Year of Listening
Find out more about our exciting programme supporting a Year of Listening on behalf of Macmillan
A Year of Listening in Medway & Swale
What is the ‘Year of Listening project’?
A ‘Year of Listening’ is an exciting new 12-month Kent wide community engagement project. Medway Voluntary Action (funded by Macmillan to deliver this piece of work in Medway & Swale) is working in partnership with local Voluntary & Community organisations and groups to engage with local communities and residents to understand the barriers and challenges local people are experiencing in accessing local Cancer treatment and support services.
Who will be the running project?
The project will begin in September 2022 and will be delivered in Medway and Swale by MVA, who will ensure their work connects with the wider Kent programmes. At the end of the project MVA will communicate the outcomes to everyone who was involved.
There will also be an independent Stakeholder Steering Group, made up of Cancer professionals and those who have lived experience of Cancer, who will support the development of the programme and ensure it remains on track and in line with the project goals.
Why is this project being carried out?
Medway and Swale underperform in many Cancer system indicators, and is therefore a priority area to identify the barriers and challenges local people are experiencing in accessing support and treatment. In addition to this it has also been widely recognised that the Covid-19 pandemic has also had an adverse impact on Cancer diagnosis and treatments.
The programme will engage with and support Medway and Swale residents to identify strengths, weaknesses and opportunities within the existing system (in relation to accessing treatment and services), and their views will be shared with key decision-makers who have committed to taking action based on these insights.
Who do we want to hear from?
In this project we want to hear from anyone impacted by Cancer and we particularly want to hear from:
- People aged over 60
- People living with a disability/limited daily activities
- People of the Global Majority (also referred to as BAME communities)
- People from LGBTQIA+ communities
- People who live in neighbourhoods with lower income and where there are fewer resources and opportunities
- To watch a short video about the ‘Year of Listening’ project please follow this link.
How you, as an individual, can get involved in the project
There are a few ways local residents or volunteers can take part in this ‘listening’ project including:
- FREE training to become a Community Health Research Volunteer to undertake 1:1 interviews out in the community.
- Participating in Interactive Community Listening (ICL) Groups
- Joining a Coffee Morning
- Completing Online Surveys
- Joining the project private Whatsapp Group
If you would like to find out more about the programme or get involved please contact a member of our Macmillan project team on 01634 812 850 or contact@mva.org.uk.