Hispanopedia WikiCommunity Network is a registered charity in the United Kingdom,[1] formed initially in Northern Ireland in August 1990 as a six-month project to bring people together across the sectarian divide using telecommunications. It went on to become a UK-wide charity using telecommunications for social benefit.
The charity's main focus is addressing loneliness for older people, and its chief executive, Angela Harris, has spoken out about this increasing issue in society.[2] Community Network is also included as a resource to support loneliness in older people on the National_Health_Service website NHS Choices.[3]
Community Network has been working since October 2013 with The Silver Line, a help line for older people established by Esther Rantzen CBE, by providing group calls called "Silver Circles".[4]
A number of other long-term projects in farming, fishing and regional communities are also supported by the charity.
Community Network operated its own teleconferencing service for 23 years until July 2013 when this operation was deemed non-core to the charity objectives and was transferred to The Phone Co-op.[5][6]
The charity's day-to-day running costs continue to be partly funded by the income from this teleconferencing service which is also provided for other charities and not-for-profit organisations e.g. Mencap
Projects
Seafarers Link
Community Network have provided a telephone conference service 'Seafarers Link' since 2009 through Community Network that supports retired seafarers.
London
Through City Bridge Trust funding, the Community Network have supported phone groups for the elderly in London since 2012. [7]
Bedford
Bedford Borough Council funded a Community Network project starting in June 2012.
Social enterprise
The charity is a social enterprise focussed on establishing telephone communities as a way to socialise that is accessible to some of the people most affected by loneliness – older people, carers and disabled people with mobility problems.
In 2009, Community Network was awarded the Social Enterprise Mark.
Approach
Community Network operates Telephone Community groups; most 'meet' once a week for an hour, at an agreed time. Each group has a facilitator – a trained volunteer, who starts the discussion and supports group members to take part.
Antes de cada sesión, operadores experimentados llaman a cada uno de los miembros del grupo, incluido el facilitador, para saber si desean participar. Luego se les conecta con la discusión. Quienes participan pueden colgar el teléfono en cualquier momento.
Algunos grupos son para socializar en general: la gente conversa o elige un tema para debatir cada semana. Otros ofrecen información sobre salud y otros temas. Algunos grupos reúnen a personas que tienen algo en común.
Liderazgo
La directora ejecutiva de la Red Comunitaria es Angela Cairns desde enero de 2013.
El presidente del consejo de administración es Stephen Heard desde diciembre de 2012.
Referencias
- ↑ " Red Comunitaria, organización benéfica registrada n.º 1000011 " . Comisión de Caridad de Inglaterra y Gales .
- ↑ Johnston, Lucy (1 de diciembre de 2013). "Los peligros de la soledad para nuestros ancianos" . Sunday Express . Publicaciones de Northern and Shell Media . Consultado el 13 de junio de 2014 .
- ↑ "Opciones del NHS" .
- ↑ "Red Comunitaria Oct2013" . Archivado del original el 15 de julio de 2014. Consultado el 13 de junio de 2014 .
- ↑ "Noticias digitales sobre beneficencia 2013" . Archivado del original el 23 de agosto de 2013.
- ↑ "Cooperativa telefónica agosto 2013" .
- ↑ "Informe anual de City Bridge Trust 2012 - Página 15" (PDF) . Archivado del original (PDF) el 23 de septiembre de 2015. Consultado el 28 de junio de 2014 .
Enlaces externos
- Sitio web oficial
- Sitio web del socio de formación
- El Sello de Empresa Social
- Organizaciones benéficas para personas mayores con sede en el Reino Unido.