ELSiTO. A Collaborative European Initiative to Foster Social Inclusion with Persons Experiencing Mental Illness

Abstract

ELSiTO (Empowering Learning for Social Inclusion Through Occupation), an international collaborative partnership, with over 30 members from Belgium, Greece and the Netherlands, aimed to explore the nature and processes of social inclusion for persons experiencing mental illness. Members included persons experiencing mental illness and health professionals. Four international visits and local activities enabled a knowledge creation process that combined the experience of social inclusion as we lived and worked together with exploration of the processes of community projects, narratives of experiences and reflective workshops. Outcomes included identification and description of the following: the nature of social inclusion as lived by the participants; the critical elements that support inclusion; and the competences that are developed by all stakeholders during this process. The complex process of social inclusion is facilitated by doing together in environments that enable equality, trust, risk taking and realignment of power. These conceptual understandings of inclusion are discussed in relation to the ongoing activities of the partners, to their potential contribution to the education of occupational therapists (and other professionals) and to the development of socially inclusive occupation-based projects in the community.

Research Watch: making social inclusion happen through community-based projects

“…Recovery as recovering social inclusion Ammeraal et al (2013) describe what they learned from being part of a project that ran across different countries of Europe. The two-year project was called ELSiTO (Empowering Learning for Social Inclusion Through Occupation).…”

“…Group members decided to be known as ELSiTO members rather than staff and service users, as this helped everyone to think of each person's unique strengths and knowledge. Ammeraal et al (2013) described:…”

“…Alliances with new agencies arise and funding is sought for new local initiatives. Ammeraal et al (2013) emphasise that social inclusion is not just about excluded people being included. It is a collaborative process of learning together in local groups and contexts.…”

“…Recovery is not just something we do on our own Ammeraal et al (2013) end with a discussion of the challenge posed by the service users involved in the project to the current view of recovery as highly self-determined: "Experiences in ELSiTO supported the importance of sharing, of dependency, the importance of the collective" (p. 75). They suggest that the insistence on recovering on one's own and under the authority of professionals as the experts is not consistent with how human beings can best thrive.…”

From the rhetoric to the real: A critical review of how the concepts of recovery and social inclusion may inform mental health nurse advanced level curricula — The eMenthe project

“…These would include: how to work collaboratively, power-sharing, promoting shared decision-making and selfmanagement (Gandi and Wai, 2010;Hill et al, 2010;Mayes, 2011;Fieldhouse and Onyett, 2012;McEvoy et al, 2012;Tew et al, 2012;Todd et al, 2012;Ammeraal et al, 2013;Iancu et al, 2013;Van der Stel, 2013); and positive risk-taking (Stickley and Felton, 2006;Kelly et al, 2009;Robertson and Collinson, 2011;Bird et al, 2014;Heller, 2014;Tickle et al, 2014). In order to promote socially inclusive outcomes, various skills can been identified from the literature: e.g.…”