Welcome to the Uniting Communities Overcoming Loneliness monthly e-news. We’ll keep you up to date with the latest news about loneliness initiatives, research, innovative case studies and data.
Overcoming Loneliness replaces the former Teams platform and Not Alone newsletters.
If you have a story to share about how your work or organisation is overcoming loneliness, please contact us at advocacy@unitingcommunities.org
South Australia
The Young Adults Chill Group
An astonishing 97 per cent of individuals aged 25 to 29 report feeling lonely, while 91 per cent of those between 18 and 24 share this experience.
In response to this growing concern the "Young Adults Chill Group" has been created by the Reynella Neighbourhood centre in partnership with Uniting Communities, through its Community Connections Program.
This vibrant community, designed for individuals aged 18 to 30, aims to create community and foster connections with opportunities to connect on a weekly basis.
Australia
Social60 – a Wayside Chapel campaign
Recognising the detrimental impact that loneliness has on mental and physical wellbeing, Wayside Chapel started the Social60 initiative.
Social60 aims to empower Australians by encouraging them to prioritise a minimum of 60 minutes of face-to-face social interaction each day, fostering genuine human connections in an increasingly digital world.
They have partnered with TikTok, to reach Australians of all ages and backgrounds through creator-led content, providing them with practical tools to enrich their daily social interactions.
Walk for Good
Friends for Good believe in empowering the community to combat loneliness.
They recently launched their Walk for Good national program - an initiative targeting loneliness at a local level by fortifying community connections through organised local walks.
They are currently seeking committed and passionate individuals to participate by volunteering as Walk for Good Community Ambassadors to lead these walks in local communities.
ACT parliamentary inquiry into loneliness and social isolation
The parliamentary Standing Committee on Education and Community Inclusion in the ACT are inquiring into loneliness and social isolation including its prevalence in the community.
They have sought submissions on “opportunities for the ACT Government to support organisations and individuals to address loneliness and social isolation and improve social connectedness in the ACT community.”
Ending Loneliness Together completed a submission.
New research project focused on helping young people overcome loneliness
A new project called, A-Part of the Crowd, aims to form a national picture on how younger Australians experience loneliness during life transitions and build a model of care to support them.
The project will invite crowds of young people from diverse backgrounds to share their personal experiences of loneliness during life transitions, and then create an online community space for young people and the public to access.
This research will be led by the ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation supported by funding by Medibank Better Health Foundation.
Queensland investment in tackling loneliness
The Queensland Government is investing $200,000 behind initiatives that tackle social isolation and loneliness among culturally and linguistically diverse Queenslanders.
Up to $50,000 is available for eligible organisations with innovative, community-led ideas for events, courses and professional development opportunities that improve loneliness, job readiness and community connection.
Headspace urges young women to create connections, as survey reveals many feel lonely
On International Women’s Day last month National Youth Mental Health Foundation, headspace, is encouraging young women to explore opportunities for social connection in their community, as research finds they are more likely than their male peers to experience loneliness.
International
Global Loneliness Awareness Summit (US)
The Coalition to End Social Isolation and Loneliness and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine are hosting the third annual Global Loneliness Awareness Summit in Washington, D.C. on June 11th.
The event will take place during Global Loneliness Awareness week.
Loneliness and the built environment – a short film (UK)
Loneliness and the Built Environment is a new 5-minute film calling to attention the under-recognised public health crisis of social isolation, and the urgent need to shape cities, places and spaces to support connectedness.
Capturing glimpses of people in their everyday lives, Loneliness and the Built Environment brings home the reality of the quietly devastating crisis and shines a light on the need to rethink cities and the design of places to help tackle this widespread challenge.
Watch now!
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