Humansolutions Bulletin - May 14th 2020

This important new book emphasises the sociological aspects of resilience. It challenges the idea that resilience is purely a psychological phenomenon by exploring the wide range of social factors involved. Available for purchase here

This is not literally about fighting. It is about recognizing when it is not appropriate to deal with a situation here and now. When there are concerns that need to be addressed or conflicts that need to be worked through, it is often helpful to be responsive to those demands at the time, rather than miss the opportunity to nip the problem in the bud. However, in some circumstances it is wiser not to react at the time – for example, situations where an immediate response may inflame the situation or encourage a defensive reaction. In such situations it can be more effective to arrange a more suitable time and place to raise your concerns or deal with the issues…

Crossing the digital divide is essential to ensuring that the response to COVID-19 includes us all, say the Addressing Poverty with Lived Experience (APLE) Collective. For the APLE Collective, digital exclusion means exclusion from voice, from an ability to participate in the everyday. It means being silenced. It means our knowledge is ignored, which exacerbates economic and social divides. As a result, a digital divide opens. The digital divide doesn't just mean having access to wifi, but the ability to pay for it. Our communities who live on a low income or social security benefits are unable to pay for this access. The digital divide also incurs expenses when paying for hardware (computers and devices) and finally people may not…

When people stand at their door to clap every Thursday evening, they might be applauding NHS staff or social care workers. But how many are thinking about the country’s army of unpaid carers? For the past eight years, my brother and I have been caring for my mother, who has early onset dementia, diabetes and other health issues. My brother bears most of the burden, but most days I make the two-bus, six-mile journey to visit. My brother and I wash, dress and feed Mum. I wash her hair and do her nails once a week. We administer eye drops every day, as she’s had cataracts. She has incontinence issues and we administer a weekly enema. We have little to…

Join The Equality Trust for this interactive conference, bringing together a range of speakers to share their insights and explore how we can get organised to finally win equal pay during this challenging period. Women, particularly those in low-paid work and the gig economy, are already some of the hardest hit economically by the COVID-19 crisis. Winning equal pay is more important now than ever before. Join us on Friday 29th May to mark the 50th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act 1970, the landmark legislation which made equal pay for equal work a legal right for all. This conference will give participants the opportunity to explore the challenges of winning equal pay from a range of perspectives and begin…

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