It offers a forum to actually
share information
with each other,
to learn ideas from different organisations,
to see how best we can work together
and to promote what we are offering
and therefore create a shared understanding.
SWIM was set up with the clear intentions
of working with older black men
who are experiencing substance misuse, mental health issues
and are quite often overlooked in the existing system
and have basically poorer outcomes.
And I want to be able to play a part in ensuring
that the messages and the concerns
of the African Caribbean community
is heard at the highest levels.
Most of our beneficiaries are people with learning disabilities
on the autistic spectrum
that often are not listened to.
The voluntary sector will know
quite a lot about each individual they work with
so we've got to carry that voice to the assembly.
And I'm hoping that will lead us
into proper holistic support for people who actually need it.
We're only as strong as the partners that we're working with
I can't connect with all of the different organisations
without there being a forum where we can come together.
I think also particularly at the moment
we've all been through trauma really
one way or another in the last year
and there's something about all the different organisations
and myself included,
there's stuff that we have witnessed which we need to share.
We recognised the importance of
promoting wellbeing
particularly since the pandemic
because people's emotional state if you like
has been affected.
And as a wellbeing coach
I know only too well
that mental health in this particular instance
it really is the fuel that actually drives how you operate.
We are all human and we need contact with other humans
and a lot of the people I work with
tend to only see others
by accessing voluntary community groups such as ours.
So suddenly a lot of that if not all of it stopped for them.
There is a lowness in mood,
a sort of insecurity as well
and a little bit of fear I think.
We know that there's been a higher level of people
who have experienced unemployment
or have been furloughed
or have underlying health conditions or comorbidities.
People's spiritual beliefs have been interfered with
in terms of feeling as though they've been forced
to have to take this vaccine against what might be some of their principles.
And all of these things have made people much more anxious.
The more groups that attend this
the more we can gain knowledge of what we all do
and it certainly helps people to signpost in other organizations
within Hackney or indeed further afield.
Having been proactive about getting involved in the assembly
automatically has led to us having conversations
around how services are designed.
And the more we do that the more strength we have in togetherness
which means ultimately we have more influence in decision making.
And I think this is a real opportunity now
to get involved and to be heard
and then to have that taken forward.
Cause power is nothing unless it turns into action.