article about the misuse of the word psychosis to a professional journal.
-Helen will be writing a covering letter for the above article to the national press (all broadsheets).

Fourth Post

2007-07-16T08:32:00.000-07:00

Today.......the Talkbank Action Group have written a letter to the Chief Executive of channel 4. expressing concern, regarding the use of derogatory and offensive terms, recently used in two popular T.V. programmes. i.e. 'Big Brother' and 'It's Me or the Dog'

We attached the two letters submitted by one of our members, (one of which has already been published in the local press.)

third post

2007-07-09T05:02:00.000-07:00

The Big Brother Letter written last week featured in the 'letter's to the editor' section of the sentinel on July 4th.

Today some group members have written a response to the letter, agreeing with the argument posed in the published one.

Further research has been done on the term, 'psychosis', and all group members intend to keep a close eye on the local and national media for any mental health issues that may feature.

TB

Second Post

2007-07-02T04:43:00.000-07:00

The sentinel interview has been cancelled today and will be arranged for another day.

Today's Talkbank group has been looking at the Big Brother programme. We've been doing research on the Internet, specifically about the use of the word 'psycho' used by housemates in the programme. We have found that there were little or no complaints made about it, and we feel the word is offensive and was used in an offensive way.

Therefore we have written a letter to the sentinel and we will also be sending a copy to channel 4 expressing our concerns about the matter.

We will be carrying on further research on the word 'psychosis' next week.

First Post

2007-06-25T04:45:00.000-07:00

Today the Talkbank action group have begun to do research about the term 'psychosis' and its use.

The intention of such research being to create a greater understanding of the term, to formulate letter to the 'letter's to editor' section of the Sentinel and to possibly produce an article for broadsheet newspapers such as the Guardian.

Next Week the group has arranged a meeting with an editor from the Sentinel in order to learn more about the media process and to pose questions about mental health in order to create a greater understanding of the subject, and to reduce the stigma and discrimination that surrounds mental ill health.