It is key to advancing social change and creating equitable societies
Healthcare workers on the frontlines must be able to speak up for their patients’ needs—as well as their own. However, many lack the storytelling abilities they need to demand equitable treatment and change policies in their disenfranchised communities.
More than 80% of people living with dementia or neurodegenerative disorders (NDD) depend on a non-professional care partner or family member for support and care.
Even before COVID-19, more than 90% of NDD care partners experienced a significant burden and higher levels of loneliness and social isolation compared to non-carers. Given that data is essential to eliciting action from governments, care agencies and the community, this group of Fellows investigated the significant secondary impacts of COVID-19 physical distancing on the mental well-being and care burden on care-givers, many of whom are older and physically vulnerable themselves.
"COVID-19 tremendously impacts dementia care, specifically carers’ mental health and burden. The Atlantic Institute funds contributed to understanding the carers’ burden globally, and facilitated the collaboration among Atlantic Fellows from different countries."
Yaohua Chen, Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health
Designed to enfranchise health workers serving the most marginalized communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Storytelling Project harnessed the expertise of a number of individuals and organizations in Uganda, Australia and the United States. The Atlantic Institute funding enabled the training of 37 Ugandan frontline healthcare workers, ten US grassroots advocates, and eight Atlantic Fellows on Storytelling for Advocacy.
In October 2020, the host organization Rural Elites Mentorship Initiative (REMI) East Africa trained 37 rural health workers on the frontlines of COVID-19 in Uganda, providing a storytelling toolkit as well as digital literacy training. These initiatives led to a partnership with SEED Global Health and Critical Care Nurses Association, Uganda, to further address knowledge gaps.
In the United States, Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity US + Global, Elena Rivera, led the storytelling for advocacy training for ten grassroots community advocates. The session included insights and examples of advocacy and storytelling from Uganda, the United States and Australia. Participants shared a wide range of advocacy issues, including housing, health care, immigrant rights, nursing, families experiencing disability, child care, and resource navigation.
Training of Atlantic Fellows in storytelling advocacy will take place in September 2021 and will be led by Atlantic Fellow for Social Equity, Juanita Wheeler. The Atlantic Institute funding enabled the team of Fellows to gain the trust of health workers while a number of institutions, including PATH and AMREF Advocacy Accelerator, reached out to learn best new practices for advocacy during the pandemic.
Health Equity in Southeast Asia
Health Equity US + Global
Racial Equity
Social Equity
Health Equity in South Africa
Equity in Brain Health
Social and Economic Equity
130 Fellows, 7 global Atlantic programs. Together, these leaders catalyze meaningful change around the world. Over four days in July 2019, 130 Atlantic Fellows from all seven global Atlantic programs participated in the inaugural annual Convening of Atlantic Fellows in Oxford. The event focused on catalytic conversations in leadership and equity with the overarching goal of Fellows making meaningful connections across their diverse cultures, languages and disciplines.
Health Equity in Southeast Asia
Health Equity US + Global
Racial Equity
Social Equity
Health Equity in South Africa
Equity in Brain Health
Social and Economic Equity
Leadership development is a $366 billion industry — an amount that could solve global poverty many times over — yet its ethnocentric and academic approach is largely ineffective. The paradox of spending billions on leadership development, instead of investing those funds directly to resolve the problems such programs endeavor to resolve, inspired us to begin the significant and complex journey of changing the narrative.
Equity in Brain Health
Eastern Mediterranean societies are adversely impacted by the global brain health crisis. The East Mediterranean Brain Health Initiative promotes equitable access to essential resources, including education, early detection, preventative healthcare, and long-term care services. Atlantic Fellows collaborated across borders and disciplines, leveraging existing networks and expertise in the East Mediterranean region to promote fairer, more equitable societies for people living with dementia.
Equity in Brain Health
Social and Economic Equity
Loneliness is a silent killer. Even deadlier in a post-pandemic world of increased isolation. 90% of caregivers of persons with dementia suffer from the burden, including higher levels of loneliness and social isolation. A group of Atlantic Fellows took initiative to investigate care burdens, loneliness and social isolation in care partners/families of people with neurodegenerative disorders, informing COVID-19 responses internationally.
Social Equity
Health Equity US + Global
Healthcare workers on the frontlines must be able to speak up for their patients’ needs—as well as their own. However, many lack the storytelling abilities they need to demand equitable treatment and change policies in their disenfranchised communities. Three Atlantic Fellows formed the empowering disenfranchised communities with storytelling group to develop a toolkit for health workers at the front line of COVID-19.
Health Equity in Southeast Asia
Health Equity US + Global
Social Equity
Health Equity in South Africa
Equity in Brain Health
Social and Economic Equity
The global movement of displaced people is a defining feature of our times. Yet most of the narratives surrounding it are trapped in the language of vilification and crisis, limiting our capacity to engage with the issue humanely. In 2019, a group of Atlantic Fellows came together to create a space to understand and engage with the common humanity inherent in the stories of the displaced.
Health Equity in Southeast Asia
Health Equity US + Global
Equity in Brain Health
Rights awareness and legal resources are critical to supporting communities that are disproportionately impacted by societal inequities, especially in the criminal justice system. A cohort of four Atlantic Fellows collaborated on how to promote access to this vital information. As leaders in their communities, Fellows can promote awareness and access to legal resources to those who need it most.
Health Equity in Southeast Asia
Health Equity US + Global
Lack of access to mental health care for young Filipinos, particularly in remote areas, is deadly. Attempted youth suicides and deaths have risen sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is critical to combat social stigma around seeking mental health support and to provide that support, such as suicide prevention programs.Atlantic Fellows in the Philippines collaborated to advance policy reform to improve access to essential life-saving resources.
Founder and chief executive officer, Full & Frank; executive director, TEDxBrisbane
Executive director, REMI East Africa
Senior health policy and program adviser, Children's Institute
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