The MY STORY Project is one of the key events in our annual celebration of International Day of People with Disability and Inclusion Week. It is an opportunity for people with lived experience of disability and mental health challenges to find their individual voice and ‘tell their own story in their own way’.

To be as inclusive as possible, stories are told through a variety of mediums – words, paintings, digital imagery, photography, sound, music, performance and film.

The program runs over 12 weeks – from early June through to late September – with facilitators from a broad range of

professional creative disciplines volunteering to mentor the participants. Mentors work with small groups of participants each week to build their skills, confidence and capacity, and encourage them to recognise themselves as community leaders.

Facilitators and participants also come together fortnightly online to share their ideas, connect, engage and provide constructive feedback.

Embedding social equity

As it is designed explicitly for people with lived experience of disability and mental health challenges, one of our identified priority groups, the MY STORY Project directly supports access, inclusion and equal participation. It also works to identify and reduce barriers experienced by some community members, while valuing their unique experiences and understanding of disability and mental health.

The MY STORY Project aligns strongly with the following Social Equity Enablers:

• Fairness: ensuring that the processes designed for the program are tailored to meet the needs of people with lived experience of disability and mental health challenges.
• Access: reducing the barriers that could limit the opportunities of people with disability and mental health challenges to participate
• Voice: providing a platform for people with disability and mental health challenges to communicate with the community through creativity.
• Participation: providing an experience for people with disability and mental health challenges that builds capacity and self-efficacy, and can encourage and support greater participation in community life.
• Inclusion: providing an experience for people with disability and mental health challenges where they can feel safe, supported and have a sense of belonging.
• Empowerment: providing an experience where participants have a strong sense of empowerment, can experience an increase in confidence and have a sense of validation.

Outcomes and impact

The reach of the MY STORY Project extends well beyond the participants themselves, as both facilitators and community members engaged with the program and creative works can attest. Data from the 2020 shows the program reached:

• 119 participants
• 7 facilitators
• 6 stakeholders
• 33,627 via social media, with engagement of 1,039.

However, the impact of the program is best described by the participants themselves:

I have gained a lot of wisdom out of the process. Sharing my story through song has been an awesome experience and I think this is just the start. I am going to keep writing songs about my life, my experiences and what matters to me.

It has been a privilege to be part of the MY STORY Project. To be part of something where for so long, I felt nothing. You have lifted me up with compliments and grace. I am so pleased to be alive and part of the human race.

It has been so special to be part of the MY STORY Project community. This was a big step to give myself permission to open up. I learnt that creativity can be expressed through so many mediums and, with this supportive community, I felt less afraid to share.

Every person has an incredible story worth sharing and it has been fascinating to see people express themselves in different ways and share vulnerability together. I was drawn to this project because it scared me to show vulnerability and I thought I was not creative. I have learnt so much from all the incredible people involved and I will cherish this experience forever.

The MY STORY project was an opportunity to share my story, decrease stigma of mental health and inspire others. But it ended up being so much more. This project helped me to heal  and come to a deeper level of love and acceptance of myself. I learned to trust myself, my journey and my friends.

Links to our community plan

Strategic direction: Health, caring and inclusive community Desired outcome: Our community has equitable access to health and social services, information and infrastructure.

Shaylee Hester, The Dissociation Story. Photo: Andrew Mackinnon

My Story Project