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Posted on 6 Feb 2023

Ellie, one of our Peer Support workers (PSW) will shortly be leaving for America after being awarded a Nottingham Roosevelt Scholarship last year. She’s shared below an update on her exciting plans.

Ellie has been exploring career progression for PSWs within the NHS and will learn from organisations of best practice in the US which are implementing Peer Leadership/Peer Led services.

A peer support worker is someone who has lived experience, and who uses that lived experience to help and support other people who are experiencing distress.

The last 9 months have been a whirlwind for Ellie since being awarded the Nottingham Roosevelt Memorial Travelling Scholarship. She’s been exploring Peer Support within our Trust and around the UK to further expand her knowledge of Peer Support and how it looks across services.

Ellie said:

“By working closely with colleagues in the Peer Support Development Team and across ImROC (an organisation which works globally and across the UK in partnership with communities to develop services that support Recovery and wellbeing), I have been able to network with people in the US ahead of my travels and begin to plan my travel itinerary.

“These late night Zoom calls have proven beneficial in broadening my networking and I now have confirmed contacts to meet in New York, Texas, Miami, Arizona and Canada.

Through these meetings I have been able to further refine my proposal and will be exploring the politics underpinning Peer Support and how these reflect within services and throughout career progression opportunities for Peer Workers. I fly out to New York on the 17 February and will be moving around the US for 3 months.

“I’ve received incredible support from around the Trust and have spent a lot of time reflecting on the support I received from Mansfield LMHT and the Peer Support Development Team, my colleagues in these teams have poured encouragement into me and my Scholarship planning throughout.

“I’ve also received support from the Trust on a more personal level and this support has helped me to navigate my own healing journey, overcoming personal challenges I once thought were too big to embrace.

I will be checking in with the Peer Support Development Team during my travels and will be sending updates back throughout my learning journey.”

Ellie will be documenting her updates through social media and can be found on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook by searching @PeeringEll.

Good luck Ellie, we are looking forward to hearing all about it.

Applications for the 2023 scholarships are open now. Their mission is to “unlock the potential of 21-35 year olds by immersion in American society, industry and culture; so they can realise their aspirations and benefit the wider Notts community.”

Find out more: Nottingham Roosevelt Travelling Scholarship. (rooseveltscholarship.org)

You can read about when she was awarded the scholarship here Peer Support Worker awarded Nottingham Roosevelt Scholarship | Latest news around Nottinghamshire Trust (nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk)