Dave - Advocacy Worker

"At AdvoCard, we give a voice to people with mental health issues."

Dave began volunteering for AdvoCard in February 2004. Having experienced mental health issues in the past, and with previous experience of volunteering, AdvoCard seemed to be the natural choice.

"The intensive training offered from day one really helps you to prepare for what to expect. No two days are ever the same, but there is a support network within AdvoCard which ensures you're never left feeling like you're not delivering for your service users."

Dave recently supported a woman with mental health issues in a disciplinary hearing, helping her to order her thoughts and put her point across eloquently. "You're a sounding board, or sometimes a lightning conductor, rather than a support mechanism - you're there for the service user to bounce ideas off and blow off steam too"

"Being on incapacity benefit, people can assume that you're not putting back into the community - there have been times where I know that the hours I have put into volunteering more than covers my benefit - that, coupled with the results we see gives a huge sense of achievement."

Tony - Service user

“If you have mental health issues, you generally have lower self confidence and self esteem. AdvoCard volunteers took the time to listen to me and their understanding helped me to gain confidence and self esteem. They can’t change my issues, but they have helped me to face them.”

Tony was referred to AdvoCard by Health in Mind. He has been an AdvoCard service user for a number of years.

“Dealing with large organisations can be daunting for most people – if you suffer from mental health issues this can seem a hundred times worse. I’m an intelligent person, but there have been instances where I feel that I have not been taken seriously because of my mental health issues. My advocacy worker has been amazing support, being able to run an idea past them first means that I feel that I’m being taken more seriously and regaining some of the power that I’ve felt I had lost.”

“I can honestly say that I wouldn’t be where I am in my life just now without the support of AdvoCard.”

Karen - Advocacy Manager

"At Advocard we are proud to have worked over the last 14 years to provide a service which helps people in Edinburgh who have difficulties with their mental health to have their voices heard. When you become unwell, the balance of power shifts away from you. You are told what to do and what is best for you. Advocacy empowers the individual, which can make an enormous difference in their life.

Advocacy is becoming more widely accepted, but there are still many, many people out there that we would like to reach. Volunteers are crucial to us. We wouldn't be able to carry on offering the support to our service users without them.

Volunteering for Advocard can be challenging but is also rewarding. It would be unrealistic to say that every experience is straightforward and easy, although many are and there is a fantastic support network for our volunteers, coupled with ongoing training. Volunteering can boost your own confidence and can also help people gain skills not offered by their chosen career path.

Our volunteers are enormously important to us. I have tremendous admiration and respect for the individuals who invest a lot of emotional energy in what they do. The project wouldn't exist without them."

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