Writing impactful case studies for advocacy
With Michel’le Donnelly, Project Leader: Advocacy & Awareness SA Federation for Mental Health
I had the privilege of being a speaker at the Global Mental Health Action Network knowledge sharing session in June, which was supported by Pinterest and focused on impactful case studies for advocacy.
As Project Leader for Advocacy and Awareness at The South African Federation for Mental Health (SAFMH), it is my responsibility to communicate the work we are doing in ways that are engaging, accessible, creative and informative. We are committed to storytelling as we see it as an effective tool for meaningful advocacy. Research shows that sharing personal stories can also influence policy.
Advocacy and public education are core components of the work we do in the mental health sector in South Africa, especially when it comes to reducing stigma. Our approach to storytelling is informed by our belief that persons with lived experience of mental health conditions should be at the forefront of mental health advocacy.
During the GMHAN session I shared examples of the case studies we’ve put together. These include:
Through My Eyes Digital Photo Exhibition
Working with professional photographers, Chris and Jolandie Wessels as well as community-based organisations – LITTLE EDEN Society and The Hamlet Foundation – we captured pictures of persons with intellectual disability. We wanted to share their stories, their potential and their beauty through these photographs. You can check it out here.
In Our Own Words Digital Zine
As part of our 2022 Psychosocial Disability Awareness Month campaign, we received contributions from people with lived experience of mental health conditions. This Zine is an exercise in self-advocacy and comprises of stories, artwork, and poems. You can flip through the zine here.
Integrating mental health into Universal Health Coverage in South Africa
In 2022, SAFMH collaborated with UnitedGMH to advocate for mental health to be integrated into South Africa’s UHC and health financing reforms. Beyond the grant, the mentorship received by UnitedGMH was excellent. You can read the full case study here.
Speak Your Mind Video Campaign
Working with UnitedGMH and other partners, we put together short films of all the 17 community-based mental health organisations we work with. We see the film as a useful advocacy resource for more resources for community-based mental health care, especially after COVID-19. Watch the documentary here.
Let’s talk about stigma Film
We collaborated with Masiviwe to create this wonderful short film about stigma told through the voices of persons with lived experience of mental health conditions. You can watch the film here.
As an advocacy organisation, we believe that it is imperative that we create a safe and inviting space for persons with lived experience to share their stories. This includes ensuring anonymity for anyone wishing to share their story, whether it be for a campaign or an article. We are also mindful about how we ask questions and work with persons with lived experience as we do not want the storytelling process to be one that triggers previous trauma.
At SAFMH we follow five principles of effective and ethical storytelling as outlined by the Victoria Law Foundation:
Consent
Participation
Collaboration
Context and the campaign
Crafting the story
During the feedback session, participants expressed interest in replicating the learnings from the session in their work. Here is a LinkedIn post with feedback from one of the participants. I thoroughly enjoyed the session and I am appreciative of the opportunity provided by GMHAN to reflect on and share some of our case studies.
Watch the session here. Passcode: y4F%L1?9
To find out more about our work, please visit our website.