Talking Communities Together - Community Network

Talking Communities Together 25th Anniversary Event

16th November 2015 Event Report

www.communitynetworkprojects.org www.communitynetworkprojects.org Registered Charity no. 1000011 Registered charity number 100011

Our Mission

To tackle loneliness and isolation by connecting people with shared interests using telecommunications to improve health and wellbeing.

How you can contribute For us as a charity, ‘Talking Communities Together’ is the start of a conversation. We need your energy, commitment, continued support and challenge, to collaboratively increase our impact. Our aim is to unlock people and funding resources, and combine these with telecommunications for social benefit, including combatting loneliness by creating Talking Communities. Do keep in contact. Share your ideas for creating Talking Communities. Become a Community Network supporter. We hope you find this report useful and would welcome your comments.

What we aimed to achieve Community Network hosted its first Talking Communities Together event on 16 November 2015 at a conferencing suite made available by Barclays Plc at their Head Office in Canary Wharf. Its objective was to give participants the opportunity to explore with others how people and telecommunications can combine to address loneliness. We felt that by bringing organisations and individuals together we could collectively identify partnerships and collaborations that have the potential to use telecommunications to tackle loneliness and improve social benefit. Included in the sixty attendees were Community Network’s Trustees, Staff and Volunteers, representatives from Housing Associations, Carers’ Organisations, Armed Forces Charities, voluntary, community and social enterprises, academics and the private sector. Additionally, we were pleased that our partners from The Phone Co-op Business Telecoms and The Silver Line were able to join us. Welcome and Overview Stephen Heard - Chair of Trustees, welcomed everyone and explained that the event marked the Charity’s 25th Anniversary. Robert Edmonds - CEO, presented the key messages arising from peer research into loneliness amongst younger adults (18 to 25) which was carried out by UCL’s Global Citizenship Volunteers:  Loneliness is no respecter of age, and  62% of the younger people interviewed experience loneliness often or sometimes.1 Our research findings are contributing to ACEVO’s research into loneliness amongst young people in London. Their research is part of ongoing advocacy for greater prioritisation of the prevention and early intervention to support wellbeing.2

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An executive summary of UCL student’s research Loneliness Amongst Young Adults Aged 18-24: Experiences, Manifestations, Solutions conducted on behalf of Community Network, was included in the delegate pack. 2 ACEVO, the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations, is the UK’s largest network for Charity and Social Enterprise Leaders. https://www.acevo.org.uk/campaigns/lonelinessproject

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Overview of Community Network’s activities Community Network’s key activities includes providing hosted Peer Support Groups (via telephone, Skype and online) which are facilitated by our trained volunteers. Our current support groups include:

o

Talking Communities - London, Birmingham and Scotland

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Seafarers’ Link - industry specific offer targeting ex-seafarers

o

Silver Circles – phone groups hosted on behalf of The Silver Line

Community Network are on track to meet their target of 400 beneficiaries by the end of March 2016, and with the help of our volunteers will have delivered over 244,000 minutes of peer support via facilitated phone groups. All telephone groups are provided via Community Network’s hosted business telecoms conferencing partner, The Phone Co-op.3 We specialise in supporting organisations to devise, develop and evaluate peer support and training groups via the telephone. Outcome measures show participants gaining confidence and securing increased wellbeing. Community Network also provide Training & Consultancy to organisations wanting to utilise telecommunications for social benefit.

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Are you involved in a Charity or know one that could benefit from teleconferencing? Try out The Phone Co-op’s hosted teleconferencing service with 500 FREE introductory minutes. Details here.

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Breakout Discussions Participants combined with facilitators and scribes to engage into three 20 minute discussion groups. Introductions were made in each group to help people network. Each discussion group opened with a question themed to gain contributions about what helps or prevents people connecting (via the telephone); what different approaches are needed for different populations and what partnerships could give individuals the resources with which to tackle loneliness. Groups were asked to consider the questions from different generational perspectives: younger persons, those aged 50 plus and those aged over 75. The breakout sessions were flip-charted.4

Q1 Helps/prevents connection Helps: - Facilitation and welcome on arrival. - Peer support ethos to maintain the interest. - ‘It interests me sufficiently for it to be worth the effort’. - Referrals from existing organisations in the community. Prevents: - Lack of invitation to participate. - Awareness & Embarrassment: shift language away from isolation. - Capability - knowledge of how to make contact and then the skill of how to create connection with people.

