Re-imagining LGBTQ+ Multi-generational Communities

该项目将LGBTQ+大学生和老年LGBTQ+ Brighton & Hove社区成员聚集在一起，旨在通过代际社区建设来解决孤独和社会隔离问题。该项目的主要目的是鼓励LGBTQ+的代际社区联系，促进沟通、团结和面对面的知识交流。据统计，LGBTQ+人群比非LGBTQ+人群更不容易变老，他们是一个更容易死于自杀的群体。与此同时，新冠疫情对英国大学LGBTQ+学生的心理健康造成了不成比例的影响。最近一项关于学生心理的研究表明，由于大学里的孤独感和孤立感，这些学生更有可能与心理健康作斗争。该项目将通过面对面的友谊会议（每周一次或两周一次）、视觉艺术设计研讨会（每月一次）和“知识级联”研究研讨会（每学期一次）进行。该项目将在大学期间（2023年9月1日至2024年6月30日）进行，分为两个16周的周期，有机会调整研讨会的模式和内容。工作坊的目的是利用视觉艺术来创造赋权叙事，描绘当地LGBTQ+的历史、身份和社区。在工作坊中，我们将使用漫画、杂志、摄影和其他视觉叙事映射练习来思考LGBTQ+身份和弹性是什么样子的。该项目开发了一个知识级联社区模型，其中知识从年长的LGBTQ+参与者流向LGBTQ+大学生，然后再流向LGBTQ+大学生。虽然会有讨论个人经历的空间，但工作坊的目的是在物质上可视化LGBTQ+身份，并创造一个社区的样子。除了工作坊外，55岁以上的学生和社区成员亦会结伴聚会，鼓励社区建设和知识交流。这将由首席研究员进行管理，他与每个参与者进行对话，并根据年龄对参与者进行匹配（每个“友谊舱”中应该有两个年长的社区成员和两个大学生）。然后，这些“豆荚”将被指示每月至少见面两次，每次见面30分钟到一个小时。他们将获得对话启动包（其中包括要问的问题，简短的“破冰”艺术活动）来帮助他们。这些会议的目的将是：改善社区知识交流，并解决本项目概述的一个关键挑战：孤独和孤立。除了研讨会和友谊计划之外，还有其他四项活动：为有兴趣了解更多“知识级联”和社区研究的参与者定制的研讨会；通过伙伴关系提出的持续健康建议，以及标明心理健康支持路线的“心理健康和社区建设”福利包；就业招聘和设计（苏塞克斯大学的各种课程都有兴趣使用这个项目作为学生的就业选择）；开发公民参与工具包，供英国各地大学使用（包括安置模式、内容设计、合作建议）；并成立一个社区利益公司，以确保该项目通过大学使用的公民参与模式得以持续。

This project brings together LGBTQ+ University students and older LGBTQ+ Brighton & Hove community members with aim to tackle loneliness and social isolation through intergenerational community building.The principal aim of this project is to encourage LGBTQ+ intergenerational community ties that promote communication, solidarity, and in-person knowledge exchange following the isolating effects of Covid-19 pandemic. Statistically, LGBTQ+ people are less likely to grow old than their non- LGBTQ+ counterparts, and they are a group more likely to die by suicide. At the same time, the covid pandemic has disproportionately affected the mental health of LGBTQ+ students at Universities in the UK. A recent study by student minds shows that these students are more likely to struggle with mental health due to a sense of loneliness and isolation at University. The project will take place through in-person befriending meetings (weekly or bi-weekly), visual arts design workshops (once monthly), and 'knowledge cascading' research workshops (once termly). The project will run over university term-time (1 September 2023 - 30 June 2024), in two 16-week cycles, with opportunity to adjust workshop models and content.The aim of the workshops is to use visual arts to create empowering narratives that picture local LGBTQ+ history, identity, and community. In the workshops, we will use comics, zines, photography, and other visual storytelling mapping exercises to think about LGBTQ+ identity and what resilience looks like. This project develops a knowledge cascading community model where knowledge flows down from older LGBTQ+ participants to LGBTQ+ university students, and back up again. While there will be room to talk about personal experience, the aim of the workshop is to materially visualise LGBTQ+ identity, and to create a picture of what community looks like. Alongside the workshops, the students and community members aged 55+ will also meet in pairs to encourage community building and knowledge exchange. This will be managed by the lead researcher, who has a conversation with each participant, and matches participants by age (there should be two older community members and two university students in each 'befriending pod'). These pods will then be instructed to meet in-person at least twice a month, for 30 mins to an hour during each meeting. They will be provided with conversation starter packs (which include questions to ask, short 'icebreaker' art activities) to help them along. The purpose of these meetings will be stated: to improve the community knowledge exchange, and to address a key challenge outlined in this project: loneliness and isolation. There will four other initiatives running alongside the workshops and befriending scheme: a bespoke workshop for participants interested in learning more about 'knowledge cascading' and community research; ongoing wellbeing recommendations through partnerships, as well as a 'mental health and community building' wellbeing pack which signposts mental health support routes; placement recruitment and design (various courses at the University of Sussex are interested in using this project as a placement option for their students); development of a civic engagement toolkit that can be used by Universities across the UK (including placement models, content design, partnership suggestions); and the creation of a Community Interest Company to ensure the project is sustained through a civic engagement model used by Universities.