What if everyone had what they needed to thrive? Latest news and updates!

Back in December, 70 people from across the Black Country & West Birmingham joined the first ‘What if everyone had what they needed to thrive’ workshop.

The ‘listening event’ explored the inequalities we face, what a world without inequality would look like and how collectively, we might begin to tackle inequalities across the Black Country and West Birmingham.

The average healthy life expectancy in the Black Country and West Birmingham is 56 years of age – that’s the number of years someone will live in good health. And whilst the average life expectancy in the area (80 years of age) has plateaued, the length of time someone will live in ill health is growing.

This MUST change. So the Black Country and West Birmingham Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) wanted to start a conversation about what matters most to our citizens and neighbours that transforms the way we connect with each other and the systems around us.

The 2 hour workshop was honest, open, expansive and non-judgmental. Our guest speakers, Dominique and Vanessa, set the tone by generously sharing their stories of unfair treatment due to their race and mental health diagnosis.

A full round up of December’s workshop, which includes all of the wonderful imagery and artwork we co-produced and a link to the full analysis of the feedback gathered, is available here.

At the next event, we’ll continue to explore experiences of ‘barriers’ to being and staying healthy and the problems of inequality. Using the 6 priorities we co-designed back in December, you’ll have the opportunity to further develop the story, continue to build upon the findings from December and put forward ideas for taking action.

The date for the 2nd workshop in the ‘What if everyone had what they needed to thrive?’ series is 24th February, 2021 10:30am-12:30pm. Use the following link to register your attendance https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/what-ifeveryone-had-what-they-needed-to-thrive-tickets-138423290789

If you were unable to attend the workshop in December, don’t panic. It’s never too late to start sharing your story. And spread the word. Share the workshop details with anyone you think might have a story to share or is passionate about creating healthier, happier communities.

Would you like to get more involved in helping to deliver the workshops? It takes an enormous team effort to co-design and deliver the workshops so let us know if you have any special gifts, talents or connections that could be of help. Or perhaps you’d like to roll your sleeves up and become a facilitator, speaker/host, event artist or Mental Health First Aider? Then let us know.

If you want to be added to our mailing list or if you have any questions about the ‘What if’ series then call us on 0121 612 1147 or email us at bcwb.engagement@nhs.net