| Criteria:
Involving the wider community
|
|
|
| Evidence
/ Entries |
Contact |
Added / Updated by |
Date |
| Community based research project - Drugs and Alcohol |
Jonathan Whitehouse - GMST Project coordinator - 020 8509 3440 - Email: jonathan.whitehouse@positiveeast.org.uk |
Jonathan Whitehouse |
07 August 2006 |
The Gay Men’s Team of Positive East were commissioned by the Department of Health, the University of Central Lancashire and Waltham Forest and Redbridge Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) to research the use of drugs and alcohol amongst the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, primarily within the boroughs of Waltham Forest and Redbridge.
The project purpose was to:
1. To undertake a scoping exercise initially by use of a 5 minute questionnaire, to identify and highlight the extent of drug and alcohol consumption within the local LGBT communities within Waltham Forest and Redbridge boroughs.
2. Report on the perceived performance of drug and alcohol support services provided within the boroughs of Waltham Forest and Redbridge. With project feedback as to the applicability of services in relation to the needs and requirements of the local LGBT communities and how services responded to these needs, by data derived via informal face-to-face interviews.
The research and project activities involving identification of a project plan, its aims, the development of the questionnaire and actual research/interviewing of the local community has all been undertaken with the active involvement of members of the local community.
This has been achieved through the community members undertaking training workshops; taking part in the project Steering Groups; undertaking the interview activities (focus groups, 1-2-1 and interview formats), as well as writing up the project outputs and identification of recommendations as to service development for the local community.
As part of the community based research programme, the project team were able to submit project reports to the University of Central Lancashire as part of a personal development plan and enabling them to gain accreditations for future development.
|
| Establishing a telephone Helpline for local community, operated by the local community for the local community. |
Jonathan Whitehouse - GMST Project coordinator - 020 8509 3440 - Email: jonathan.whitehouse@positiveeast.org.uk |
Jonathan Whitehouse |
07 August 2006 |
As part of providing support for the local community of east London, a new support helpline was established Signpost East London to provide basic information about HIV and Sexually transmitted infections (STI’s) and sexual health to men who have sex with men living in East London. It also provides information about hate crime, wellbeing and how to access the scene and local services in East London.
Operating every Tuesday and Thursday, from 6:30pm-8:30pm, the telephone helpline is manned by using local volunteers who have been trained and supported to provide a referal service on to local (east London), pan-London and national support agencies. It also as part of its Community Safety remit, undertakes Third Party Hate Crime reporting for issues such as homophobic crimes.
The demands and responsibilities placed on all the volunteers, in being able and prepared to respond a call, which may be anything from a general enquiry on local bars and clubs, through to issues on sexual health concerns and logging reports of hate crime as a Third Party reporting organisation; has meant a requirement for them all to develop not only a greater awareness and understanding as to the issues a caller may be going through when he makes that call, but to ensure they provide a high standard of professionalism at all times.
The team since Signpost’s launch have demonstrated not only a willingness and enthusiasm in suggesting service improvement, but also a commitment to promoting the service and ensuring is continued development. This has ranged from undertaking promotional activities by going out to venues and distributing advertising materials, to getting involved in team meetings to suggest best practises. By providing a voluntary commitment on top of their existing activities, and an ongoing enthusiasm and belief in the need for the service to succeed, has also meant they were Positive East's Volunteer of the Year for 2005.
|
| Rani Kaur Volunteers and Professionals of the Year |
David Mc Master |
Mark Santos |
15 May 2006 |
At the charity's AGM we award three health/social care Professionals and three Volunteers an award recognising their outstanding achivement in contributing to the Positive East Mission.
These awards were establsihed to mark the fact that the Charity successes are achieved in partnership with professionals and people from the wider community.
|
| Increasing Role of People Living with HIV within the Charity |
David Mc Master |
Mark Santos |
15 May 2006 |
The charity has increasing numbers of volunteers, staff and trustees who are opn about their HIV staus within the charity e.g. 60% (6/10) of the current Board are people who are living with HIV.
As such people living with HIV are increasingly involved in the decision makling positions within the charity |
| St. John's Church Banner Project |
David McMaster |
David McMaster |
05 June 2006 |
St John’s Church at Bethnal Green invited Positive East to design one of three banners which would cover the west front of the church while renovation works were underway. This came about following a successful application for grant funding from Awards for All and the Neighbourhood Renewal Community Chest Fund.
Service users and staff met to design the banner and the result can now been seen at the church covering the scaffolding and is a good example of involving the wider community.
With the Positive East logo, our banner details 33 hearts denoting the number of ethic communities within a map of Tower Hamlets, celebrating male-female, male-male and female-female unions.
|
