your guide to suicide prevention australia lived … | page © 2016 suicide prevention australia...

Your guide to

Suicide Prevention Australia

Lived Experience Speakers Bureau

Delivered and managed by Australia’s peak body for suicide prevention in Australia

2 | P a g e © 2016 Suicide Prevention Australia www.suicidepreventionaust.org

For more information contact

Suicide Prevention Australia

GPO Box 219, Sydney NSW 2001

P: 02 9262 1130

E: [email protected]

W: www.suicidepreventionaust.org


Table of Contents

About Suicide Prevention Australia’s Lived Experience Speakers Bureau ........................................................ 4

Aims of the Speakers Bureau......................................................................................................................... 4

Values of the Speakers Bureau ...................................................................................................................... 4

Position Description .......................................................................................................................................... 5

Important Things to Think About Before Applying ........................................................................................... 6

Thinking About your Personal Readiness to be Involved ............................................................................ 6

Guide to Self-Care ......................................................................................................................................... 7

Talking About Suicide: A Guide to Language ............................................................................................... 7

Submit your Expression of Interest Application ................................................................................................ 7

About Suicide Prevention Australia ................................................................................................................... 8


About Suicide Prevention Australia

Lived Experience Speakers Bureau As the peak body for suicide prevention in Australia, we deliver and manage an evidence-based program to

assist individuals to tell their story – stories that have the potential to save lives. Stories that educate, forge

connections, deepen empathy and acceptance, and dispel myths. The Speakers Bureau delivers workshops

and provides administrative support to volunteer

speakers who share their story at

workplaces, community groups and

organisations on the importance of knowing

how to give help and how to get help to

prevent suicide.

The Speakers Bureau operates in all States

and Territories. All speakers have a lived

experience of suicide and receive comprehensive workshop through a 2-day highly participatory program.

An SPA Lived Experience Speaker receives ongoing support for speaking engagements and personal

development.

Speakers will present in a wide range of locations, including social sector organisations and corporate

workplaces across all industries. Organisations request a speaker at any time of the year. The peak times

include September, for World Suicide Prevention Day (10 September) as well as R U OK Day (2nd Thursday

of September) and World Mental Health Month (October).

Aims of the Speakers Bureau

• To raise awareness within our communities and workplaces about suicide and suicide prevention.

• To provide information on the importance of people connecting with those around them and how

to talk openly and safely about suicide.

• To encourage people to engage with their GPs and other support people around social, emotional

and mental health issues.

The attainment of the Speakers Bureau aims will contribute to the leadership of Suicide Prevention

Australia.

Values of the Speakers Bureau All speakers act with these values at all times:

SPA DEFINES LIVED EXPERIENCE OF SUICIDE AS:

Someone who has had suicidal thoughts,

survived a suicide attempt, cared for someone who has

attempted suicide, is bereaved by suicide or

having been touched by suicide in some other way.

And above all we endeavour to do no harm.


Position Description

Purpose

To build awareness of the impact of suicide in communities and to promote suicide prevention.

Responsibilities:

• Speak about suicide and suicide prevention at local or nearby workplaces, community groups and

organisations.

• During a speaking engagement, connect your lived experience story to SPAs key messages (suicide

is mostly preventable, we need to be able to openly speak about suicide and we need communities

that know how to give help and get help to prevent suicide).

• During a speaking engagement, share local and national crisis support details, especially those

appropriate to the audience.

• Provide feedback on the event to the Speakers Bureau coordinator with comments that will enable

continuous improvement of the program.

• Discuss with the Speakers Bureau coordinator the emotional and psychological impact on yourself

after the speaking engagement.

Qualities Needed:

• Have a lived experience of suicide (see the definition on previous page).

• Commitment to the Vision, Mission and Guiding Principles of SPA (see page 8).

• Comfortable speaking about suicide and suicide prevention in a wider community context beyond

your own personal story.

• Actively seeking ways to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the complexity of suicide

and its prevention.

• Willing to commit to attending all segments of the Speakers Bureau workshop (this will generally

include a Thursday evening, 6.00pm – 8.30pm followed by Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 9.00am—

4.30pm, though this schedule will vary based on location).

Time Commitment:

• Time commitment for each speaking engagement will vary, depending on the requests received.

• It is expected that the volunteer will spend as much time as they need preparing for the event so

that they are comfortable enough with the material to relay it in a dynamic, passionate way.

• There is not a set number of speaking engagements per year. When a request is received from

within the volunteer’s geographical region, the Speakers Bureau coordinator will be in touch about

availability.

• Currently, there is no set time commitment for involvement in the Speakers Bureau. SPA are happy

to have volunteers involved as long as they would like to be, and will check in periodically about

this.


