Family Support Niagara - Getting Social

Using Social Media for Advocacy and Support

What We’re Going to Talk About

• What is Social Media?

• Personal - using social media to maintain or reconnect with my friends, family and acquaintances.

• Support - using social media to find others with a common experience or situation to find support and share experiences.

• Advocacy - using social media to create your own community to advocate change - stigma, raise money, provide support to others.

What is Social Media?

Social media enables people to share opinions, insights and experiences on the web using tools to connect, interact and maintain and develop

relationships.

Or more simply: I want to connect with people to share my

knowledge and experiences.

It’s about: Sharing, Connecting…it’s about Relationships.

It’s about You.

Photo credit – Chris Owens

Always Better Together.

Photo: gemsling

http://survivetothrive.typepad.com/

http://caregiverwellness.blogspot.com/

Becoming an Advocate

“If we talk about the absurdity of mental illness stigma it will begin to disappear. If we can share the common story of how mental illness affects our lives, we will see it for what it is — a variation of the human condition. To harbour mental illness stigma is to harbour a stigma against humanity.”– Michael Schratter – www.ridedonthide.com

Photo: State Library and Archives of Florida

Photo: Darcy McCarty

Using Social Media for Advocacy and Support