Reaching Out Project
What is Reaching Out?
Reaching Out is a multi-faceted drugs and alcohol project providing education and awareness, screening and referral, handholding and confidential helpline service to Black and minority ethnic (BME) communities within the City of Manchester. The project seeks to empower Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) people to become better informed and more resistant to the harms caused by drugs and alcohol.
Why was Reaching Out established?
Reaching Out was established in response to number of studies into drug and alcohol use among BME communities in Manchester. These highlighted a lack of:
• Awareness among adults and young people about drug, alcohol and their effects
• Knowledge about drug and alcohol treatment and support services that are available in the city
• Drugs and alcohol information in various languages
What does Reaching Out aim to achieve?
• Increase knowledge and awareness of drugs and alcohol related issues and services among BME communities
• Assist BME drug and alcohol users, their families or carer’s in accessing treatment and support
• Increasing understanding of the needs of BME drugs users, families, carer’s and communities among policymakers, commissioners and service providers
How the project will work?
• Recruitment of Community Organisations
• Education and training
• Empowering and developing
• Delivering and capacity building
How the project will be delivered?
Following an independent evaluation of the project in 2007, the project was modified in an attempt to improve its reach into communities and further develop the capacity and capability of local BME community organisations to deliver against this most important of subjects. The project has the following four distinct and exciting areas of work:
• Awareness and education
• Screening and referral
• Support in accessing services
• Professional public relations campaign
• Confidential helpline
The project delivers this through a combination of training sessions, putting out related information using BME media and attending BME focused events.
Communities Supported
Whilst we recognize that there is a need for work of this nature to be undertaken within all communities, the project will initially target those communities whose needs were identified through our initial research. Reaching Out is in a position to target African, Bangladeshi, African Caribbean, Chinese, Kurdish, Pakistani and Somali communities. However, we hope to be in a position to include other communities in the future.
The Reaching Out team
The team consists of Project coordinator, Public Relations Officer and a number of trained drug and alcohol support workers, who are available to deliver free sessions to individuals and organizations. Our support workers have been recruited from the supported communities and, between them, speak a variety of community languages including Bangla, Chinese, English, Kurdish, Somali, Urdu and African and Caribbean languages.
Sessions will take place in various locations across the city. We find that our participation in open days or community events is an effective way of providing information on drugs and alcohol to communities. To find out when sessions will take place or if you would like us to attend your event, please contact us.
Read about our 'Appointed Community Organisations'