Advance Collective's first virtual meeting

On Tuesday the Advance Collective hosted its first virtual session!

Allowing customers from across the country to come together to have fun and give feedback, the session was led by Adam (a customer and Co-Chair of the Collective) and moderated by staff to make sure that was a safe online space for customers to practice their digital skills.

Customers shared their experiences during the Coronavirus pandemic, and how they are managing with being home more. While most said they had got used to being at home more and were feeling good, they felt overwhelmed by the frequent changes to official rules. We understand this difficulty and were able to signpost people to the easy to understand information on our website. We will continue to provide accessible resources to keep up to date and know that it is a priority for our customers.

Held during National Democracy Week, we talked about advocacy and top tips for getting your voice heard. Some customers shared their personal experiences of using advocacy, and how helpful it was.

We ended the session by asking how people felt about the Collective moving online and were pleased that people felt positive about it. We got some great ideas for future sessions, including:

  • Keeping busy at home and looking after yourself during the Coronavirus pandemic
  • Tips for winter gardening
  • A Christmas party!
  • Relationships
  • Healthy habits

We plan to run online sessions monthly going forward. Keep an eye out for more information or email Collective@advanceuk.org