The document summarizes the story and approach of the Dublin North, North East Recovery College. It discusses: - The history of recovery colleges originating in the US in 2000 and emerging globally and in Ireland since 2009. - The DNNE Recovery College's emancipatory approach which provides inclusive, community-based mental health recovery education through genuine co-production and decision making with lived experience. - Since launching in 2016, the college has established transformative recovery education programming for adults and youth in North Dublin, Louth and Meath through a community development approach including student forums, newsletters, and wellbeing festivals. - An event was hosted in 2018 with stakeholders from Ireland and Scotland to critically reflect on

1. Dublin North, North East Recovery College – The story so far
Presentation and Discussion with:
Lianne Kirwan: Recovery College student and course co-facilitator
Mark Cunningham: Mental Health Nursing at DKIT & Recovery College Member

2. Recovery Colleges - A brief
history.
• In 2000 the Recovery College approach was
pioneered in ‘Recovery Education Centres’ in the U.S.
to support people to develop their own skills and
confidence in order to do the things they value.
• More recently since 2009 Recovery Colleges have
emerged globally, and most notably in the UK.
• In late 2013 the first Irish Recovery College opened
it’s doors in Castlebar, Mayo. Nationwide, there are
presently twelve organisations taking Recovery
College approaches to providing recovery education
throughout the Island of Ireland.

3. Taking an Emancipatory Approach

4. Our Emancipatory approach provides:
Space to
move
beyond
institutional
imbalances
Inclusive
Community Based
Mental Health
Recovery
Education
Genuine
coproduction
opportunities
for all
stakeholders
Decision
Making
Structures
informed
equally by
people with
both lived and
professional
experience
Enrolment open
to everyone in
the community
Community
development
initiatives
running
complimentary
or parallel to
clinical services

5. Why take an Emancipatory Approach?
Don’t just listen to us!
Global recognition has now been established that continued over reliance on
medical approaches to supporting mental health recovery - in the absence of
well resourced, integrative social approaches -serves to perpetuate
marginalisation, stigma and poor recovery outcomes.
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to health 2017

6. • Officially launched on October
10th 2016 with the progressive
aim of creating an inclusive
culture of recovery education
within the community, by August
2018 DNNE the college
established robust, evidence
based transformative recovery
education programming to
adults and young people
throughout the North Dublin,
Louth and Meath areas

7. So what have we been upto?

9. What one of our terms looks like:

10. What it isn’t:
A model, framework, or structure that retains power in
the hands of professionals with service users brought in
at a later decision making, design or delivery stage.
Easy, straightforward or quick, if it is it isn't
coproduction!
What is it…
A way of being, acting, thinking & working collectively with
people from different perspectives.
A way to improve practice, enhance personal growth, transform
power, inform policy and create meaningful change
A language and ethos in danger of being colonised/diluted?

11. Community Development Approach
• A challenge facing recovery colleges is that negative perceptions about mental
health have yet to change in the wider community, so fear, stigma and
marginalisation remains unchecked.
• In working to develop an inclusive culture of mental health recovery in the
community, DNNE Recovery College takes a community development
approach supporting people to engage in meaningful ways beyond the
primary scope of course participation

12. Social Capital & Community Development
Summer & Winter Wellbeing
festival / open days
Student Forum
This student led space meets six times per
year to inform all college, course and
community development decision making.
Student Newsletters

13. Asking the important Questions - Taking the Lead Nationally
‘If recovery education is the answer, what is the question?
Event Background and Purpose
DNNE Recovery College in collaboration with
the Scottish Recovery Network (SRN) and
Advancing Recovery in Ireland (ARI) hosted a
Recovery Education Seminar on May 3rd 2018,
to give stakeholders from across Ireland and
Scotland the opportunity to critically reflect on
the direction that Recovery Education is taking.
There is a need to clarify
varying concepts of Recovery
Education models
Recovery education culture
and ethos needs to be
safeguraded and embedded
Additional resources required,
challenges within services to
fully support R.E.
Recovery education within
the mental health system and
community both integral
Communications strategy and
clearer language needed
Need for greater
collaboration, coproduction
and joined up thinking
Need for expansion into
prevention and early
education
Need for evidence base
Support needed for groups
that don't fit within current
guidelines/framework
Emerging themes from the day:

14. Time for the Recovery College
Student Perspective
A Presentation from Lianne Kirwan

15. Thank You For Listening
Any Questions???