Rosey spoke about the power of Citizen Advocacy relationships in terms of wounding and devalued roles, and the link between valued roles and access to the ‘good things of life.’ Rosey is from Citizen Advocacy South Australia, and she described some proteges as having devalued roles of thief, liar, user of the system, user of other people, prostitute, hobo, and so on. Proteges have experienced wounds such as homelessness, physical and sexual abuse, abandonment, denial of education, rejection and social discontinuity through multiple foster care placements, institutionalization, rejection right out to the edge of society and even survivability, being put in jail. Impacts of these wounds include anxiety, insecurity, poor health, confusion as to who to trust, distrust of authority, fear of relationships.
Citizen Advocacy relationships have helped vulnerable proteges to get valued roles such as family friend and neighbor, and to have greater access to the ‘good things of life’ such as protection in the hospital, getting out of jail, being hospitably welcomed by others, safety and trust in and from others, and so on.
Do we see, understand and try to build this link between valued roles and access to the ‘good things of life’?