Tillogram

Hi @Till23 ,

It's powerful that you are using your LE. I think it is so important so people have hope. I know when I was struggling, I found that when I connected with people with LE, it made helped normalise things and I felt less alone. That's what made me want to get into peer work. I know the power of it.

Did you end up going bush?

Hi @tyme I did get into the bush for a little while.. I put a post up on the discussion you started about today.. It was fairly warm, so I did not do much walking though.. Also being a public holiday there were more people around, but I was able to find a shady place with no people in sight. It's a place I have been to before to reflect. I was thinking how lucky I am to be able to be immersed in nature without having to travel too far. Also that I can have a space to myself and take as much time as I like.

Currently, my LE work does not involve directly meeting people who have been affected by CSA or MH struggles. I am advising health worker educators for training health workers at all levels on strategies for engaging and retaining people who have a LE of CSA. So it is not peer work

Thank you for clarifying about the lived experience role. It is invaluable to have your expertise @Till23 Do you know much about the redress scheme?

Also, your day sounded wonderful. So serence and therapeutic.

Yes @tyme,, I always find being in the bush to be calming and therapeutic, pretty much even if there's a storm, because that has it's own natural magic.. I'm not 100% sure what you meant here @tyme.. Do you mean the national redress scheme for those who have been subject to institutional abuse?

Yes, that redress scheme. It is difficult to apply for @Till23 ? I'm just wondering for other people.

Yes,,,, I know something about it @tyme..... I do not think it was well thought out at all..... It sounds like a good thing the way it is portrayed by government and by media especially.. It sounds like it's a good thing,,,, until you think about it properly and with knowledge of CSA statistics and behaviours..... I know I have to be careful not to get too worked up about it here. It is a bit of a divisive topic for many people..

Because unfortunately most people who have been subject to CSA are not eligible..

For most people in Australia, and in fact in the whole world, who have been subject to CSA it did not occur in institutions. It happened in their own homes or homes of relatives or friends of family.

So we now have two levels of people who have been subject to CSA, those who deserve compensation and those who do not. This can be very distressing for many people because they can think they are not worth compensation, which is patently not true, but the government are kind of saying that.

.

So I am angry for the people who have not been abused in institutions. I will not be eligible for compensation for the most horrific, frequent and long term (many years) abuse (that happened in my own household.

.

Sorry, I know I am getting on a soap box.

A good place for people to find out information is Blue Knot Foundation. 1800 Respect should be able to provide some information. As should local sexual assault centres. There is a website devoted to it if you google National Redress Scheme. It is not a straightforward process and you need to be prepared that you may not get compensation or it may be less than you think is reasonable, you may also get some counseling.

Sorry this has made me very upset, I should not have given such a detailed answer, because then I wouldn't have had to think about it.

I know @RachSANECEO was saying the area of CSA was one she wanted to get more involved in, but I do not know what is happening there.

Sorry long post

Absolutely hearing you @Till23 . I hear that most incidents of CSA do not occur in institutions. Sorry for raising this sensitive topic. You have every right to be upset. I know you are doing a lot of work with various organisations related to this area, and this is so important.

Your voice is important to us all. There is no need to share anything you are not comfortable sharing.

I'm here to listen.

Thanks for your response @tyme.......... I hope the information I gave in my previous post is helpful in answering your question... Even though I got a bit "pasionate"...... Really I'd like to do much more in this area,, but it has been difficult to find the right way to do things...... I think you need to be careful in selecting how you are going to be involved.....

I am only involved in one place so far and I suppose I have kind of just concentrated on one part of the CSA problem and that is with healthcare, but there are so many injustices and blatant inequity.. Anyhow I think it's more practical to have a clearly defined focus even though there is so much to do.

You always have to realise that however hard you try and however blatant the problem and inequity is, you may not get the outcome you are aiming for. I'm talking about advocacy here mainly I think. So that can be very disappointing. Just like the ineligibility for compensation can make you feel Not Good Enough to deserve anything.

I am being careful what I share and I often delete things out of my posts in a day or so. However as you are aware first person stories are usually powerful ways of getting attention and hopefully movement and hopefully change.

Anyhow, thanks for chatting. I know you are off shortly. I need to somehow go to sleep now as I'm up early in the morning. Sorry for getting worked up.

Hey @Till23 ,

Yes, I think we are waiting and sort of watching this CSA space for now. Good on you for all the work you are getting invovled in.

Hope things have been okay so far this week.

Please don't feel pressured to respond. I'll wait until whenever you are ready.

Hi @tyme I hope you are well.. I don't know if you were given a message about the 403 Forbidden problem recurring for me last evening I sent an email to the team about it and the person who responded was going to let you know.

I am not concerned about it, because there is a work around.

.