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メニュー
カリフォルニアだより
サブメニュー
ビレッジの紹介
ザ･ビレッジISA
精神保健リンク
就労支援プラン
ネクストステップニュース
ビレッジ研修’９９
ビレッジ訪問記
udakenのページ
ピアカウンセリングマニュアル
2003年WFMHメルボルン大会
2007年ＷＦＭＨ香港大会
２００４交流プログラム
２００５年交流プログラム
２００６年交流プログラム
日米精神障害者交流事業掲示板
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How Consumer Exchange Program improved my life.
Ken Udagawa
My first trip to UNITED STATES of AMERICA was in 1997 on summer.
I am a consumer from Japan.
I am diagnosed schizoaffective disease.
I was not able to go out of my house except to go to buy a pack of cigarette or go to walk with my dog in evening.
My outing was only one time in one day.
When I first applied to exchange program in Los Angeles I was not so active and I didn’t have job yet. I was a day service member in mental hospital.
In Japan the VILLAGE Integrated service agency was very famous to Mental Health Professionals，so I expected to see Village ISA and want only to make friend with other consumers from Japan.
I was not good at English.
But I had learned English in psychiatric hospital.
Though I was not good speaker but I was able to hear and understand English.
In each activity like camping or home-stay program or picnics I feel very happy to participate program and to communicate each consumer and make friends with each other.
In camping program I visited all consumers' tents and ask name and address and telephone number.
It was 10days exchange program and I thought it was the last visit to Los Angeles but when I leave to Japan I said “next time, see you in Japan”.
When I came back to Japan I was very exited to speak about trip to my family.
That was the first happy time in that 10years with my family and I sent thank you email to project return’s members or staff of mental health association in that day.
My mother said, “I could not have imagined Ken could go to trip to Los Angeles and come back with good health. Ken was very ill 5 years ago in mental hospital. I’m very happy”
When staff of Los Angeles mental health association, Mitchy Akiyoshi, replay to my email he said in Email
“I go to see off you, Japanese members at International airport in this morning and I came back home evening I got email from you. This is the most surprising thing”
In next Autumn I prepare exchange program in Japan.
My hospital day service staffs never help me to prepare welcome program.
I made committee only by consumers. Committee planed welcome program and prepare budget, lunch, transportation, translation volunteer staff and English lessen class or other anything.
Staffs never help our committee.
I spend 2 years in hospital day service so I prepared 2 welcome programs.
I understand the reason why staffs never help us. Staffs trusted us.
I thought staff did nothing to us but I was wrong.
They trusted us and leave us to do in our way.
This is the best training for us. Staffs trusted us and consumers took charge of their own program together.
Last year I prepare exchange program in Tokyo and Osaka.
I am a consumer.
I prepare the exchange program.
Symposium and consumer tea party and seeing facility and question and answer time like clinic or workshop or day service.
When I applied to facility to go to there with Los Angeles consumer.
Facility’s staffs tend to make consumer committee to accept the application.
Los Angeles Consumers applied, so Japanese consumers moved and planed program activity of the day.
Consumer exchange program is member driven program.
Member driven programs develop our self-esteem and let us make decision and we feel our own responsibility.
Last year we made a totally consumers' driven exchange program in Osaka and Tokyo.
In each region they made many consumer committee to decide things and to lead the program by their own hand.
And this year in June we prepare consumer exchange program in Japan (Tokyo and Hokkaido) and in November we plan consumer exchange program in Los Angeles.
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