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See Appendix 1 for scribes’ records of breakout discussions points.

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Q2 Experiences, supportive and meaningful connections, emerging technology. Support: - Community Groups/Schemes. - Touchpoints supermarkets, coffee shops – educate staff. Experiences: - Transitional activity (including e.g. work to retirement). - Use service users’ needs to inform strategy re partnerships. - Define Loneliness.5 Emerging technologies: - Choice of tech a good way to gather people. - Confidence / independence: Many don’t want to show (their) face.finak - Platforms that are device inclusive. - Different approaches for different people.

Q3 What partnerships - Partnerships to identify simple and accessible tech to use. - Partnerships with organisations who have local feet on the ground. - Intergenerational partnerships – offering support with the use of tech. - Marketing partnerships – highlighting the benefits of participation and to increase awareness of what is available.

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For a definition of loneliness see Campaign to End Loneliness website. Community Network participates in the Campaign to End Loneliness and contributes to their learning network.

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Going forward Community Network acknowledges the importance of working together with groups and individuals to improve social benefit and combat loneliness. To ensure that we are successful in delivering these, we are committed to: o Involving our beneficiaries in identifying, adopting and pursuing telecommunications that enable peer support to have a real and positive impact for those at risk of, or experiencing loneliness.6 o Sharing our outcomes achieved, to collaborate with others to add value to preventative services and attract funding. o Reviewing our branding to consider how it can best engage with target audiences. o Seeking new and further developing existing services in partnership with both national and locally based organisations.

Through our Talking Communities peer support groups, we aim to deliver more opportunities for connecting people with shared interests (carers, supported housing tenants, people with common health conditions) and will seek funding / fundraising partnerships and service delivery contracts together with organisations working in these areas. Initially we plan to ‘scale up’ in two areas: o Expanding our Seafarers Link offer exploring how it can combine with armed services support organisations, to provide support and comradeship to veterans at risk of loneliness. o Continued partnership working with The Silver Line, fundraising together to expand the availability of ‘Silver Circles’. We will continue to offer training and consultancy focussing on supporting individuals and organisations to host, via the telephone, Skype and online, peer support groups that increase wellbeing. 6

See Transforming not Excluding SEEFA, 2015, ‘If we work together we can come up with something good? Where there is a genuine collaboration between those using products and services and the providers, everyone benefits. It was felt that the concept of co-production should be embraced but also better understood.’

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Thank you for participating A big thank you to everyone involved in making our 25th Anniversary Event a success:  Thanks to all our volunteers.  Thanks to Barclays for providing the venue and for their Digital Eagles and Accessibility Team staff who participated on the day.  Thanks to our partners at The Phone Co-op and at The Silver Line who assisted Trustees, Staff and Volunteers facilitate discussions.  A thank you to our funders and colleagues from academia who joined us for the afternoon.  Thanks to all discussion group facilitators and scribes. How you can contribute We are delighted that many of you have been continuing the Talking Communities Together conversation with us. Keep in contact and let us know how we can work with you to bring people and technology together for social benefit. Refresh your memory of the comments that you shared at the event.7 What do you want to start, do differently or need support with? Let us know! You’ve identified needs that we can address together? Let us know! We look forward to hearing from you. [email protected]

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See appendix 2 for your views on our event and ideas going forward.

