Meet our Rights Advocates
Make Our Rights Reality is a movement led by young people – demanding their right to better mental healthcare through the Our Minds Our Future campaign.
Rights Advocates are our local campaign leaders. Along with skills gained from training with Make Our Rights Reality, these passionate young people use their local knowledge and networks to adapt the campaign to the needs of young people where they live.
We are currently supporting Rights Advocates in four key local areas. Scroll down to see what they’re up to and get in touch if you’re nearby. You can also read more about the role and find out how to start your own team, here.
Rights Advocates in Leeds
Zoe and Zee are our Rights Advocates in Leeds. They both have a passion for poetry, which they’ve used to organise two amazing poetry nights, which have helped build up their team in the city and right across Yorkshire! Resulting from their hard work to grow the local team, they have managed to reel in fresh energy from new volunteers and rights allies. If you’re in the area and would like to join their next meeting, get in touch by emailing ourmindsleeds@gmail.com
Zoe is a sky-is-the-limit kind of person, and is always encouraging her team to pitch in with new ideas on how they can be making social impact by using, nurturing and celebrating the existing skills that young individuals on the Our Minds Our Future campaign already have. In her day-job, Zoe works as a program officer for Student Minds on a men’s mental health project; she thinks that co-production and lived-experience should be at the forefront of policy and campaigning.
Emma recently joined the team in Leeds after hearing about the campaign through other advocates on social media. She has a background in social research and is currently studying a PhD which looks at young people’s mental health in relation to social problems and inequalities, such as the rising cost of living for young people. Before her PhD, Emma also researched young people’s experiences of depression at The University of Oxford. She is keen to use her passion for research to fight for young people’s right to better mental health care!
Rights Advocates in Bristol
Evie is our Rights Advocate in Bristol. Evie is amazingly creative, so has used their talents to organise two successful ‘art activism’ events – creating emotive artwork for a future exhibition. Evie would love more people to join in locally, so if you’re interested, get in touch by emailing ourmindsbristol@gmail.com
Rights Advocates in Somerset
Bethan is our Rights Advocate in Somerset. She’s been leading a team at her school to raise awareness of the campaign in the local area. She says “I want to give people the opportunities I was given, I want to give someone hope and make someone’s life just that little bit easier and by campaigning to make everyone’s rights a reality I can hopefully make a difference to someone.”
Rights Advocates in Southampton
My name is Katie and I’m 23 years old. I’m now part of the Steering Group. Some of you will recognise me because I’ve been a part of this campaign as a Rights Advocate for at least a year now. I have personal experience of mental health and I’m studying at college a mental health based course.
Rights Advocates in Cambridgeshire
Ruberta is our Rights Advocate in Cambridgeshire with a passion for music, STEM and education. She has personal experience of mental health issues and hopes that campaigning can help her in recovery. She is working on a side campaign called #UnapologeticallyMe and you can find the introductory article here.
Could you be a Rights Advocate? Find out more and apply!