The flyer for the phase, here.
The activities and discussions in this phase offered a ‘space’ to the voices of the seven community participants selected from phase 1. We used the themes from phase 1 to provide a framework for the focus groups, which provided an opportunity for participants to share their lived experience, their perceptions of CVD and the factors that impact upon their day-to-day health decisions. By exploring these themes, the group identified collaborative solutions to meet those challenges.
Following phase 2, the participants from the focus group expressed a desire to continue meeting even though they knew the data collection from phase 2 had concluded. One of the promises that I had made to the community from the outset was that this was never going to be an only data collection exercise for my PhD, but one that would allow me to act upon findings from that data collection for the benefit of the community.
I continued to communicate with members from the focus group over a period of a month and from there I suggested that we set up a community of learning network that would build knowledge around black health. Since January, 2016 we decided to set up a network, which we have called the Caribbean and African Health Network in Greater Manchester (CAHN GM).