Yaran Northwest as a whole organisation, intends to use Connect 5 in the community with Middle Eastern residents, to support our community to develop a healthier quality of life and to preserve the cultural heritage of the Iranian community in Manchester.

We would like to deliver culturally sensitive and language appropriate mental health and well-being sessions based on the Connect 5 programme in several different languages, particularly for the middle eastern residents across Greater Manchester who have been further impacted by COVID 19.

This will be enabling and encouraging people to use and access technology to keep them connected to the outside world and reaching out to isolated people by telephone, and befriending.

We will be focusing on working closely with our colleagues and neighbourhood health workers to support the middle eastern community with easier access to Mental health support in the community and build an easier platform of referral pathways for bilingual practitioners and VCSE community based organisations.

 The Connect 5 course will enable the local residents to:

• Extend participants skills and confidence to have mental wellbeing conversations within everyday practice

• Understand different public health models of mental health, mental illness and mental wellbeing

• Initiate conversations about mental wellbeing and possess the key skills needed

• Assess the nature and extent of the mental wellbeing issue being presented to ensure people get the right help at the right time

• Identify steps that can be taken to improve mental wellbeing

• Apply strategies and techniques relating to the five areas model

• Practice implementing self-management strategies to support successful change processes

• Practice working collaboratively to set goals

• Incorporate self-management strategies and resources into everyday practice.

Connect 5 training impact on Yaran Northwest as an organisation

The Connect 5 training has enabled trainers like me who are bilingual and from diverse communities, to increase our knowledge and understanding of supporting diverse groups of ethnic and migrant communities with their mental health needs and to be able to offer early support and prevention around mental health issues that they are faced with.

As a trainer based within Yaran organisation offering the course to residents across Gtr Manchester, it has enabled me and our organisation to increase confidence in working with diverse groups of ethnic and migrant communities, as well as empowering individuals in recognising their strengths, coping mechanisms and building of self-care platforms to managing their own mental health and well-being.

Mrs. Mel Safari CEO/Psychologist BABCP

Yaran Northwest CIC 

Case study from Yaran Northwest Volunteer

“I was informed about the Connect 5 training by Yaran. I volunteered for the team on various Covid vaccine sites across Manchester. I learned a lot from the course. I felt it was really helpful and useful for me to apply to my personal life. I feel a lot of people would benefit from the course in the community especially in the times and climate of pandemic, isolation and being at home which has brought a lot of mental health issues to the surface for us all. I hope I can continue my volunteering support and work with Yaran on the delivery of Connect 5 training as an Ambassadors for Yaran and the community they serve”.

Yaran Northwest Bilingual/Volunteer