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A photo of Ben

Advocacy Awareness Week: Ben’s Story

We are so pleased that Ben joined Talkback. His story sums up perfectly the massive impact advocacy groups can have and we think this is the perfect story to share during Advocacy Awareness week.

Last year, I was referred to Talkback’s CAMEO group. I got a phone call from Sue who invited me to attend their session. I was a bit nervous to begin with, but I met some new people and shared a little news about myself. During the pandemic, I was able to join the weekly zoom meetings that Talkback ran, so I still had that contact with other people.

I had experienced some very bad people in the past who had said they were my friends, but they weren’t – not at all. So, I was feeling quite depressed when I joined Talkback but through the weekly CAMEO (Come and Meet Each Other) group, I gradually built my self-confidence and now I feel fantastic. I have so much more self-worth and my family have noticed this too.

Through this new-found confidence, I have been able to join other organisations and have gained some employment too. Another part of the Talkback project is to get you out there joining other groups and through this I have actually been in an OPERA! And I actually asked if I could have a solo part!

Since joining Talkback, I have met some really good people and I’m always asking questions about things. I am now building up my skills so that I can present Talkback‘s  Learning Disability training in April 2022.