Our Life launches wellbeing discussion kit

'Wellbeing Champions' from across the North West today (30 September 2011) attended the launch of - A Fair Deal for Wellbeing? - a discussion kit that aims to get people thinking more about their wellbeing and to take action to improve it in their area.

Developed by Our Life in partnership with NHS North West, the North West Public Health Observatory, NHS Cumbria and NHS Liverpool, the discussion kit also raises awareness of the findings of the 2009 North West Wellbeing Survey. The survey, which was carried out in response to a growing need to understand more about positive mental wellbeing and health, was the largest of its kind ever conducted in the UK, with a total sample of 18,500 people across the North West's five counties.

Through the use of a set of cards, a planning grid and a set of simply worded instructions, groups can lead their own discussion in their own community or neighbourhood. All that is required is a table for people to sit around. The kit, which can be used in groups of up to ten people or as few as three, encourages people to think more about their own wellbeing or that of their community, how it can be influenced, what can be done to improve it and who should do this.

Speaking at the launch Peter Bryant, Our Life's head of public engagement said: "The kit is for anyone interested in improving wellbeing. Whether you are a group wanting to know more about improving your own wellbeing or interested in taking action together within your community; or whether you are a worker wanting to develop a plan or to seek views from others about what is important - this kit is built on everyone having a part to play."

As part of the launch, a workshop took place to familiarise wellbeing 'champions' with the kit and to help them to devise a strategy for using it in their own area. All participants made a commitment to repeat the same workshop in their own locality and it is hoped that this cascade will develop a mass of people committed to encouraging others to use the kit.

"This is a great tool for empowering people to take action. It allows large groups of people to consider a complex issue in a relatively short time and with few resources. The discussion kit 'champions' have pledged to train ten others each within their local area or field of work. If these ten then pass their knowledge on to ten others and so on we develop a mass of people committed to encouraging others to use the kit. We also get lots of people thinking about the different things that affect their wellbeing and looking at ways to improve it either on their own, or as part of their community," Peter added.