The Reflecting Together Project: Loneliness and isolation experienced by older people in South Tyneside
Stefanie Conradt is undertaking a 12-month full time participatory research project in South Tyneside. Working together with the charity Churches Together South Tyneside (CTST), the team and Stefanie seek to understand how loneliness and isolation is experienced by the community’s older members. For that purpose, Stefanie will work with the staff and volunteers of two projects offered by CTST. By reflecting together on what is offered by the beneficiaries and local parishioners, the hope is to create a more connected and supportive environment, as well as new ways of engagement for CTST. Including different groups in this theological reflection process, the goal is to impact their priorities and ways of working, as well, so that the social and individual dimensions of isolation and loneliness are addressed. With this dedication to reflective practices, this project will provide a distinct voice from the deprived region of South Tyneside. For further details, the project website is available here .
Friendship, Faith, and Flourishing: How do friendship and faith interact and impact the wellbeing of practising ‘Millennial’ Christians in North East?
Ruth Perrin is building on her earlier William Leech Research Fund-sponsored research into the faith development of Millennial Christians in the region (published as: Changing Shape: The Faith Lives of Millennials, SCM 2020). Her new mixed-mode project will explore the intersection of friendship and faith in their current life stage, with a view to understanding how friendship influences spiritual wellbeing and impacts the ways in which 30-something Christians live out their beliefs across the Northeast. Ruth’s fellowship is based with St John’s College, Durham University.