Tackling loneliness for a new era of connection

The Campaign to End Loneliness International Conference – Tackling loneliness for a new era of connection – is one of the world’s leading online conferences dedicated to tackling loneliness, bringing together leading researchers and practitioners to share the very best learning and understanding of different aspects of loneliness.

In this blog, we show how you can get involved in the poster presentation discussion taking place during the conference. 

Hear from expert panellists

At a time of great change, with the issue of loneliness and its impact on the world never greater, we need to forge ahead and build a new era of connection. 

We have designed the conference to raise awareness of and address the top themes facing policy makers, researchers, practitioners, and corporate responsibility and community agendas. We want to celebrate the people and organisations who are making a difference, showcasing innovative approaches to tackling loneliness from across the world. 

Throughout the day, you will hear from expert panellists on a range of topics including: young people and loneliness, workplace loneliness, loneliness and the built environment, and developing a place-based loneliness strategy.

Tickets are still available for Thursday 2 February for £20 and you can access the conference live or play it back when you have time to catch up. Book your place. 

Get involved in the discussion

On the day of the conference, we will be hosting a session for the winners of the poster competition and we would like you to get involved. 

Do you have a question about their presentation? What would you like to learn more about in relation to their innovative approach to tackling loneliness? 

Email your questions in relation to each poster presentation to info@campaigntoendloneliness.org.uk and we’ll aim to put your questions to the panellists during the session.

Winning poster entries

• Samia Akhter-Khan (King’s College London) – A new understanding of loneliness: the social relationship expectations framework
  
  Although the discrepancy between expected and actual social relationships is considered the “core mechanism” of loneliness, previous research and interventions have not sufficiently addressed what people specifically expect from their social relationships. To address this gap and to help situate research on older adults’ loneliness within broader life span developmental theories, we propose a theoretical framework that outlines six key social relationship expectations of older adults.
  
  
• Lyndsey Young (The Friendly Bench CIC) – The Friendly Bench Network – Connecting people, places and nature.
  
  Evidence of how The Friendly Bench Network is positively benefiting individuals and their communities, as well as helping build connections with other organisations, groups and key individuals that are bringing many other benefits to their communities such as partnership work and funding.
  
  
• Professor Christina Victor (Brunel University London)  – Social Health across the life course: a study of new ageing populations.
  
  Being socially healthy, not being lonely or isolated, having strong relationships and feeling part of the local community, promotes the health and wellbeing of older people. This presentation addresses key gaps in our evidence about social health.
  
  
• Elizabeth Robinson (Bolton Clarke Research Institute) – Connecting Communities to Care: a local community approach to address loneliness and social isolation in older people.
  
  This multi-phase project aims to engage the whole community within a local government area in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia using a fit-for-purpose social prescribing model, Connecting Communities to Care, to support community members over 65 years at risk of loneliness, social isolation and depressive symptoms.
  
  
• Georgia Wheadon (Umii Technologies Ltd) – Combating Student Loneliness with Umii
  
  Umii is a technology company that is working to combat student loneliness and improve university retention rates. The company partners with universities and helps initiate meaningful friendships between similar students in a safe, digital space.