We’re super excited to announce an all new support package for the Community Reporters in 2025!

Thanks to funding from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, we’ve been able to design a core support offer to the Community Reporter Network. From meet-ups to peer learning spaces to skills development sessions – our team will be providing a mixture of training, mentoring and convening to support the Network to go from strength to strength.

Here are the upcoming sessions being held in 2025…

Community Reporter Meet-Ups

These 1-hour, online sessions provide an opportunity for Community Reporters to come together and share with others in the Network what you’ve been working on, as well as hear about the latest opportunities in the Network.

• 12pm – 1pm, Tuesday 11th March – Register Here
• 12pm – 1pm, Tuesday 10th June – Register Here
• 12pm – 1pm, Tuesday 9th September – Register Here
• 12pm – 1pm, Tuesday 9th December – Register Here

Community Reporter Skills Sessions

These are 1-hour online sessions that focus on a specific Community Reporting skill. They are designed as ‘top-up’ or ‘recap’ trainings for existing Community Reporters, as well as being introductory sessions for people who are interested in Community Reporting. 

• Using the Community Reporter website / 5pm – 6pm Wednesday 30th April – Register Here
• Story Reviewing / 5pm – 6pm Thursday 31st July – Register Here
• Video Recording Techniques / 5pm – 6pm Thursday 30th October – Register Here

Community Reporter Peer Learning Spaces

These are 90-minute, online peer supporter and learning spaces for people who are using Community Reporting in their work or social change projects that are facilitated by our team.

• Session One: Monday 10th March 12:00pm – 13:30pm – Register Here
• Session Two: Monday 16th June 12:00pm – 13:30pm – Register Here
• Session Three: Monday 15th September 12:00pm – 13:30pm – Register Here
• Session Four: Monday 8th December 12:00pm – 13:30pm – Register Here

Global Majority Communities Peer Learning Spaces

These are 90-minute, online peer support and learning spaces for people from Global Majority communities involved in lived experience storytelling, co-production and social change work, facilitated by our team.  

• Session One: Monday 12th May 12:00pm – 13:30pm – Register Here
• Session Two: Monday 10th November 17:30pm – 19:00pm – Register Here

We look forward to seeing you at the sessions!

Earlier this year, we teamed up with community members in Wigan to share information and skills around Ripple Effect Mapping.

Across a series of 4 sessions, people learnt about the Ripple Effect Mapping process, creating their own maps, learning how to facilitate this approach to impact measurement within their own communities, and developing skills in packaging the findings in the form of written reports and presentations.

The learning from the sessions culminated in a community sharing event, during which the group showcased their Ripple Effect Maps and shared the learning from the workshops.

The group have continued with their work around Ripple Effect Mapping and intend on using this methodology well into the future supporting the development of a range of different community initiatives.

Keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming Community Reporting Project in Wigan!

Throughout August, we have delivered 2 days of Community Reporter Training as part of our ongoing work with Well Doncaster.

Community members from across the region came together to develop new approaches to lived experience storytelling. They learnt about story gathering techniques, including dialogue interviews, snapshot stories, and personal monologues, and how different recording methods and approaches can be used to capture these elements. We covered the basics of photography, audio recording, and how to capture videos with the people they intend to interview. The group also explored what responsible practice looks like, bringing in their own knowledge and expertise into the discussion, helping to equip them with the ethical tools to approach storytelling in a safe and responsible way.

The group will now work towards gathering a set of stories exploring community members’ experiences with living through and accessing cancer services in the local area, receiving a five-hundred-pound grant per person for their commitment and contributions. These stories will be uploaded to the Community Reporter Website to help build a picture of current cancer care services in and around Doncaster. Looking ahead, as part of the Well Doncaster Project, we will be co-hosting a Conversation of Change Event, which will see community members, reporters, and cancer support sector workers come together to discuss what changes need to happen to improve the current system.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Meet Jacqui Darlington from Rutland — a long-time carer, mum, and passionate disability advocate. Jacqui’s journey into community reporting began with Amplifying Voices, a programme designed to empower racialised individuals to share lived experiences through storytelling.

“I’m Jacqui Darlington. I’m passionate about health and social care and the rights of disabled people. I became a community reporter because I believe in giving people a voice and changing perceptions,” Jacqui shares.

As a carer to her son Joshua, who has Down Syndrome, autism and no understandable speech, Jacqui uses creative methods like photos and narration to help him express his story. “Even Joshua, who doesn’t use spoken word, now has a voice,” she says.

Jacqui believes strongly in the power of community reporting to uplift unheard voices. “It’s not just about skills—it’s about building a network, shifting mindsets, and supporting others.”

A fellow community reporter reflects: “People like Jacqui inspire us to think differently and to truly listen to stories that might otherwise go untold.”

Through her work, Jacqui is helping to change hearts and minds—one story at a time.

#AmplifyingVoices #CommunityReporting #DisabilityAdvocacy

Reflections from our Learning Day – July 8, 2025

On July 8th, we gathered for a powerful day of learning, reflection, and imagination, led by Dr Dayo Eseonu (she/her). We explored racism through key concepts like intersectionality, whiteness, UK colonial histories, the wheel of privilege, and counter-storytelling. In the afternoon, we shifted into creative practice — imagining anti-racist futures through zines, poetry, art, and collaborative storytelling.

One attendee shared:

“As a disabled, autistic person, I felt fully included — from access adjustments to sensory-friendly spaces and warm, welcoming people. There were fidget tools, a sunny garden with bean bags, and even steel drum music at lunch — a joyful reminder of the power of community.”

They also shared what they learned:

“Anti-racism isn’t just about being offended — it’s about speaking up. I now feel more confident calling out racism, listening more deeply, and taking active steps in my work and daily life.”

This event showed that anti-racism, when rooted in care and creativity, can be transformative.

This week marks a significant moment in the ongoing COVID-19 Inquiry, focusing on the Care Sector from 30 June to 31 July 2025, as part of Module 6.

It is crucial that we do not forget the immense challenges faced during the pandemic — especially by those working tirelessly within care settings, as well as the deaf and disabled communities and their carers.

We want to extend our deepest thanks to all those who are giving evidence this week, including many of our colleagues and friends. Their dedication to advocating, influencing policy, and sharing lived experiences shines a vital light on the realities of the pandemic. It’s these voices — the people at the heart of the crisis — that hold the key to understanding and learning from this moment in history.

At People’s Voice Media, we are proud to have contributed to this important conversation through our work exploring the experiences of deaf and disabled people and carers during COVID-19. Our report and video testimonies reveal the resilience, challenges, and strength of communities often overlooked in mainstream narratives.

We invite you to read our full report and watch these powerful videos. By listening to and sharing these lived experiences, we help ensure that future policies are truly informed by those they impact most.

The lessons of COVID-19 are still unfolding, but one thing is clear: the stories of people matter. Let us keep listening.

Explore our report and videos here:  

• #NationalCareForum
• #NCF
• #SocialCare
• #CareSector
• #CareProviders
• #CareQuality
• #SocialCareSupport
• #CareWorkforce
• #CareReform
• #AdultSocialCare