Jody Terweeme

Peer Researcher

As a Vancouver resident and participant in the first Imagining Inclusion Project, Jody appreciates that people with lived experience can have a strong voice about a range of mental health issues and so much more.

“I discovered that power during the Photo Voice Project—so much so that I have since found the courage to share my views of recovery, treatment, social stigma and inclusion with my greater community. Whether through my involvement with the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Participant and Family Voice Committee, as a consumer voice with Vancouver Coastal Health’s construction of the new Joseph and Rosalie Segal Health Centre, as a member of the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Organization, or various speaking engagements, I know that there are “ears” in community willing to listen and help create positive change. As we seek to find ways to address mental health inequity by using peer leadership to create change within the upstream change model, I am certain that we will see promising experiences and compelling outcomes. That’s why I’m excited by the opportunity to participate in this next phase of the Project.”