Next Open Forum
2.30pm Tuesday 6th May 2025
The next Open Forum is Tuesday 6th May 2.30pm
Topic: Accessibility Awareness
May’s Forum topic is Accessibility Awareness. It is Global Accessibility Awareness Day later in May. We are joined by two local charities to speak about accessibly for people with disabilities.
Club Soda
We will be joined by Club Soda Director, Olly to tell us about Club Soda’s work. Club Soda is a community of Creatives, Gig Goers and Campaigners with learning disabilities.
Club Soda Aims to Change:
Croydon’s social scene – More accessible gigs, events and venues!
Attitudes towards people with Learning Disabilities – don’t underestimate us!
The Music Industry – More learning disabled artists in mainstream spaces.
Croydon Vision
We are joined by Sarah from Croydon Vision. Croydon Vision empowers the blind and the partially sighted community of Croydon. Find out more about the their work and services.
Accessibility
Hear Us strives to make the Open Forum accessible for everyone. At the start of each forum we go through accommodations members may need to make the meeting more accessible, such as how to turn on live captions. If you would like to discuss your access needs privately, you can email forum@hear-us.org
Voice of Change
We now have a new segment on the Open Forum. Hear Us’ new Campaigns Project segment, Voice of Change, is a platform dedicated to the voices of service users and community members of Croydon. This segment is a chance to:
- Voice questions to SLaM staff, commissioners, or councillors.
- Highlight issues you have heard about or experienced in mental health services.
- Recommend campaigns for Hear Us to collaborate on with other organizations.
- Advocate for the change you want to see.
- Learn about how to contribute to the campaigns project.
In line with the Hear Us ethos, our number one priority for campaigning is co-production with people who have lived experience of using and needing mental health services in Croydon. That is why we are urging all members of Hear Us to attend the Open Forum and share your perspective and insights during Voice of Change, because it is your voices that inspire change. No Campaign, No Gain!
The Hear Us Mental Health Open Forum is designed primarily for mental health service users to come together and discuss services that affect them. However, we welcome carers, staff and anyone interested in mental health to join us.
This forum allows us all to meet, ask questions and debate with commissioners and service providers. We invite statutory services like Croydon Council and SLaM (South London and Maudsley NHS Trust) as well as voluntary services such as Mind, The BME Forum and APCMH to name but a few.
Amy Kirksmith
Open Forum Coordinator
Hear Us
Orchard House
15a Purley Road
South Croydon
Surrey
CR2 6EZ
Tel: 020 8681 6888
Email: forum@hear-us.org
Webpage: www.hear-us.org/forum/