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Reflecting on 2017

Pippa_Alumni
Pippa_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 5,793 Disability Gamechanger
edited December 2017 in Coffee lounge
It's been wonderful to see community members joining in with our recent light-hearted discussions on Festive Traditions and Tips and Tricks for Christmas!

As a final conversational topic for this time of year, we'd love to hear your reflections on 2017. Share something that's been a particular highlight of your year, or something that you're proud of, no matter how large or small it may seem.

One of my own highlights has been joining the Scope team and getting to know some great people through the Online Community! 
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Comments

  • CaderMac
    CaderMac Community member Posts: 105 Pioneering
    I know it's cliche but I cant believe 2017 is almost over already! 

    Like @PippaScope this year I joined the Scope Online community this year and I have really enjoyed getting to know other users and hearing about your experiences and thoughts. 

    I started in a new job this year, managing a team of fundraisers for a disabled children's charity and I am absolutely delighted that we have hit (and now exceeded) our fundraising target for the year - meaning that lots of disabled children and young people can access our services in 2018. I am very proud of this achievement and it has been a great way to end a turbulent year (we suffered a fire at our flagship play scheme in September!) 
  • Geoark
    Geoark Community member Posts: 1,463 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @PippaScope I have given this a lot of thought as I wanted to find something outside of this community, and did come up with being promoted at work. However the truth is I am more proud of my involvement here, but not because of anything in particular I have done.

    I am also involved in communities about participation and creating change. In one discussion where members were talking about creating change for whole communities I said that while I admired their aims I was more concerned about changing things for one person/family at a time, often those who fall between the cracks of the grand schemes. Not big grand changes but small ones which make a personal difference for them. 

    Here I am helping to do both, in supporting Scope here I hope that I am helping to support them in their bigger aims, while hopefully having helped at least one person. The real highlight for me has been watching the community here coming together to help support and advise one another whatever their personal problems may be. 

    As an individual I stood alone.
    As a member of a group I did things.
    As part of a community I helped to create change!

  • bekirk
    bekirk Community member Posts: 6 Connected
    Hi @PippaScope .  The big up for me was starting as a volunteer at the Children's Society, but the down was being diagnosed with breast cancer in November.  My treatment is finished now and I'm waiting to see what follows.
  • Pippa_Alumni
    Pippa_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 5,793 Disability Gamechanger
    I hope the new year is as healthy and happy as possible for you, @bekirk
  • Wayne5429
    Wayne5429 Community member Posts: 5 Listener
    2017 has been a hard year for me, with my depression and with the death's of a few of my friends, some due to suicide. But late in the year I joined Scope, and after read posts from other members it brought my life back into focus, reading their post's showed me that I could get over my pdsd, I know I still have have a long road in front of me, but thanks to Scope and it's members, I've now got the confidence to ask for help and I'm more able to talk about things I never used to. So with that I want to wish all the staff and members of scope a very Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year.
  • thespiceman
    thespiceman Community member Posts: 6,388 Disability Gamechanger
    Hello @Wayne5429 I just thought send you a message of support and best wishes.  Sorry you had a bad year and I can understand that.  Life is never easy.  Pray and hope you have a good new year.  Pleased to meet you.  Thank you
    Community Champion
    SCOPE Volunteer Award Engaging Communities 2019
    Mental Health advice, guidance and information to all members
    Nutrition, Diet, Wellbeing, Addiction.
    Recipes
  • Sam_Alumni
    Sam_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,671 Disability Gamechanger
    What a lovely thread!!! 

    I joined Scope in November 2016 and so 2017 has been all about working for Scope.  I LOVE my job, I absolutely love it.  It is rare to find a job that means so much to you and I feel truly honoured to get to look after the online community every day.

    We have had some great milestones on the community this year, we reached 20,000 members and have had over half a million page views!!! But far more important than figures is that we have supported so many people at times of crisis.  The kind comments and feedback we get from you all means the world and we thank you all so much.

    It is amazing for me to be able to support members, but I love to see the peer to peer support that you guys give eachother, it reminds me every day that there are wonderful people out there who want to help one another.  

    I am thrilled to work for Scope and I love working with my team, @Alex is an amazing manager and he has been so supportive both within work and with my health and treatments and I am grateful to work with such a kind, supportive and brilliant boss.  @PippaScope joined our team this year and we are over the moon that she is staying on through the new year, she is a fab intern and has been such an asset to the team.  Not forgetting @LiamO_Dell who interned for us in the summer - Im sure you'll agree that his support was fantastic!

    I have had a tough year personally, but working here at Scope on the community has brightened my days no end and I feel so blessed to be here.

    I finish today for a break over Christmas and will be back on the 8th January, so I look forward to chatting with you all next year and hearing all about your christmas and new year events!

    Best wishes
    Sam :)

    Scope
    Senior online community officer
  • Topkitten
    Topkitten Community member Posts: 1,285 Pioneering
    I have been trying to think of anything positive worth sharing but tbh I cannot think of anything. The first 3/4 of the year seems to have been made up of minor ups and larger but fairly inconsequential downs. The last 3 months nothing but unmitigated disaster after disaster.

    Apologies for disturbing a positive post.

    TK
    "I'm on the wrong side of heaven and the righteous side of hell" - from Wrong side of heaven by Five Finger Death Punch.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 740 Listener
    edited December 2017
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • Neil2017
    Neil2017 Community member Posts: 155 Courageous
    Hi @PippaScope
    i was going to put the joke answer to reflecting on 2017 is 7102! There I have done it.

