My work here in the UK seeks to increase opportunities for psychosocial wellness among communities affected by systemic inequality through social innovation models and advocacy.
With the support of the Churchill Fellowship, I spent the spring of 2023 immersed in learning from expert leaders, facilitators and beneficiaries of pioneering psychosocial support models in Colombia and the US.
The findings laid out here capture the principal insights that I brought home with me and describe the encounters that move me to reimagine my social impact work here in the UK.
In Colombia, I connected with Fundación Dunna (Dunna), a Bogotá-based nonprofit that blends somatic and restorative practices to build capacity for resilience among displaced communities and survivors of violence. The unique combination of movement, play, sharing and co-regulation that Dunna facilitates empowers participants to reconnect to their body as a safe space and find freedom in giving voice to their stories of trauma. After learning to inhabit their bodies with agency and express their identity without judgement, the participants I was privileged to meet described transformed relationships with themselves, their families, and the communities of which they are a part.
In the USA, I spent time at the Southcentral Foundation (SCF) a healthcare provider for the Alaska Native population of Anchorage and beyond. SCF delivers comprehensive, culturally rooted, trauma informed services that consider the social determinants of health throughout their primary care offering. Their ‘NUKA’ model incorporates cultural continuity, deep community consultation and generational healing through story sharing, restorative practices and inclusive representation. Holding their relationship to the community as central to their operation has transformatively and cost-efficiently improved the overall wellness of the Alaska Native population.
The impact made on the communities that access support from both Dunna and SCF demonstrates that the restorative power of person centred services can transform people, families and systems when grounded in social justice and collective care. It is clear that in pursuing psychosocial wellness for those most acutely affected by social injustice, we can foster a ripple of positive impact on the overall health of the wider community.
As a UK based changemaker, I am seeking systemic change and prevention that bears a marked public return on investment, fiscally and socially, I am compelled to design a model of care that recognise the sociopolitical roots of pain, just as they do at Fundacion Dunna and Southcentral Foundation. The examples they set could help us to address the complex, expensive systemic challenges faced by health and social support stakeholders here in the UK.
The context within which I work toward my ambitious goal to improve psychosocial wellness among the UK communities most affected by inequality is a challenging and uncompromising one, politically and economically. My vision for for the UK draws upon the successes of my allies in the US and Colombia while also considering the many economic and social changes that have taken place in the UK since I established my social enterprise in 2016.
There is an indisputable correlation between equality and health. Increasing multi-dimensional wellness among communities most acutely affected by inequality serves as a preventative measure. Not only does investing in social innovation models for mental health represent money saved for the health and social care services but also signifies significant public value for the social fabric.
Encouraging collaboration is crucial. Funders play a vital role in supporting community-driven models for psychosocial health impact. Policymakers are instrumental in breaking down barriers that impede prevention efforts by social change-makers. To address inequality and trauma comprehensively, we need to integrate clinical treatment with advocacy that targets social determinants of health across all levels.
Having taken some time to reflect on the impact my organisation has made and to acknowledge the new context in which it is required to survive, I am ready to harness my fellowship learnings and reimagine a new programme of sustainable therapeutic support that flexes with and for the community.
I hope the connections forged as a result of sharing my learnings here will form the beginnings of a web of support that will drive the success of a new social innovation model that weaves embodiment, human connection and advocacy for communities affected by social injustice around the UK.
I trust that my findings will motivate funders, policy makers and potential partner organisations to engage with my deep learning in this area - please reach out to me to discuss how we can work together to transform psychosocial health for our community.