How Mosaic Helped Me
Nicola, London England
I became a member of Mosaic House in November 2019. At that point my confidence was very low, and I was feeling very isolated, spending too much time at home on my own.
Mosaic helped me get of the house and structure my days. The centre had a relaxed feel, and I found the people and staff very welcoming. I loved the way staff and members work together on things side by side. Even though I was still struggling with my mental health, I felt like I could just be myself which was invaluable to me.
At first, I went to Education & Employment meetings and did outreach work which involved phoning members to remind them of upcoming activities and events at the centre. I also supported members with their reading which made me feel like I was doing something worthwhile.
When the pandemic and the first lockdown came, my engagement worker was great at keeping in regular contact with me. This helped keep me sane while I was stuck at home, helping my son with online school for all those months.
My engagement worker also encouraged me to access a couple of online courses which I found very helpful. The first was on employment in childcare which helped me realise the skills I had to offer. The other course was mental health first aid which really allowed me to gain a good insight into potentially helping others with mental health issues.
In 2021, I found myself going to Mosaic a lot more regularly which really helped me get to know members and staff better and develop friendships. I really like the fact that I can now come into the centre where people know me and have meaningful conversations
As well as helping with work activities, there are a range of other activities you can attend such as such as the walking and writing group. I really enjoy the weekly yoga as I find it’s a good way to exercise and stay grounded.
More recently, I’ve helped with other projects such as organising complementary hairdos for some members at a local salon which they loved and assisting at the monthly wellbeing check in at the centre.
I’ve also become involved in volunteering for the Hospital peer support project funded by SLAM. This is where we go into local mental health wards and offer support to those in need. This has been quite therapeutic for me so far, as it was not that long ago that I was in the same situation, and I am now able to use that lived experience to help others. It feels good. I think it might be something I’d like to do as a job in the future.
Mosaic also provided me with a new laptop due to my involvement with the peer support project which I was so grateful for as my old one had literally conked out!
In short, Mosaic has helped me so much since I started. Whilst doing worthwhile activities and accumulating skills, I’ve grown in confidence, become more sociable and developed meaningful friendships. I can now see possibilities for the future.