Join us for Intervoice Day, a key date for the International Hearing Voices Movement, offering a unique opportunity to connect, share, and reflect, with voice hearers and allies, across the globe.
Since 2021, we have held this event online to make it more accessible to all. This year, we invite you to be part of creating a day built on mutuality, respect, and curiosity.
What to Expect:
The Intervoice Board will facilitate the day which will include alongside various online activites.
The theme of this year’s Congress is Reclaiming Our Lives, and we have identified several themes we hope to explore that connect to this idea, showcasing innovative and diverse experiences.
Highlighted Themes:
- New projects
- Success stories
- Current challenges
- New research
- Race and Racism
- Poverty
- Resources
We have carefully considered the issues identified by our communities over the years, as well as reflections on the current cultural climate. We recognise that cultural and racial diversity are often underrepresented, and we aim to make space to highlight and discuss these crucial issues.
Event Structure:
The day is designed to be as open as possible, providing a space to share ideas, challenges, initiatives, projects, and research.
The morning session will feature short contributions/presentations from the wider Hearing Voices Community. We will also highlight Country Updates, offering an important opportunity to hear the successes and challenges that each unique Network faces.
The afternoon will feature open space discussions on any topic, project, or concern related to voice hearing, that you would like to explore in greater length and detail.
Our Aspirations:
We aim to create a truly democratic space that is safe, respectful, and which cultivates curious. To ensure this, we want the Intervoice Community Agreement to be central to all of our interactions.
Community Agreement:
The issues discussed at Intervoice do not exist in a bubble; they have deep personal, social, ethical, and political significance, often involving passion and emotion. Many of us, whether we have experienced voices/visions or not, came to this movement with a desire for change. Equally, many of us have experienced being unheard, excluded, belittled, invalidated, victimized, hurt, and oppressed. The passion that drives this movement is amazing, but we also recognize the need to continually work together to create safe spaces that allow us to explore the issues that matter in a respectful and validating way.
Guidelines for Participation:
- Keep warmth, compassion, and empathy at the heart of our discussions.
- Ask questions, challenge ideas, and remember that you have a voice within this movement. We are stronger because we are diverse.
- Listen to one another and respect each person’s beliefs and experiences.
- Be curious about differences of opinion, rather than defending your own perspective.
- Take responsibility and ownership for your actions and reactions, creating a safe and welcoming space for all.
- If at any time someone doesn’t feel safe within our events, it is our collective responsibility to address any issues that arise.
There will be opportunities to contribute on the day, but if you would like to share your ideas beforehand, please contact us at info@intervoiceonline.org. We look forward to your participation in making this Intervoice Day a remarkable and enriching experience for everyone.
