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Remaining aware of loneliness
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Loneliness Awareness Week was a week filled with engaging events and useful strategies aimed at raising awareness of loneliness. The theme this year was “Random acts of connection”, and although the event is finished, we encourage everyone to continue using any techniques they learned, cultivate any new connections they’ve made, and to keep engaged in any new experiences they’ve enjoyed.
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The fight to end loneliness continues, and as always, we’ve outlined some of the major conversations and evidence around loneliness which can help us understand and accept that loneliness might be inevitable, but there are ways we can comfortably live alongside it.
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What we are thinking about
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We at the campaign will be pressing the new UK government to enact the aims of our call to action to tackle loneliness. We’re calling for action by the new Government for a refreshed national strategy on loneliness and a focus on rebuilding community infrastructure and providing services that work. The full call to action can be read below.
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Dr Fred Cooper and colleagues provide a WHO Europe BCI report which acts as something of a primer for those new to the field of loneliness. The report details four case study chapters which pools the expertise of 17 historians to provide useful insight into what loneliness is and where it comes from, followed by implications for the findings reported within.
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During Loneliness Awareness Week, the Society for Companion Animal Studies released this useful article which details how animals can also be instrumental in the alleviation and management of feelings of loneliness. Much of this information remains relevant the year round, so take a look if you’ve not seen this yet, and to find other useful information on their website.
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The NSPCC has a new support service for young people: Building Connections. The free service works with young people up to the age of 19 to help them manage feelings of loneliness, build their confidence, and helps to form connections with other young people their age. Find more information on the service below.
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Loneliness Around the Globe
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The Annecy Behavioural Science Lab is aiming to develop a Global Index of Social Connection. The primary focus has been in underrepresented regions of the world such as India, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Morocco, and the Philippines, but is now seeking collaborators from other countries. Further details can be found in their call for collaborators above.
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The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation recently published a paper (above) that includes a summary of a January 2021 meeting on supporting fathers through connection and co-regulation. The report details “actionable opportunities to strengthen father engagement across the human services sector”. These can help to improve the development and maintenance meaningful connections for fathers and families. A summary of the findings can be found in the link below.
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On our reading list
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In addition to the WHO Europe report, Dr Fred Cooper has also recently published an interesting article with more history about loneliness, and how it has often been associated with feelings of shame. The article gives a useful background to narratives which have stigmatised feelings of loneliness, and how this stigmatisation received more attention, and yet remained present.
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We’ve already posted this article on social media earlier this month, but think it deserves a look for those that missed it. The article makes a useful point in reminding us that whilst loneliness might be an inevitable part of everyday life, there are ways we can alleviate these feelings and also highlights the importance of making connections where we can.
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Dates for your diary
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25th July 2024 – 14:00-15:30 BST – Online
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The Good Practice Mentor Team are hosting an event which provides tips and techniques to reduce isolation and loneliness.
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“Time to Shine in Leeds, and the 13 other Ageing Better partners across England set out to use a range of techniques to reduce social isolation and loneliness in people 50+. Along the way we found out more about how social isolation and chronic loneliness can affect people, and some techniques that worked to reduce loneliness.”
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More details can be found in the link above.
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18th September 2024 – Online
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The University of York will be hosting this conference online, aimed at tackling parental loneliness in the first 1001 days.
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“Are you interested in reducing parental loneliness experienced in the first 1001 days of a child’s life? This online conference brings together academics and people working in services that support parents to share research findings, build collaborations, and discuss priorities for future research.”
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More details can be found in the link above, with more information to come.
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