SO:Links
To book onto your next local SO:Link click here. Dates will be added as they are arranged.
Communities working together. Keep up to date, have a say and get involved in your local area!
SO:Links bring local residents, volunteers, community activists, community groups, faith based organisations, local health and council representatives, community navigators and social prescribers and a host of other people together. They are a space to
- Find and highlight the great things happening locally
- Share resources and information, both local and city wide opportunities
- Help local community people have a say in what they want to see in their area
- Discuss and challenges or gaps
- Work together on new projects and initiatives, with support from others in the community and from SO:Linked community development workers
We hope in each area these groups will:
- Provide a space for local voluntary, health (PCNs, localities, health teams) and social to work together with local residents
- Consult and share with the community so that local residents set the priorities for the area
- Work together on initiatives growing out of that community consultation
- Provide a communication channel for updates on local and city wide initiatives, on the ‘asks’ that people in each area are approaching SO:Linked community navigators for, keep local people up to date on the new activities and opportunities happening in their local area. So that together we can shout about the great things happening in each area, respond to local need, and bring people together to help communities develop in the priorities they’ve identified.
- Share info and raise awareness about local services, activities and any challenges, and increase understanding of each other’s services.
- Produce a clear paragraph update from each area so that people who couldn’t ‘be’ there could sign up still to be kept in touch with developments in ‘their’ area
Some of the people who will hopefully be coming along:
- Local residents
- Local volunteers
- Representatives from local community groups or charities
- Representatives from city wide charities or services
- Community navigators
- Housing association representatives
- Community centre representatives
- People from health teams, primary care networks, community independence service
- Councillors
Take a look below for the latest plans in each area and sign up to get involved or receive updates!
Come along to SO14:Link
The first meeting of people who live, work or volunteer in the SO14 area on zoom had a great energy as we got to know each other. People recognized people they had spoken to on the phone but never seen face to face. We shared what was happening in the area, and especially what was available over the festive period. The group talked about some city wide initiatives – bringing people together to support bereavement support, and green spaces. We started to think about gaps or things the community would like to see locally. Some local residents wanted to organize a litter pick, some public safety funding was talked about, and the group discussed the need for more local community spaces that could be used by local groups.
SO14:Link 2.2.21
It was great to see some new faces, the new social prescriber link workers with St Mary’s surgery, Loysen who is working with Solent Mind, and others.
We talked about projects under 3 themes that had come up in the last meeting: 1) Food provision 2) Physical and mental health and 3) Community buildings and spaces
Some good links were made with people wanting to get involved with Loysen’s work supporting mental health with people from BAME communities and men. (see below how to get involved) and people linking up with Saints Foundation to let them know about the SO14 area (see below). Local Social prescribers and community navigators were able to share information about services they signpost people to. Organisations like Homegroup and Communicare were able to share updates and their offers and local resident rep Lynda was able to highlight residents’ views.
Things the group is taking forward before the next meeting are in italics below
We’d love to see you at the next meet up, please sign up on eventbrite:
Food Provision
Several food projects locally – Marketplace launching in April, St Mary’s Church, Social Action Group food club at Board in the city, GEMS, SCM basics bank Love Southampton at St Mary’s Church, Poitiers Care who deliver to SO14 area on a friday.
Physical and Mental Health
Hearing community views – We’d love to have conversations with local people and local organisations about the SO14 area. Rather than a survey, we’d love to just have a conversation with you and hear your thoughts about SO14.This information would form the basis of an application that organisations in the city are pulling together to bring funding to the local area. If you’re happy to have a chat, then please get in touch with Lucy Horne at Saints Foundation (lhorne@saintsfoundation.co.uk) – we’d love to hear from you! Equally, if you’re an organisation who has carried any community consultations in the past and are happy to share your findings, please do get in touch too!
Southampton mental health network’s survey on a mental health friendly city is still open
Communicare can support people who live alone with a reassuring follow up call follwing their vaccination, refer through communicare
Homegroup have a weekly telephone group quiz
Loysen’s work around mental health with people from BAME communities and men Engaging with mental health support – Supporting Loysen’s work in encouraging more people from the BAME community to engage with mental health support and Loysen’s work with encouraging men to engage with mental health support. Anyone interested can contact Loysen directly – “Loysen O’Reilly” <LOReilly@solentmind.org.uk>
Community Buildings and Spaces
Community centres and spaces – We’ll continue to map these and make contacts with those people who hold community centres, outdoor spaces or community rooms in the local area, to work together to help the community access these spaces as things open up.
Other
SO:Linked community directory has been updated to be more searchable – you can filter by category and postcode, but also search by search terms such as food, or organisations name, such as communicare.
Support for local young people – the group were Interested in the support for young people especially 11-15 year olds currently in SO14 area. We’re going to invite along the youth organisations to tell us more about this next time.
New group at St Mary’s for people to sign up to – Re-Work is free employment support provided for those who are currently unemployed due to Covid-19. It comprises of six interactive online sessions focusing on mindsets, the current job market and interview technique (including online interview technique). We use a coaching method that means that throughout the course participants are putting what they learn into practice immediately and with regular feedback they can work on week in and week out. Re-Work has been developed by employment experts Resurgo, who have worked in employment coaching and training over the past 16 years. Our pilot ran before Christmas and a personal highlight was how encouraging and empowering the participants were of one another. This is one of the reasons why their confidence and resilience grew over the course because despite not being in the same industry they could benefit and learn from each other and cheer one another on. The course is free and on Zoom once a week (Thursday 1-3pm) for six weeks. If there is anyone you think might be interested they can self-refer here but if you want to find out more just drop me an email or a call on 07768 137 300
Right in the heart of the city, want to get together and build on what is great about SO14 and be kept up to date with local news and happenings?
Let us know by clicking here
Date coming soon!
Have an interest, part of a group, or live in SO15 area? Be the first to know about the SO:Links in your area by clicking here
Next meeting – Thurs 28 Jan 10.30am
Register for the next SO16:Link here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/so15-so16link-tickets-133346289341
See the notes from the last online gathering (18.12.20).
Want to work with other local residents and groups in your community to build on what is great about your areas? Get involved by clicking here
Find out more and register here
Meetings are in partnership with and facilitated by October Books and Southampton Collective. You can see what we got up to at the last one – The Mush Room October
Click here to join the mailing list for this area if you can’t attend the event
Next online gathering –
We primarily cover Bitterne Park, Thornhill, Harefield and Townhill. The theme for the next meeting will be to ask the question “How can we, as local communities, stay well in every way this winter”. It’ll be a chance to share what resources we all know about in our local neighbourhoods and talk about how we can fill in any missing gaps. This conversation will be all the richer if you are there. Click here to join the mailing list for this area if you can’t attend the event
Find out more and register here
Next ‘gathering’ is on Wed 10 Feb at 10am you can book your free place here and you will automatically be sent the zoom link on the morning of the event. Join us as we carry on the conversation. looking forward to seeing you there!
Click here to join the mailing list for this area if you can’t attend the event
