Getting involved in your community

If you want to build up your social life, try and find a Befriending service. Befriending services match up people living in the same community who have similar interests, who enjoy spending time together and doing activities in the community,like going to the cinema or going to a local café.

Befriending services are run by a variety of people, sometimes by the local health trust, or the council or by a local charity. Rethink has 10 Befriending services in England and Northern Ireland. A service user at the Birmingham Befriending service explains why the service has been helpful to him:

“…people from mental health services only want to know me when I’m well, I’ve been involved in the system for years yet they leave you to suffer in isolation. If it wasn’t for you (befriending) and my volunteer I wouldn’t be here now. I get so low and depressed then someone from befriending rings me and they come and take me out. Just those few precious hours and I feel treated as ‘normal’ again, doing things that other people do…..”

Floating support is another good service to look out for. Floating support workers come to people’s homes and ask them how they would like to get involved in the community. At Rethink’s Somerset floating support service, people have chosen to go and do all kinds of activities, from daily shopping and cooking to line-dancing to dog-training classes. One service user at Rethink’s Somerset scheme said:

“I’ve lived in this house for 30 years. At the moment, there’s me and one other tenant, who’s very quiet. I’m happy living here with him, but really there’s no-one for me to talk to here. I used to go to a day centre, but I stopped going once I got a bit older. In any case I prefer the floating support service

– I’ve got more of a one-to-one relationship with the people. I usually see someone once or twice a week and we go shopping for whatever I need or go for a coffee and have a chat. As long as I see someone from Rethink twice a week, I can manage.”

You might prefer to go along to a day service. Day services are a good place to meet people living near you and make new friends. Many day services also provide other activities, like going swimming or going out and playing pool or seeing a film. Rethink’s day centre in Walsall also organises day trips to local attractions. Service users there have commented on its warm atmosphere, the friendly vibes and the fact that they feel safe there.

There might be an employment and training project near you where you could develop your skills. At Rethink’s social enterprise unit in Staffordshire, you can learn woodwork, gardening skills and creative writing. Or you may find other volunteering opportunities in the area – you could help to nurture a green space or paint a community building. One service user, who attends the unit once a week, said that his time there was the highlight of his week and he enjoys being out in the fresh air.

Getting involved in the user movement might be a new and exciting opportunity. Many people have taken an active role in the user movement, by organising groups and networks, campaigning for better services, or even training professionals and speaking at conferences.

You could try attending an exercise class at a nearby gym, joining a local club or join a local walking or cycling club.

If you’d prefer to do something less physically active, you could start an educational course or go along to a local book group, or get involved in volunteering, maybe working at a charity shop or helping in community projects.