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Q1 What helps / prevents people to connect? (e.g. via the phone in groups) Helps – Contact community centres / existing local care groups; Talk to someone in a group; Use facilities of large charities; Community alarm/ lifeline don’t need to dial; Local community promotional e.g. through GP; Group to give phone calls – Listen; Educating non-lonely people to help neighbour; Print media /online to normalise; Use organisations already in touch e.g. church; Bring in younger people to help elderly. Prevents – Embarrassed; Landlines less common/cost of mobiles/trust; Accessibility/ dexterity issues; Lack of confidence. Privacy / security; Are they aware of services?; Lack of face to face contact/ trust issues; Don’t know benefits; Unwanted phone calls. .

To be included; Do not want to commit (to) digital inclusion; Tell us stories. Friendship groups ( not lonely); Stigmas attached; Retirement planning; Holistic approach; Expand with other corporates; Market targeting (bus pass/ bereavement leaflets); NHS check-ups &websites; Educate GPs on what is available; Connect with charities; Reverse mentoring / befriending; Chat rooms – more blogs – alternatives to phones groups. Networking/Mobile: don’t have it, difficult, but good to facilitate; Damaging – using media rather than meeting people; Connection – older people; Contact – younger people; False sense of security – highlight reels./ how many friends; Social media – natural barrier for older people; Most important is human voice / connection / engaged / not judged; Sense of community; Pen pals – all ages; Feeling cared for emotional / tone of voice; Isolation (young people) – someone they can talk to and trust; One person more important than lots of people. Talking to someone regularly. For volunteers and older people; Living with older and younger people – same blocks of accommodation. Seeing each other – skype, face to face; Set up groups – a mentor to hold group and structure; For older and younger; Facilitator: good to start groups. Knowing how to do it – conference calling unfamiliar; Loneliness is a scale – hard to catch people in the middle; What you call it makes a difference; People may be more interested in an activity; Once in a group they really enjoy it – familiarity - Phone Co-op operators; Number of people in the group - being heard; Changes in life – such as bereavement, separation, retirement can affect everyday life – loss of ; Difficulty finding people; As technology changes need to consider other methods skype/face time; Occupational – market benefits, rather than ‘loneliness’; Carers – difficult to keep to set times- need to be flexible; message for carers; efits – measuring impact; Make it easy, accessible and flexible; Stigma – remove – seafarers - can’t find no’s. Normalising loneliness; time to talk; getting marketing right to people who need to know; Reliability. Doctors surgeries; Retaining people difficult; Inflexibility of timing; Needs facilitators; Anonymity; Service referrals; Common interest – branding of message; Facebook – Social media; Not afraid to ask questions Prevents – the unknown – will I like the other people? Difficult to see benefits; Scared; What is in it for me?; Lack of body language; Helps - being in your own home; Operators being friendly and welcoming; Clear benefit (i.e. specific issue); No need to travel. Page 7 of 12 Charity Reg. No. 100011

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Q2a What support might be provided to routinely make available loneliness antidotes? Q2b What experiences do you or your beneficiaries have? Q2c What emerging telecommunications technologies provide the conditions for supportive and meaningful connections? Support: Social contact; Trade magazines, literature to key areas; Funding priorities for local authority; MIND; Doctors surgeries; Community groups/schemes; Common interest groups; Local radio; Veterans/ Community Plans /Advertising; Small steps in particular areas; Housing/Sheltered Accommodation; CRUSE

Experiences: Network meetings; Local interest groups; Volunteering – sharing your skills; Don’t use word lonely because of stigma; Transitional activity; Making people feel valued; Utilizing talents; Connecting through newsletters; Loneliness – different things, different age groups; Connecting through newsletters e.g. ex-employees; Internet/Libraries/ GP; Define loneliness; Target services differently according to demographic; Previous knowledge; Touchpoints supermarkets/coffee shops etc. - educate staff; Different platforms; Use service users’ needs to inform strategy re: partnerships; Confidence; Local radio. Youth Group – shared interests; Shared experiences; Emotional connection; Flexible to change/ adapt group to changing interests; Build a sense of community; Build rapport; Group dynamics; Inclusive Emerging technologies for meaningful connections: Safeguarding / troubleshooting / support / use correctly / meaningful; Skype / face time; See face; Feel connected to people at distance; Talk face to face gives confidence 2 way conversation; Choice of technology good way to gather people; Faster broadband / help with pictures / video calls; Expensive / necessary; Technology makes best use of bandwidth; Develop / maintain use text; Availability; Having something / time / someone in common with; Confidence / independence: many don’t want to show (their) face; Message boards / WhatsApps; Assistive technology. Something always on that doesn’t need facilitators; Some people may not want to be seen on ‘screen’; People are individuals – go with the needs of the group at the time; 18-30 year olds don’t engage so much on the phone; Holograms – virtual ‘friends’ – Amazon ‘echo’; Platforms that are device inclusive; Different approaches for different people. Page 8 of 12 Charity Reg. No. 100011

