For the last few months as part of the Black Lives Matter movement we have been having a lot of conversations, discussions and meetings about what this means to us as individuals and practitioners. Nicole Connor, Touchstone staff: “A few years ago I started my own journey of understanding and reflection on racism and white privilege. In the last few months amidst the murder of George Floyd and the resurgence
The West Yorkshire Finding Independence (WY-FI) Education, Training and Employment (ETE) Team are pursuing a new partnership in collaboration with West Yorkshire Liaison and Diversion Service. The pilot will give the ETE team, which will continue to be delivered by Touchstone, the opportunity to continue supporting people with multiple needs, as part of the West Yorkshire Liaison and Diversion (L&D) service. This service provides support for people in contact with
Webinar with Dr Emily Zobel Marshall on Wednesday 21st October 11am to 12.30 pm. Black History Month was started to showcase the amazing contributions of Black people and communities from across the world. In Britain, our culture has been enriched and our society has been made stronger because of the people who travelled here to build new lives in the UK, as well as the achievements and contributions of their
Mentally Healthy Leeds achieves recognition in a report published by the Centre for Mental Health which examines the initiatives of nine local authorities that are rising to the challenges presented by mental health in their communities. Read the full report Our place: local authorities and the public’s mental health here.
Touchstone is aware of the current conversations about the use of the term BAME and other terminology that serves to "other" Black communities and people of South East Asian heritage. We are grateful for the invaluable work of Inc Arts and are pleased to share the outcome of their #BAMEOver survey. Touchstone is currently reviewing how our staff describe the communities we serve and this statement will be a useful
In 2019/20 a total of 9657 service users were supported by Touchstone services with a total of 8374 services users referred into services. On any given day Touchstone has about 4,000 (3963 on 31st March 2020) active/live service users. Gender: Slightly more men were supported than women during 2019/20. In terms of referrals 54% constituted men compared to 45% women. 54% Male 45% Women
Click on the links below to see the pre-recorded presentations. WEST YORKSHIRE FINDING INDEPENDENCE (WY-FI) – ROAD 2 RECOVERY EXHIBITION A co-produced arts exhibition about experiences of homelessness, addiction, reoffending and mental health. Presented by: West Yorkshire Finding Independence https://www.flickr.com/photos/187738946@N07/albums COPRODUCTION IN COMPLEX REHABILITATION A short presentation on the process and challenges of using coproduction in a complex rehabilitation environment. Presented by: John Kerslake and Sofia Haouar, Complex Rehabilitation
It’s with great pleasure that we would like to invite you to participate in our 5th Coproduction Conference for Leeds on 8th July! This year we will have a virtual conference, due to the restrictions currently imposed as a result of COVID-19. On the day, there will be a mix of groups, presentations, webinars and creative space to make the day fun, interactive and, of course, coproduced! There will
We were featured along side our partners New Wortley Community Centre on BBC Look North last night where we discussed our Touchstone Loves food Project. In the past week we have helped over 400 families by purchasing food and delivering it all over East and South Leeds. 50% of people receiving emergency food parcels are from BAME communities. Our staff and volunteers have been working tirelessly to buy, pack and
Touchstone is working with people and partners to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Week (#MHAW) with a whole Week of Kindness. Working with Mindwell, Forum Central and others, we have set aside Friday 22nd May for being kind and generous to each other. At Touchstone we have been staggered by the generosity already shown by our staff, volunteers and supporters during the Covid-19 Crisis and we want to say a