ReCITE (Building Research by Communities to Address Inequities Through Expression) is a groundbreaking three-year project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Led by Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, with Writing on the Wall as the lead creative partner, ReCITE uses storytelling and creativity to tackle health inequalities in Liverpool, Knowsley, and Sefton.
ReCITE aims to:
What we’ve been up to…
As part of ReCITE, we’ve been running three blocks of “What’s Your Story?” workshops over six weeks in Liverpool (Toxteth), Sefton (Bootle), and Knowsley (Kirkby). These workshops have provided a welcoming space for participants to come together, share their personal stories of health inequalities, and transform them into pieces of creative writing.
These powerful stories will soon come to life by creating a short films that reflects the voices and experiences of our participants. We have been working with local filmmaker Wesley Storey to bring the stories to life on screen.
We will also be showcasing the stories with the broader community at local sharing events, to celebrate the work of the participants and raise awareness of the issues people face day to day, and hopefully inspire meaningful change.
What’s Your Story?
What’s Your Story? is a creative programme where participants share and develop stories in a supportive group setting. The groups will meet weekly for a period of six weeks, working with professional writers and creatives, to develop their stories. These stories will be shared at learning events to which Health care and other relevant professionals will be invited.
‘This course has quite literally changed my life. It has been one of the best things I have ever done and to think that I found it by accident makes me think that it must have been meant to be. I was at an extremely low point in my life when I found this course and I was terrified. However, the course changed all that. The tutors and the staff who run the course have been so personable and welcoming, inspiring, and encouraging that for the first time ever I have started to believe that my voice is important and has value. I have developed the confidence to speak in front of people and to show words that had been hidden away for many years. This course is invaluable and priceless.’
– What’s Your Story? Participant
Background
Liverpool has a rich heritage of arts and culture, but it also ranks as the third most deprived local authority in the country. The city faces growing health inequities fueled by the rising cost of living, the COVID-19 hangover, diminishing trust in public services, and growing mental health struggles. These disparities are evident in troubling health data: declining immunisation rates, a 12.5-year life expectancy gap between the wealthiest and poorest, 3 out of 10 children living in poverty, and in the most deprived areas, people are 2.23 times more likely to die from COVID-19.
In North Liverpool, too few women are going for routine breast screening where uptake is well below the national average of 62%. In this film short, Liverpool actress Eithne Browne reads a poem written by local creative Leonisha Barley, addressing women’s fears about mammograms and what to expect during the breast screening process.