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Q3a What partnerships are needed to give people the tools with which to tackle loneliness? Q3b How might peer support be enabled? Tech is a barrier for some older people; Work backwards  from service user’s point of view; Choice  but you need enablers; Branding / presentation / sell concept; Encouragement and patience; Paying for care and technology. Afraid; Demystify tech.; Educate young on how to safeguard themselves online; Faith communities. Does it need to be peer support (in groups), why not 1:1?; Chat group; But people need to hear another voice; Secure access (moderate); Video links; Joint marketing: re Loneliness – John Lewis/ Age UK/ Barclays; Facebook; Care homes accessing people; Clearer message; Music should be used to connect - choral groups; Podcasts market through libraries; Specialized skype video phone; Younger people happy to Skype; WhatsApp type group - chat room; Frightened of commitment; Multiple of different ways – phone chat, Skype.

Accessible – pc / laptop / tablet; Self-organisation / like-minded; Feeling people share interest; Common purpose / need; Technology simple enough – need a partnership technology company that is cost effective; Market to small – people want smaller device easier to use; Wanting to use IT and develop; Look at groups / banking; TV – smart TV; Different demographic groups – boundaries/ connection; Mainly older people prefer telephone only. Generation aspect – seeing grandkids; Create pathways for people. Starting point - think about audience; Shared interest – intergeneration – meet up online; Connect outside; Sitting services / leaving someone when they are on the phone to friends; Sustainability – people get service they want – continuity; Having someone you like / need / look after; Pathways – way in / choices for connection: online, twitter, befriend; What is their interests?; Paying for care. The Sliver Line work with range of partners, finding right connections; Biggest challenge is reaching the ‘hard to reach’ partnership makes this easier; People can be lonely because of life events /experiences they have had – be broad in potential partners; Packaging up of support; Stigma (of loneliness); Partners in community – social workers, GPs, other health partners, registry office; We all need to work in partnership. Technology providers not offering solutions to tackle this; Utilise Phone Co-op partnership for leads into areas. Schools/ Money/people; Help with learning technologies; Parish Councils; Service delivery organisations; Money / People; Identification; Skype, facetime etc. Digital assistance; Warm transfer referrals; Training; Local Authority. Charities linked to technology; Evidence on impact; Know your audience; Training - Facilitators; Clear communication channels; Marketing: raising awareness; Advocates; Volunteer/ Peer support / Supervision. Page 9 of 12 Charity Reg. No. 100011

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Appendix 2 Feedback

About today . . .

Going forward . . .

An interesting insight into the issues surrounding loneliness. 1. Stigma 2. Contacting those hard to reach 3. Tools to enable / facilitate the process I think the sessions today have been really useful and some key themes have definitely emerged from the groups. I was part of: 1. Identification of those most in need. 2. Access/ease of access (to) support. Thought provoking Thank you for today Community network. I will follow upon in my daily work.

Messaging around loneliness, people won’t necessarily identify as lonely due to stigma. Hard to change? To continue to evolve Community Network I think keeping the links of communication open with a wide variety of interested parties is vital. Need to use technology, but it to keep in simple. Taking to Barclays about my methods of working especially groups funding loans that makes paying for care more dignified Which memory of communication is most efficient in what stages of conversation? Develop a comprehensive triage process Consider that it isn’t just older people. It was mentioned in one of the groups about touch point. Would be a good start point. Use of sound media and message boards

Interesting conversations about reaching out to those in need and to reform “loneliness” in a more appealing term. Interesting to see how people connect with the organising taking part Good discussions. Well situated. Useful discussions. Met some interesting people. As a “speculative” attendee. I could have done with more introductory info about community network.

