Freedom Center helped start Hearing Voices groups in the Western Massachusetts area and beyond - to find out more information, contact the Recovery Learning Community, which is actively involved with organizing Hearing Voices groups in the area. Thanks!

Hearing Voices groups are popular and fairly widespread in Europe, specially England. Hearing Voices groups do not pathologize the experience of hearing voices or experiencing other altered states, instead they ask the voice hearer: What do the voices mean to you? Join us for the first Hearing Voices group east of Wisconsin and share and get support from others with similar experiences! *Co-sponsored by the Center for Human
Development, RLC and the Freedom Center.*

Freedom Center organizer Caty Simon is attending the Community Activation Network's Community Power Kickoff to represent us and would like other Freedom Center members & people interested in the mad movement to join her. The event is on DATE CHANGE March 28th at Hampshire College. 12-6PM--you'll be
directed by signs as soon as you get there showing you specifically where to go.

Here's a quick summary of the event.

A statement written for the Statwide Harm Reduction Coalition on why mandated treatment is not consistent with Harm Reduction philosophy, developed by Caty Simon and Will Hall.

Hello everyone! Thanks for giving me the opportunity to be the new support group facilitator. As a FC organizer and previous member of support group, I know what a special community resource the support group is, as a safe place for emotional support and unique alternative to the mainstream mental health system; an invaluable source of updated information about psychiatric medications and alternative options available to people in extreme emotional states and/or dealing with current or past trauma; an opportunity to learn about and become involved in the exciting psychiatric rights community; and much more.

The Western Mass Recovery Learning Community (RLC) supports individuals in finding their own paths to recovery within the communities of their choice by offering trauma-informed peer supports and through the development of a regional peer network.

Check it out! www.westernmassrlc.org 

Please come advocate for mental health personal care attendants:

June 24 Facilitation Training

June 24th in Northampton the Recovery Learning Center and Freedom Center are offering a 3-hour Facilitation Training, led by Freedom Center organizer and Icarus Project staff Will Hall.

A collection of handouts from the recent Freedom Center June '07 facilitation training, co-sponsored by the Recovery Learning Center. Download here.

The Western Mass Recovery Learning Community (WMRLC) is a new,
Peer-driven program supporting a recovery and trauma-informed
environment in which individuals with diagnoses and/or experiences with
serious mental illness and/or extreme states can assume meaningful roles
in their communities. We are seeking candidates for the following
positions:

County Coordinators
Peer Worker
Spanish-speaking Peer Worker
Advocacy Coordinator

Lived experience with a mental health diagnosis and/or extreme states
required for all WMRLC positions. Bicultural/bilingual (Spanish/ASL)
encouraged to apply. The WMRLC is a program of The Western Massachusetts

A second Freedom Center free Weekly yoga class will
meet at Forbes library, Thursdays 3:30pm.  This class
is free and open to the public.  Mark your calendar,
we will start next week.  Spread the word.

for more info:  www.freedom-center.org
www.chayagrossberg.com