On November 12th, Paula, Alex and Mark were invited to attend and speak at RAF Coningsby's Mental Health Symposium.
Arriving at 8.30 in the morning, Paula and Mark were met by fellow Samaritan, Alex who is also a serving RAF corporal at Coningsby.
We set up our stall for the symposium attendees to come and see us at breaks and lunchtime. We had many visits, discussions and even a few enquiries about volunteering with us.
The itinerary for the day had a variety of speakers and panels to discuss mental health issues.
Our presentation shared how Samaritans as an organisation support the armed forces, those serving, their families and veterans. It then moved on to share our listening wheel and how those techniques could help the Mental Health First Aiders support those going through a difficult time. It concluded with Alex sharing how he balances his role in the RAF with being a Samaritan volunteer. We ended the session with a Q and A where Mark, Alex and Paula shared how the Samaritans work to support their callers and each other.
The feedback was very positive and highlighted that we differ from other organisations by sharing practical tips to support anybody emotionally, regardless of their mental health condition.
All in all, it was a great day that highlighted the importance of supporting those going through a tough time.
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