Community Voices Group (CVG) is for Brighton and Hove residents who identify as Black, brown, Asian or from another language, ethnic or migrant community.
Members of the group talk to people in their community about what’s important to them and bring this information to meetings. The group discuss issues that matter to them and then talk directly to representatives from Brighton and Hove City Council and NHS Sussex about how they can be solved.
SIS is one of the partner organisations that convenes the group, along with Bridging Change and The Hangleton and Knoll Project.
A recent topic that the CVG members chose to discuss was Older People’s Health and Wellbeing. A SIS Community Researcher spoke to some SIS linguists in order to gain a wider range of voices to bring to the CVG meeting. SIS linguists shared their own personal experiences as well as those from other community members, and their insight through interpreting sessions. The SIS Researcher then attended an in-person CVG meeting to feed this into the wider discussions, and a subsequent online meeting where there were presentations from Ageing Well and Let’s Get Moving.
You can read the recommendations from insight gathered by SIS below and the report here.
“The main barriers to getting appointments, services, and treatment are the waiting lists, and the language barrier.
Services for the older should be more advertised and have more information translated, and in printed format.”
Recommendations
- Information in accessible formats – translated into other languages, printed leaflets, available in places they go to e.g. GP, places of worship, library.
- Information about free or low cost activities – can improve physical and mental health / isolation.
- Support to navigate digital tools – key to accessing services and appointments.
- Improve access to groups and events to non-English speakers.
If you would like to join the Community Voices group or be kept updated with upcoming topics and meeting dates, please contact SIS Projects Coordinator laura@sussexinterpreting.org.uk
