Engagement Activity
VoiceNORTH
VOICENorth is a means to engage with a wide, representative range of people and their communities and to consult with them on key issues around ageing and demographic change. It facilitates identifying public concerns and provides real opportunities for lay people to become involved to help to shape future research and policy-making.
VOICENorth consists of a large representative group of people, reflecting the age-structure and geographical and socio-economic make-up of the North East. We hope to involve up to 3,000 people interested in contributing their ideas and experience. Anyone is welcome to take part and participants can be involved in a range of ways. For example:
- Respond to questionnaires about research and/or policy-related issues in areas which are of interest to members.
- Participate more interactively in the development of research and/or policy proposals through focus groups and workshops.
- Some projects will need to recruit people to assist in research, for example by interviewing others, or by evaluating the usefulness of new enabling and assistive technologies.
- Some members will be able to act as lay members of groups concerned with the management, assessment and implementation of projects.
- Members of VOICENorth will receive regular invitations to conferences and other events to disseminate information about research advances or policy changes which affect their lives.
- All members will receive newsletters about VOICENorth's activity and other related opportunities to contribute to the intellectual and social development of the region.
The development of VOICENorth represents an extremely exciting opportunity for people across the region to work in partnership with researchers and policy and strategy makers to make a positive difference to the lives of older people in the North East and helping to create a flourishing region.
If you would like to become a member or receive more information on how to be involved, you can complete our Expression of Interest Form or please contact us.
Years Ahead
Years Ahead is the North East Regional Forum on Ageing and was established in 2005 to influence key policy and decision makers concerned with demographic change and ageing, and to promote partnership working to advance such issues. It consists of a network of public, voluntary/community and private sector bodies operating at regional level and linked through a Partnership Board, of which half the voting representatives are older people appointed by their respective organisations.
Years Ahead brings together organisations to identify and promote issues relating to:
- Implications of changes in the age-structure of the regional population
- Social attitudes and perceptions of ageing and other factors which affect the wellbeing of older people