Centre for Lifelong Learning Online Catalogue

Making Your Voice Count. Independent advocacy services support people to access their rights and entitlements, make informed decisions and be active participants in the decisions that affect their lives and their communities. AIMS Advocacy is an independent advocacy service based in North Ayrshire who work using educational and arts based principles. Working alongside an advocacy worker on a one to one basis or in a group setting, people using the service are encouraged to develop their own advocacy skills. Staff within the organization also approach their work as offering opportunities to learn alongside their advocacy partners, as new issues are encountered on a day to day basis. In this session, representatives from AIMS will give a taste of the work that they do and share examples of how they use arts based activities along with a practical approach to philosophy to help people consider options they may not have thought of before, make informed decisions and express these to others. The session will be illustrated with samples of the artwork generated by people using the service including a short film. Presenting the session as a digital story will allow us to include contributions from people who use the service along with input from staff members. Morag McClurg has been the manager of the service since it started in 1998. Formerly a Principal Teacher, she brought her experience in education to her advocacy role. She is also a part time student at Strathclyde in the final stages of an EdD course, where her research has focused on how advocacy workers learn to carry out their role. Elena Mary Harris – Elena is a community artist and maker who has worked on a part time basis with AIMS since 2015. She has been instrumental in introducing an arts based approach to its self-advocacy development programme. …..and members of the Involved Group

This year’s Lunchtime Talks will take place online via Zoom Webinar. The link to the Zoom Webinar will be sent to you the day before the event.