    Generally been a mixed year for me of some positive and some negative. Some positives being that I did manage to have paid employment for a while and that has continued in the form of some advocacy voluntary work.

    Also finding this forum is teaching me s lot about different people and how they cope with disabilities.

    the negatives I would say include find it difficult to mix in some new social groups both because of my sight loss and possibly ASD. Have tried to get a bit fitter by being fortunate enough to be mobile, but have succeeded that much.

    Another plus is getting around to more and more places by public transport.
  • thespiceman
    thespiceman Community member Posts: 6,388 Disability Gamechanger
    Hello @PippaScope Hope you are OK  That was the other thing I forgot to mention about our community.  Thank you @Neil2017 for reminding me the humour.  The stories, sharing, meeting new friends, being educated, learning, useful information.  Thank you all.
    Community Champion
    SCOPE Volunteer Award Engaging Communities 2019
    Mental Health advice, guidance and information to all members
    Nutrition, Diet, Wellbeing, Addiction.
    Recipes
  • bevvyp
    bevvyp Community member Posts: 42 Connected
    Hi everyone I'm hoping you all at least had some happy time, I laughed on christmas day _ which surprised me after losing nephew dad and husband _ there are some good bits to 2017 in my memory, my youngest son got engaged to his beautiful girlfriend/ fiance and my neice had a baby girl bit my heart is still broken even tho my face has a smile
  • bevvyp
    bevvyp Community member Posts: 42 Connected
    TopkittenTopkitten said: don't apologise it will make you feel you've done wrong and you haven't except reach out   x I'm reaching back and sorry youfeel you have nothing positive to offer but you did _ You're advice to me a few months ago really helped me so thankyou for you're support xxxx
    I have been trying to think of anything positive worth sharing but tbh I cannot think of anything. The first 3/4 of the year seems to have been made up of minor ups and larger but fairly inconsequential downs. The last 3 months nothing but unmitigated disaster after disaster.

    Apologies for disturbing a positive post.

    TK

  • Topkitten
    Topkitten Community member Posts: 1,285 Pioneering
    @bevvyp thank you for that. People do say that in some ways I help others but it just seems like common sense to me. If only I could do that for myself.

    TK
    "I'm on the wrong side of heaven and the righteous side of hell" - from Wrong side of heaven by Five Finger Death Punch.
  • feir
    feir Community member Posts: 397 Pioneering
    my year started off good. my mobility got worse but no pain with that so to pass my leisure time i did 21 AP courses and passed 20 of those. learned a lot of interesting stuff too, one of which was how to add one to infinity and how infinity actually works. never thought i'd understand anything more maths in my life but i do a little more than i used to. :)

    my ex (who cheated on me with someone and is now with her but tried to cheat on her with me) came back to try and cheat on his gf again with me. i just laughed at him. i have so much knowledge about how users think and how to deal with them that this really helped me to get rid of him and not feel sad or bad for doing so. before i had this knowledge i probably would've entertained him.

    my kids are doing great and are not giving me problems. one son has been in sports training for a couple of years. he is advancing a little now, and his confidence has been boosted by that too. he's still got depression, trauma, and anxiety issues but i feel like he has been accepted by his peers despite this and that makes me happy. he has good friends too. so that's one less thing to worry about.

    rest fo the year, for me personally... at least it passed by quickly is all i'm saying.

  • Topkitten
    Topkitten Community member Posts: 1,285 Pioneering
    @feir it is very common for an absent husband to come back hoping for extra sex under the excuse that the new gf isn't working out and suggesting maybe you can sort things out. All this when they have no intention of doing so and are just looking for something extra. Good for you for recognising it and refusing.

    I am glad that last year was ok and, despite early setbacks, has been positive overall.

    TK
    "I'm on the wrong side of heaven and the righteous side of hell" - from Wrong side of heaven by Five Finger Death Punch.
  • pitcroft
    pitcroft Community member Posts: 14 Listener
    Hello

    My highlights of 2017 are:

    My neighbour dying
    My new neighbour
    Finding this site
    Learning to paint.

    Miriam
  • foxuk
    foxuk Community member Posts: 103 Pioneering
    My highlight of 2017 was my PIP assessment.

    The woman who assessed me really knew her job and 'dug deep' to get a true picture of my impairments and how they affect me. It was so positive I thought it must have been a con at one stage....

    I rang the DWP today for the result as it was over three weeks since the assessment.

    I had my PIP changed from my DLA level of Higher Mobility, Lower Care to Enhanced rates for both Care and Mobility.

    Still in shock and suffering a bit of 'survivor's guilt' as I know much more deserving people have ended up with nothing.

    Some of the assessors are decent people doing a thankless job. Some of us have been lucky to get the good ones.

    Jon

  • Gill Stafford
    Gill Stafford Community member Posts: 8 Listener
    What a year!! My 31 year old son has cerebral palsy.  I entered Heatnrow's 70th Birthday Celebrations Competition telling the story of The Day Gareth Flew Concorde.  He was ten when he was unexpectedly given the chance for a joyride on Concorde. He is  now 31, and still loves flying.  Well, that story won us a trip to Sydney - worth the long flight to see his face when he saw Sydney Opera House.  He didn't want to go inside but we examined the iconic building from every angle both on land and from a ferry boat.  G has spastic quadriplegia but lack of speech does not stop him communicating and he can get anywhere in his power wheelchair.  Yes, even Australia!  We went on to explore Canberra and Melbourne before flying home after a fantastic teip! 

Brightness