Support:

Every volunteer will have the support of SPA through the Speakers Bureau coordinators. This role will

support the volunteer and will:

• Gather specific details of the event and pass it along to the speaker in advance of the engagement.

• Manage all financial arrangements with the requesting organisation.

• Send speaker bio and description of the SPA Lived Experience Speakers Bureau to group requesting

the speaker.

• Provide background information to the speaker to support their presentation.

• Follow up with host organisation about event. Feedback will enable continuous improvement of the

program.

• Reimburse volunteer for travel expenses related to the speaking engagement (e.g., kilometres for

vehicle; train fare) and other reasonable expenses.

Benefits to the Volunteer:

• Will play a role in helping individuals and the community to be more suicide aware.

• Will inspire others to learn more and to become part of the solution to halving suicide over the next

ten years.

• Will help reduce behaviours and change attitudes that create barriers to people needing support.

• Will help create a difference in the future for all Australians.

• Will gain a broad understanding of suicide and its complexity and sensitivities.

Important Things to Think About Before Applying We believe that the involvement of those with lived experience has a lot to offer in the development of

policy, event organisation and public speaking. We are taking great care to ensure that the people involved

have a breadth of lived experience and can safely and confidently participate in ways that are meaningful

and appropriate. Our first concern will be your own safety and readiness to speak about your experiences.

Before submitting your application, we ask you to read and reflect on the following documents. If, after

reading the material, you are unsure, feel free to submit your application and we’ll talk through your

concerns.

Thinking About your Personal Readiness to be Involved So you have the time and availability to get involved and share your lived experience in suicide prevention

activities but are you emotionally and mentally ready?

Talking about suicide, sharing your insights, learning about research, policy and programs, and so on, can

be an incredibly rewarding, healing and hopeful experience but it can also be emotionally and mentally

draining and can impact on your physical and emotional wellbeing.

The way this affects you can also change over time and depend on all the other things, the ups and downs,

occurring in your life.


Guide to Self-Care What do we mean by self-care? “Self-care” can be understood in many different ways. In its simplest form,

the term refers to our ability as human beings to function effectively in the world while meeting the

multiple challenges of daily life with a sense of energy, vitality, and confidence. Self-care is initiated and

maintained by us as individuals, it requires our active engagement.

Talking About Suicide: A Guide to Language We frequently obtain feedback from people with lived experience of suicide about the inappropriate use of

language when describing suicide. The way suicide is described and discussed is important as it is often

stigmatising and can cause considerable distress.

We believe that it is time to help re-educate the community to use non-stigmatising language when

discussing suicide.

Submit your Expression of Interest Application The next step is to complete the Expression of Interest application

(https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SpeakersBureauEOIApplication).


About Suicide Prevention Australia Our Vision: A world without suicide.

Our Mission: Suicide Prevention Australia delivers leadership for the meaningful reduction of suicide in

Australia.

Our Principles

Our work is guided by the following principles:

• Adhering to the highest ethical standards, including to ‘do no harm’

• Acting with integrity and transparency in all our relationships

• Valuing people, diversity and inclusivity

• Respecting the different perspectives regarding suicide

• Collaborating and partnering with those working in suicide and self-harm prevention

• Maintaining a culture of openness to consider new ideas

• Continuing improvement in quality management and organisational systems

Our Nine Principles for Suicide Prevention

Suicide Prevention Australia affirms the following understandings and guiding principles of suicide

prevention:

• Suicide and suicidal behaviour arise from complex social, situational, biological and other individual

causes, which isolate people and erode their hope. Understanding risk and protective factors for

different groups and environments is vital to effective response.

• Suicide prevention is ‘everyone’s business’, whether it is directed towards individuals at high risk,

communities and groups at potential risk, or the whole of the population.

• The first person voices of those with lived experience of suicide are crucial to increasing

understanding of suicide and effective suicide prevention responses.

• Tackling social exclusion of individuals and communities, and investing in the human capital of all

people, especially the most disadvantaged, is crucial to suicide prevention.

• Suicide prevention encompasses a range of interventions, including health promotion, early

intervention, crisis support and ongoing intervention for people experiencing suicidal thoughts and

behaviour, and responding to and supporting families and communities impacted by suicide.

• Access should be provided to appropriate services for individuals at-risk, wherever and whoever

they are – through crisis, ongoing intervention and recovery phases. Collaboration, coordination

and continuity of care are essential to the effectiveness of services. Program, structural and policy

barriers that inhibit help-seeking and the quality of support need to be identified and overcome.

• Suicide prevention strategies should be culturally appropriate.

• All suicide prevention projects, activities and strategies should be based on best practice and

underpinned by quality research, data and evaluation.

• Challenging the misconceptions and stigma associated with suicide is essential to ensure that

people will be able to ask for help and give help without fear or discrimination.

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