By Kendall Worth
Readers of my BLOG know that for quite some time I have been advocating for the creation of a Social Prescribing Organization here in Halifax as one possible solution to social isolation and some of the challenges experienced by people living in poverty, people with disabilities, and others who may have difficulty building and maintaining meaningful social connections.
See here https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/search/label/social%20prescription%20organization for the proposal.
Recently, as part of moving this idea forward, I have been asking people with lived experience to consider writing reference letters in support of this proposal. One reason for doing this is that statistics do not always tell the complete story. When we are talking about social isolation, loneliness, poverty, disability, mental health, difficulty participating in community life, and the importance of having healthy social connections, the experiences of the people actually living through these situations need to be heard.
I have now decided to share the reference letter template publicly here on Journalism for What Matters because I do not want this opportunity to be limited only to the people I personally know or have been able to approach. Some of my readers may have lived experiences that relate directly to what I have been advocating for. You may have experienced social isolation yourself. You may know what it feels like to want to attend a community event but have nobody to go with, struggle to make or maintain friendships, face financial barriers to participating in community life, or feel that the professional services available to you do not replace the need for meaningful human connection.
That is why first voice matters. If we are going to ask governments, funders, community organizations and other decision-makers to take the idea of a Social Prescribing Organization seriously, they also need opportunities to hear directly from the people who believe they could benefit from it.
Below, I am sharing the reference letter template I have developed. It is intended as a guide, not a script. Nobody should feel that they have to share personal information they are uncomfortable making known. Instead, I encourage people who wish to participate to use the template as a starting point and tell their own story, in their own words, about why this type of organization could make a difference in their life or in the lives of others experiencing similar circumstances.
Ultimately, my reason for making this template public is simple: if we are advocating for a service intended to help people experiencing social isolation, then the voices of those very people need to be part of building the case for why that service is needed.
I would make the closing reinforce first voice, remind readers that participation is voluntary, and end with a call for decision-makers to listen. That fits particularly well with the template, which asks people to explain in their own words how a Social Prescribing Organization could make a difference and why it could benefit others in similar circumstances.
Reference Letter Template
Reference Letters in Support of a Social Prescribing Organization
Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to consider writing a reference letter.
I am working toward establishing a Social Prescribing Organization in Halifax that would help address social isolation by connecting people with community supports, meaningful activities, peer support, and opportunities to build healthy social connections.
One suggestion I recently received from Severial contacts was to gather reference letters from people with lived experience who believe they could benefit from this type of organization. They explained that personal stories can help demonstrate the need for this type of service, especially since it is often difficult to find statistics that fully capture people's experiences of social isolation, poverty, disability, and mental health challenges.
If you feel comfortable doing so, I would greatly appreciate a letter describing how an organization like this could benefit you. There is no obligation to write a letter, and you should only include information that you are comfortable sharing.
Suggestions for Your Letter
Dear Whom It May Concern,
Introduction
Introduce yourself by stating your name.
You may wish to explain that you are writing as someone who believes they could benefit from a Social Prescribing Organization if one were available in Halifax.
If you would like, you can also mention that you are aware of my efforts to advocate for this idea and that you hope your letter helps demonstrate the need for this type of organization.
Your Experience
This is the most important part of your letter.
Please describe, in your own words, how a Social Prescribing Organization could make a positive difference in your life.
You may wish to discuss topics such as:
How social isolation has affected you.
Whether mental health, disability, poverty, or other life circumstances have made it difficult to build or maintain social connections.
Why it can sometimes be difficult to participate in community activities.
What types of support, programs, peer connections, or community activities would help you.
How your quality of life could improve if an organization like this existed.
Why you believe this type of organization would benefit others in similar situations.
Please write from your own personal experience. There are no right or wrong answers. Your honest story is the most valuable part of your letter.
Examples to think about
a time they wanted to attend a community event but had no one to go with;
how social isolation has affected their mental health or sense of belonging;
challenges making or maintaining friendships;
how financial barriers have limited opportunities to participate in community life; or
how they believe a Social Prescribing Organization could have made a difference in that situation.
Closing
You may wish to end your letter by explaining that you support the creation of a Social Prescribing Organization and hope decision-makers will consider supporting the idea.
Thank the reader for taking the time to read your letter.
Yours truly,
Signature
Printed Name
Date
In Closing – First Voice Needs to Be Part of This Conversation
The reason I have shared this template publicly is because I believe first voice needs to be at the centre of this conversation. I can continue advocating through this BLOG for the creation of a Social Prescribing Organization, but there is something especially powerful about decision-makers hearing directly from the people who could actually benefit from such an organization.
If you are a reader who has experienced social isolation, difficulty making or maintaining friendships, financial barriers to participating in community life, or other circumstances that have made it difficult to develop meaningful social connections, I encourage you to consider whether you would feel comfortable writing a reference letter. You do not have to follow this template word for word. It is simply there to help you organize your thoughts and tell your own story in your own voice.
At the same time, nobody should feel pressured to disclose personal experiences they would rather keep private. If you choose to write a letter, share only what you are comfortable sharing. What matters is that the experiences and ideas expressed in the letter are genuinely your own.
My hope is that these reference letters can help governments, funders, health-care providers, community organizations and other decision-makers better understand that social isolation is not simply a statistic—it is something real people experience in their everyday lives. Solutions therefore need to be informed by those lived experiences.
As I continue advocating for a Social Prescribing Organization here in Halifax, I want this effort to be about more than my voice alone. If this organization is ultimately intended to serve people who experience social isolation and barriers to community connection, then those people deserve a meaningful voice in shaping the case for why it is needed.
That is why I am inviting first-voice people to speak up, tell their stories if they feel comfortable doing so, and help demonstrate what meaningful social connection, community care and Social Prescribing could look like in Halifax.
First voice should not simply be consulted after decisions are made. First voice should help shape the solutions from the beginning.
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