I have learnt a lot. 1. Wide age range of people. 2. Interesting prospects 3.Educating prospects Learned about community Network. Enjoyed the debate about loneliness. Great scribe and facilitators Good brain storming Hard logic- lots of good ideas for isolation Good networking opportunities. Workshops thought provoking and interesting hearing from delegates making me want to look them up afterwards. Great venue. Would have been useful to have a bit more background about community network during into presentation

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Multi tech opps. If finding groups with shared interests is not as fruitful as wanted, what about shared needs as the hook? Educate those not affected. Mentorship programs’ 1. More about young people 2.How to partner with organisations that support younger people (e.g. university) Mentoring a “one to one” networking especially from the research Reading out to service communities (From SSAFA) Podcast typed way of sharing common interest. i.e. chat podcast and then forum/link

Would like to look into potential for UK online centre network to raise awareness of telephone support and loneliness peer support, intergenerational, matching opportunities. I think our communications are well placed for this.

Talking Communities Together Community Network

Appendix 2 Feedback

About today . . .

Going forward . . .

Good chance to focus. Groups not too long and were well organised. Coproduction (don’t necessarily like the word but you know what I mean) Problem Awareness Acoustics in venue not great. Interesting to meet people from lots of different organisations Very well organised. Diverse mix. Groups very useful Very useful to be part of different discussions. Thought provoking Thank you for a very interesting afternoon Good idea to break into discussion groups. Some facilitators talked too much. I learned from other group members

We need a link and a download on our own website for our service users and their families. Need to ask our service users how to take this forward Find solution Would be nice to hear more about outcome of youth research.

Awareness of a range of organisations using community network All I see is talk, Where is the action? Everything someone young would want to do to cure loneliness has a price tag and the lonely ones are usually the poorest and some people don’t know if they would like something until they try it. Good venue. Great idea to get people together. Good to learn about what community network is all about Thanks for the support. To reflect. Too much focus on “loneliness” not always the best way to market services. No discussions about costs, sources & funding. It was a very nice to get to put faces to names and also hearing peoples idea of moving forward Very good. Bring together loneliness Really good groups sessions, some very good points/ideas. Great to hear from volunteers Enjoyed. Useful discussions. Good idea to do this. It is always important to define how CN makes money.

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Technology, choice, marketing – tailored. Identifying people in need Explore warm transfers from our own call monitoring service More of the same, but in smaller groups How to make connections with possible service users. Facilitators have to know group. The use of social media, phone calls only, common interest make it easy for everyone Using a support group for military groups/ isolated/lonely. Aside from Sea fares “real party support”. I think in schools they should give all the kids the opportunity to try activities out, they don’t get it especially kids with parents, who have disabilities. Both my parents were blind so after school or any clubs I never had the opportunity to try it out, a chance to do something Create a “data base” of telephone services that charities can add to. The “turn to us” equivalent for telephone befriending services. Improve branding of loneliness to encourage lonely people to reach out. Technology offering for people without access. Set top box? Simple tablet device way. Focus on benefits of being connected. Focus on developing ideas of community. Develop “Ambassadors”. Discuss funding To keep doing what we are doing and also to try to grow to let more people to know about community network. Keep up the link community Online support, but I would say that. (Ross) Think community network produce needs to put access in a different way. Encompass more than just on the phone. More joined up. Thinking in between the different sectors Big connections. John Lewis. Age UK.

Talking Communities Together Community Network

Contact us: Phone:

020 7923 5250

Email:

[email protected]

Write:

Archway Resource Centre 1b Waterlow Road London N19 5NJ

Visit:

www.communitynetworkprojects.org

Follow us: @Com_Net

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