A new project to help promote emotional health and well-being to Burngreave's Yemeni and Pakistani communities has been given the go-ahead.
The emotional well-being project, which has been set up by Sheffield Care Trust (SCT) with part-funding from Burngreave New Deal for Communities (BNDfC), hopes to improve the access for Yemeni men and Pakistani women to emotional well-being services.
Based at SCT's North Day Service on Pitsmoor Road, the aim of this project is to:
Provide culturally appropriate support to promote emotional health and well-being to Yemeni men and Pakistani women.
Provide a support service which can be accessed at an early stage without stigma which is focussed to the specific needs of these communities.
Create a bridge between these communities and mainstream services.
Refocus existing services so they are more responsive to the local community.
Kick-starting the project is the recruitment of two part-time workers who will work in the community to provide an emotional well-being service to members of their respective communities mainly working in community settings.
It is estimated that 35 per cent of the Burngreave population suffer from anxiety and depression which is compared to a UK national average of 20 per cent. In addition, there is an under-representation of Yemeni men and Pakistani women in taking up both formal and informal mental health services so it is hoped that this issue can be addressed.
Greg Harrison, SCT's North Day Service Manager who will manage the project, said: “This is a very exciting time and just the start of what is to come from this project. Once the staff are in post we will be able to develop the service further and really reach-out to those people in these particular communities who have found it difficult to access this kind of service before.”
Magda Boo, health theme manager at BNDfC, said: “We are delighted to be involved in such a worthwhile project which will provide support for local people and help them to develop healthy and positive coping strategies to manage the pressures of life.”
Community seminars (two for each post) will be held to discuss these posts and everyone, whether you wish to apply or are just interested, are welcome.
The Pakistani Woman's Emotional Wellbeing Community Seminars will be on June 8th and 9th at 7pm at Firshill School, Orpahange Road, and the Yemeni men's will be held at the Yemeni Relief Association at 68 Burngreave Road on June 6th and 7th at 7pm.
Refreshments will be on offer and staff from the Burngreave JobNet service will be present to assist with the completion of application forms.
For more information on the project, job roles and seminars please contact Greg Harrison at SCT on 0114 226 2660.