You Me Us is our project to reduce loneliness and in Medway and Swale during Covid-19, through community, art and creativity.
You can visit these pages to find out more about the project and how you can get involved between April and May 2021.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) – Have a question about You Me Us? Here are the answers.
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Sign-Up form – Sign-up to our main You Me Us project (by 14th April 2021)
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You Me Us Lite – a mini-version of You Me Us for those people with other commitments
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Meet the You Me Us artists – Meet the 4 artists involved with You Me Us
You can read more about why we created the project and more about our funders and partners below.
About You Me Us
Why we created the project.
You Me Us was created to reduce loneliness and social isolation in Medway and Swale, particularly during Covid-19. We’ve commissioned 4 artists, chosen by a community panel, to lead groups to make and create art with people in Medway and Swale.
According to The Office for National Statistics, 2.6 million adults in Great Britain felt lonely between 6 April to 6 May 2020.
We’re working with local community groups and organisations to bring together artists and those who feel lonely or isolated, using creativity to make connections.
You Me Us will run between Spring and June 2021.
Who are our You Me Us partners?
Medway Voluntary Action (MVA)
MVA is the infrastructure organisation for the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector in Medway. We work to reduce barriers to participation, and to build self-esteem, resilience and aspiration in the individuals and communities in Medway.
Embracing and reflecting the diversity of the VCSE in our work, we provide an open and welcoming environment which is accessible to all.
Operating in a culture of continuous improvement and reflective learning, we act as a catalyst for social change through our central hub of information, support and guidance to support and empower Medway’s communities to come together to help improve their lives and solve problems that are important to their communities.
Swale Community Voluntary Service (SCVS)
Swale Community & Voluntary Services also known as Swale CVS is the umbrella organisation covering the whole of Swale offering support to the voluntary and community sector (VCS) including back office support, bid writing, a bi weekly SCEN newsletter, governance, a training programme and administrative support.
We are also a Volunteer Centre recruiting and supporting volunteers and volunteer using organisations. We run projects using volunteers including a large volunteer transport service offering essential appointments (mostly health related) to our elderly and vulnerable clients, we have over 1300 transport clients and undertake in excess of 25,000 trips per year using volunteer drivers. We also have a one to one befriending service that has been accredited by the NCVO Mentoring and Befriending approved befriending provider. More recently during the Covid pandemic we have supported isolated and vulnerable Swale residents with shopping, medication pick-ups and trips for Covid testing and vaccinations using our volunteer transport service.
wHoo Cares
wHoo Cares is a community interest company supporting people who live in a rural area of Medway, the Hoo Peninsula. Our overarching aim is to reduce social isolation and loneliness. Our support is helping those who are vulnerable or just in need of a little extra help. By connecting with our community we are also empowering positive change in the area by supporting communities to reach their potential and improve employability prospects.
Every persons life and circumstances are unique therefore the support we offer is highly variable, ranging from befriending visits or telephone befriending through to connecting individuals to local groups and organisations. This type of support has also proved valuable to carers, providing them with some respite time to improve their own health and wellbeing. Access to services can be challenging for residents in the area so we provide transport to health appointments, weekly shopping or to attend local activities and groups. Our team of trained volunteers are vital to our work and have adapted well to the adjusted support we offer during the pandemic.
Who is funding You Me Us?
You Me Us is funded by Arts Council England and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DMCS).
We also have additional funding from Kent County Council.
Creative People and Places website
Who else is involved?
We’ll add a full list of thanks below in the coming weeks.