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The Campaign continues on
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We at the Campaign hope you’ve all had a relaxing and restful summer. We’ve both enjoyed a break ourselves but have also been working to ensure the Campaign continues to grow. Now that the summer is over, we’re entering a time of the year which involves a lot of transition to different stages of life for many of us. This might be moving to a new job role, moving from school to college, or from college to university, and this can also involve an added element of moving to a new workplace or city. These changes in life can often be a trigger for loneliness, and it’s important to remember that these feelings are entirely normal.
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In this issue of the newsletter, we’ve included a story of a young person who has experienced moving to a new place and the feelings of loneliness and disconnection which accompanied this move. They explain how small acts of connecting with others help to live alongside these feelings of loneliness.
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In the sections below, as usual, we’ve also highlighted some relevant news in the field of loneliness in the past month, and also included some exciting news about the state of the Campaign.
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The mixture of different topics below serves as a reminder that loneliness is present in all different areas of life, but the continued work of communities, charities, and researchers shows that the fight to end loneliness gains strength with every effort from these groups.
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What we are thinking about
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This month, as we return from a summer break, some of us might be about to embark on the next stage of our lives.
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We’ve included the story of Natalie, someone who spoke to The Great Friendship Project as part of their #1MillionCampaign. Natalie’s story gives great insight into how loneliness can affect us, even when seemingly surrounded by others we can connect with. Natalie talks about her strategies for dealing with these feelings, and how she lives alongside them.
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Stories such as Natalie’s are a useful reminder that we’re not alone in experiencing feelings of loneliness, and how important it is to remain hopeful and open to forming new connections.
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Click below to read Natalie’s story.
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Campaign Advisory Group
We’ve now contacted the prospective members of our Advisory Group and will be holding the first meeting later this month. Whilst, for the time being, we’re only seeking members which are based in the UK, we hope to expand this group to international members too. Please let us know if you are based elsewhere than the UK and would be like to be contacted about joining the group in the future.
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In the meantime, stay tuned on our website and socials and we’ll share details with you about our Advisory Group soon.
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Neighbourly Lab and The Centre for Loneliness Studies at Sheffield Hallam University which now hosts the Campaign to End Loneliness have secured funding from the Department for Culture, Media & Sport to run and continue to develop the Tackling Loneliness Hub.
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Click below for a joint statement from CTEL, Tackling Loneliness Hub, and DCMS, and be sure to apply if you’re a professional working in the field of loneliness.
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The Film and TV Charity's 2022 Mind-Craft Report outlined evidence to suggest that loneliness is the biggest influence on poor mental health for people working behind-the-scenes in the sector.
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In response, and as part of the Charity's ongoing work to address the industry's mental health crisis, they are conducting further research to understand why experiences of loneliness are so pervasive and what the possible remedies might be.
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As part of this research, the Centre for Loneliness Studies at Sheffield Hallam University was commissioned to carry out an academic literature review on loneliness. Their report looks at potential work-related causes and best practice interventions most relevant to film and TV, which is a sector characterised by precarious employment and reliance on a freelance workforce.
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You can find the report below.
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Vintage Vibes is a project based in Edinburgh which seeks to help alleviate feelings of isolation and loneliness in over 60s. The group recently won an award for their work, and released an impact report about their project which you can read here.
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The work the group does helps to highlight the impact of similar projects, and the report linked above highlights the different approaches and activities which can be used to help with feelings of loneliness.
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The group will also be visited by the Scottish Minister for Equalities on October 1st, and that week will also be their 9th birthday, so be sure to find them on Instagram at vintagevibesed for updates.
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You can read more about the group on their website below.
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Loneliness Around the Globe
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The WHO Commission on Social Connection is working to establish the Grand Challenges in Social Connection.
The importance of forming social connections is well established, but it’s vitally important to make sure we know how these challenges change over time, and what can be done about them.
The Commission is running a survey-based exercise for those working in the field of social connection, such as policy makers, researchers and industry professionals to provide their feedback in the first stage of this process. Submissions for the first stage have been extended and are due to close on 20th September and will only take 5-10 minutes to complete.
If you’re working in the field of social connection, follow the link below to the first part of the survey.
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The Genwell Project based in Canada aims to help with feelings of disconnection, isolation, and loneliness through promoting and facilitating face-to-face meet ups with others.
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Their website is great for those living in Canada to help improve their social connections, but also offers ideas and resources for others interested in improving connections, and working to help improve those for others to use.
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On our reading list
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This paper looks into the effectiveness of social isolation and loneliness interventions in studies involving randomised controlled trials (RCTs) by reviewing a number of systematic literature reviews which have addressed the topic.
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The authors conclude that these interventions are moderately effective in reducing social isolation and loneliness, and suggests that more RCTs are needed to guide the implementation and scalability of these interventions.
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We found this article from last year in The Conversation, which gives an interesting overview of the different ways loneliness can alter the way our brains process information.
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As usual, the article is written in an accessible format, but has plenty of links to interesting studies using a variety of methods.
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This remarkably useful tool is great for anyone researching in the field of loneliness and isolation. The tool shows interventions and outcome measures of different studies, all easily accessible in one table.
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The tool’s database is so vast it is difficult to sum it up whilst doing it justice, but interventions such as group activities, and healthcare support are all reviewed on outcomes such as measured loneliness, as well as other mental health outcomes such as depression and anxiety.
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Dates for your diary
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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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You can apply for tickets at the bottom of the page in the link above.
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2nd October 2024 – 14:00-17:00 – Online
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UCL are hosting their annual Loneliness and Social Isolation in Mental Health Research Network (LSIMHRN) research webinar which will be hosted online.
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“A range of researchers and experts by experience will present the most current research on loneliness, social isolation, connectedness and mental health. Some of the topics presented include loneliness among people with serious mental illness, perinatal loneliness, impact of loneliness on the brain during adolescence, loneliness in adolescents experiencing parental cancer, and loneliness among older adults.”
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You can register at the link above.
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