Last month at book club some us discussed the monetary roadblocks our society puts in front of us. Who would we be and what would we do if that barrier wasn’t there?Of course I said I would do Advocacy.
That’s always my answer.
I would travel to different conferences, get hands on within the community, write my memoir, and have a much stronger social media presence. Someone said I could monitize what I do. My immediate response was that while I think what I have to say is important, I don’t believe anyone would pay to hear it. Upon further reflection it goes even deeper than that.
The biggest mountain the Mental Health Community faces is accessibility to resources. Everything from medication to professional support to peer groups. It requires money, time, and transportation that most do not have. Some of the absolute best resources out there are Mental Health Conferences. They showcase research, innovations, and the birth of new movements. Conferences that when I was a working professional in the Mental Health Field, could barely afford to attend.These conferences are dedicated to a population that can’t directly benefit from them except in a trickle-down way.
Videos and books are great, but being in the midst of the engine seeing the cogs work firsthand is without debate the most impactful. Professional advocacy wouldn’t offer me a sustainable living, at least not the opportunities I’ve seen. I’d need a living wage with benefits, something I have worked in more mainstream jobs for. If I were to hold off on doing my advocacy until I was paid for it then about 90% of it never would have happened.Because my advocacy is rooted in volunteerism it’s available to far more people. If I were to put a cost on that, that cost would create accessibility limitations. It’s not worth the trade off for me. I’m not going to be another resource you need to buy a ticket to.