Opening Keynote: Rai Waddingham, followed by NSUN AGM Business Meeting

29th November, 10.00-11.15 (registration now closed)

10:00 – 10:30 – Opening keynote with Rai Waddingham: “Mad Knowledge as an Act of Resistance”

Watch the recording:

Click here to read the transcript.

Rai Waddingham (she/her)

Rai is a survivor, practitioner, writer, trainer, researcher, designer and activist with experience of creating and managing innovative peer support-based projects in a range of contexts (including youth, prison, forensic, inpatient and community). She has personal experience of hearing voices, psychosis, trauma, self-harm and hospitalisation and holds lived experience (personal and collective) as a compass that guides all she does. Currently studying a PhD in Survivor Knowledge at Nottingham Trent University, Rai is also Chair of the English National Hearing Voices Network and a board member of the Intervoice (the charity supporting the international hearing voices movement). She is enthused by creative and rights-based approaches to mental health and distress, and the power of communities. She’s the mum of a wildling and, when not engaged in mental health work/campaigning, she tries to spend as much time in nature as possible.

Links: Behind The Label Training & Consultancy, Dialogue (R)Evolution

In her keynote talk, Rai will be talking about:

  • What kinds of knowledge and knowing is grown and valued in survivor-led spaces?
  • How can we share our knowledge and be heard in spaces where we are still seen as less-than?
  • What could the role of allies be?
  • How might we resist the hierarchies that surround us and create spaces where we lift each other up and struggle together – even when it’s painful?

10:30 – 11:15 – AGM Business Meeting: presentation of members’ voting results and Q&A.

  • This session will have British Sign Language interpretation and closed captions. AGM papers will be sent to members in advance.
  • There are 100 spaces for this Zoom meeting, so please do cancel (using the link on the email sent to you after signing up) if you can no longer make the session. If the session is full, please email info@nsun.org.uk to be added to a waiting list (with the name of the session in the subject).
  • The keynote talk will also be livestreamed at the following link with no registration required. Click here to watch the livestream.