By Kendall Worth
In last week’s BLOG, I reflected on the challenges faced in trying to promote a social prescription approach to the challenges of poverty reduction and mental health here in Nova Scotia.
Just to recap, social
prescription is a health-centered approach to poverty reduction that addresses
not only physical health and economic well-being, but social factors that
impact well-being, such as loneliness and isolation.
It is my belief – and my personal experience - that issues of mental health and social isolation are major obstacles to addressing poverty issues. That is why I have been advocating for the creation of social prescription programs – and if possible, - a social prescribing organization (SPO) here in Nova Scotia.
However, this advocacy has not generated much in the way of results, apart from some short-term project funding for community-style get-togethers. This reflects the widely held view that social prescription is just another term for drop-in centres or social clubs for poor people. The SP approach actually involves a much more substantive re-thinking of how government and social service agencies should engage with marginalised peoples.
Given the challenges I have faced in my efforts to build support for the social prescription approach, I thought it was time to rethink my advocacy efforts. To do this, I fell back on the SWOT Analysis tool.
What is SWOT Analysis?
SWOT analysis is a
strategic planning tool used to evaluate the internal strengths and weaknesses
of an organization or initiative, alongside external opportunities and threats.
SWOT stands for
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Strengths and Weaknesses are
internal factors, reflecting areas in which one has advantages or disadvantages
compared to competing interests, ideas or products. Opportunities and Threats
are external factors, representing areas for potential growth as well as risks
from the environment and other forces not under our control.
Based on this analysis of internal factors and the external environment, one can them decide on a course of action that is most likely to have the desired impact.
My SWOT Analysis:
Three years back, I undertook an initial SWOT Analysis of the terrain for promoting a social prescription approach in Nova Scotia. The outcome of that process was shared in this BLOG. Two years later, I reviewed that analysis and revised and updated it here.
In today’s BLOG post, I am further updating that analysis, informed by the lessons learned and changes in context over the past two years. Here is a summary overview:
STRENGTHS:
- As a person who has lived experience of social isolation and mental health issues, I bring a deep understanding and strong motivation to the promotion of the SP approach;
- The experience of the “Mitigating Social Isolation Project” (All Together Link) in 2023/24 provided some lessons learned as to the opportunities and limitations of this approach;
- Through my engagement as a journalist with First Voices in our community, I have built and maintained close relations with the prospective clients and beneficiaries of a Social Prescribing Organization.
- I have also built a network of relations with many individuals in the social services sector as well as other activists and advocates who broadly endorse the social prescription approach.
- This BLOG serves as a useful communications tool to a loyal audience of readers and beyond.
WEAKNESSES:
- While I have many contacts and friends in different social service agencies across HRM, our shared interest in the social prescription approach has not yet translated into formal organizational endorsements, advocacy or tangible action.
- Messaging on the social prescription approach continues to get distorted as advocacy for tax-payer funded social clubs or drop-in centres.
- While First Voices from our community will speak to me of issues of social isolation and marginalization, most will not come to formal events or join organizations to advance the SP agenda. If you want poor people to come to a meeting, you need to provide food!
- Given the difficult circumstances of people in our community, bringing a large group together under a single banner for an agreed objective remains a very challenging task.
OPPORTUNITIES:
•
There is growing understanding and appreciation of the social prescription
approach across Canada, with many new programs and initiatives. This trend has
not yet reached Atlantic Canada, but slowly people are hearing of the concept
and new research is showing how it can have a positive impact.
•
In Nova Scotia, the Dept of Health and Wellness seems to be more open to
exploring new and innovative ways of addressing health-related issues. This
suggests that advocacy efforts with this Dept may be more fruitful than
continuing to engage with the Dept of Opportunities and Social Development
(where Community Services and Income Assistance programs are housed) which
seems unable to change and is now under threat of major cutbacks.
•
In this context, re-framing different elements of the SP approach to
highlight health and wellness components, such as Peer Support initiatives could
be an opportunity.
• In an ideal world, bringing together people who live in poverty into a single, unified organization would be seen as an opportunity for advancing the social prescription agenda to better meet our shared needs as a community. But in all honesty, in current circumstances this remains a huge challenge.
THREATS:
- The
current air of budget cutbacks and austerity make this a difficult time to be
promoting ideas for new program approaches and investments.
- There
is growing awareness of the problems associated with loneliness amongst
different groups (seniors, the disabled, etc). As a result, some organizations are
promoting different sorts of social networks. These are good initiatives but do
not address the deeper issues of social isolation that social prescription
does.
- For some people living in poverty, the informal socializing that happens at Food Banks and Soup Kitchens is seen as sufficient.
So, this is the current status of my analysis of the terrain in Nova Scotia for promoting a social prescription approach to poverty reduction and social isolation. Some of the implications for follow-up action in 2026 seem relatively clear, - others are more uncertain.
The road forward is ours to build.
Kendall Worth is an award-winning
anti-poverty activist who lives with disabilities and tries to make ends meet
on income assistance.
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