Ben Mitchell

Background

About Ben Mitchell

I am passionate about holistic and empowering approaches to working with people and the communities and systems within which they exist. I base my work on empathy, compassion, and respect, as they are vital to building inclusive working relationships and trust. To me, everything is interconnected, and without a holistic approach, it can feel like you are putting out fires and fixing symptoms of broken systems rather than enabling meaningful change which is accessible to all. This concept encompasses everything in my life, and to me is a way of being as much as a way of working. I believe that the most effective way of encouraging positive change is to live by example in modelling positive ways of being and of doing things. Where possible I look to work collaboratively and mentor others to recognise their own competencies and empower themselves. I consider I demonstrate this extensively through both my professional and voluntary work where I feel I inspire others to believe in themselves and create positive change. Particularly in those who come from minority & disadvantaged backgrounds, who may not have received much positivity or belief in their lives before. My professional work has provided me with the opportunity to acquire extensive experience of working with vulnerable people from all backgrounds and with all manner of difficulties. I have gained both a complete knowledge of the services available in Bristol and the many barriers both personal, cultural and systemic, that can get in the way of engagement. The primary focus of my current role is to find ways around the barriers to engagement with services that the people on my caseload face daily. I also see how these barriers along with the inherent inequality of our society can impact on communities and the problems this can cause. For example, drug misuse and its economic, criminal, and anti-social impacts are something I deal with frequently, particularly around their roots in inequality and social injustice.