Local young adults share their insights and priorities for the future of health in our community

On Monday 14th November local young adults aged 17-26 presented their concerns and hopes for health in our community to more than 85 people who attended The Future of Community Health event in The Octagon at Queen Mary University of London.

The event, organised by Social Action for Health and Queen Mary University of London, was an opportunity and platform for young people to share their insights, concerns and priorities about community health and discuss these with the wider community and academics.

Presentations were first heard from a group of young adults who recently took part in a summer work experience placement with Social Action for Health. The group showcased their findings from creative workshops which explored issues of trust with Bangladeshi and Somali community members. Using creative techniques, developed with the help of artists and academics from the University of Arts London, the young people asked community members who and how they trust, what does trust look like, and explored what ‘ingredients’ are needed to make someone or something trustworthy.  

Later in the event, the group also discussed their ‘priority areas’ for public health issues alongside exhibition style posters they had created.

Standing by a poster labelled “Drug use and criminalisation,” Shuyeb Mohammed, 18, of Bow, outlined what health priority concerned him the most. He said: “I saw a lack of investment in public health. I wanted to help homeless people.” Pointing at a picture of Bethnal Green Park, he stated: "It is not an appealing place to go. People are drinking alcohol and make the area feel unsafe.” After participating in the work experience placement and hearing from members of the Somali and Bangladeshi communities, he said he felt a broader understanding of the issues and empowered to address them.

Following conversations with the young people about their outlined health priorities, audience members were asked to vote on which priority areas they felt needed immediate attention. When the votes were counted, ‘building trust in our communities’ led with 34 votes, followed by ‘youth mental health’ which received 27 votes.  

Students from Beal High School sixth form also shared their work on health inequalities and representation in medical, and particularly genetic, research.

“It has been an amazing experience. Our issues and worries are being listened to and we are being heard,” said Zahrah Awan, 17, of Beal High School, who plans to study biochemistry and be a Physician’s Associate.

Beal High School’s Director of Sixth Form Jag Singh said: “It has been an honour and a privilege working with the Social Action for Health team. It has been a great learning curve for our students to interact with industry experts. They have grown in confidence and have developed key skills along the way.  Furthermore, many of them now want to pursue STEM-based degrees. The experience has inspired their next steps.” 

We first contacted Beal High School as part of our outreach work for the Genes & Health research study, one of the world’s largest community-based genetics studies aiming to improve health among people of Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage. Teachers at Beal High School, in particular Vice Principal Ed MacLeod, welcomed Social Action for Health into the school to hold Genes & Health recruitment stalls and share lesson plans about health inequalities. Encouraged by student and staff enthusiasm, we returned to Beal with an opportunity for students to take part in ‘Project Cardinal’, where students developed projects on health inequalities and representation in genetic research with support from teams at the Wellcome Sanger Institute.

Students Samarah Ali, Jean Bhudia, and Atcheya Thiyagarajah used PowerPoint to design a 7-minute video featuring an avatar of a South Asian woman wearing a sari to encourage ethnic minoritised communities to engage in conversations about genetic research.

Aiza Rahman, 17, delivered a powerful speech to the room and asked “We must question why? Why are certain sections of society so reluctant towards scientific research? Imagine the wonders that this type of research could offer our communities, gaining responses for unresolved questions such as what are the chances that your child will develop the same disorder? You could help an inconceivable amount of people by participating in the future – helping the guiltless youth and the retiring generation.”

Ceri Durham, CEO at Social Action for Health, said: “As a community-based health charity working with people most affected by health inequalities, it’s vital for us to hear directly from our beneficiaries and listen to their priorities. When we noticed that young people were missing from these conversations, we wanted to do something about it. So, we asked local young people what their priorities were and what we could do to address them. Opportunities to gain skills and gain work experience were two themes which repeatedly emerged. We were delighted to offer genuine opportunities to young people, see their skills and confidence develop, and in turn be able to learn so much from their insights. This event is a product of all their hard work and enthusiasm.”

Having partnered for more than 25 years with Social Action for Health, the event demonstrated Queen Mary University of London’s, and specifically their Centre for Public Engagement’s, support for community collaborations and the need to establish an intergenerational and intercultural community dialogue.

The CPE’s Community Engagement Manager Sarah Gifford said: “We are constantly trying to break the mould, push boundaries and create a mutually beneficial environment where the University’s ground-breaking research, inspiring interdisciplinary teaching, and work can be shaped, shared, and co-created with our local communities as partners.”

As the event drew to an end, there was a sense of excitement and motivation in the room with members from local community organisations and NHS staff sharing how impressed and energised they were by the young people and their work.

Bernie Harris, from The East London Citizens Organisation, said “I will be leaving here today knowing that the future of community health is in good hands.”

Closing her speech to the audience, Aiza Rahman said: “A society of sheep begets a government of wolves. Now what I mean by this is… we must break all barriers and shatter all norms for an already under-represented minority.

“Sigmund Freud once said: We are slaves of our past. We should not let history manipulate the way we act. Be the voice we need and just imagine what we could achieve together.”

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make the event a success, especially to Disha, Ed, the brilliant students from Beal High School sixth form, and the fantastic young people from our work experience placements.