Title: Dragons Voice: Addressing worklessness and promoting mental health well-being in the older migrant community
Funder: Department of Health and Social Care

Abstract: This project focuses on older migrants’ (aged 50+) ability to seek and maintain sustainable work up until and beyond State Pension Age (SPA). In partnership with broadcaster ALL ARTS & MEDIA (AllFM) and Manchester based Chinese community organisations, Dragons Voice and the Wai Yin Society, we will explore how radio production and broadcast can provide training and experience which improves the employability of older migrants. Migrants' employment experience is often challenging, including barriers such as poverty, racism and language barriers. They are significantly less likely than British nationals to be able to retire at the age of 65. Worklessness has a significant impact on older migrants' mental health, increasing financial insecurity, isolation, and loneliness. Because older migrants are much more likely than the general population to be in or seeking work at 65, the impact of work and worklessness on their mental health is an important but under-researched part of the Extended Working Life policy agenda. Dragons Voice is a fortnightly show on AllFM for the Chinese community in Manchester. Made by the Dragons Voice members, the show is broadcast in English and Cantonese. Initially funded by Greater Manchester NHS to promote positive mental health in the Manchester Chinese community, the shows have evolved, providing a voice for this community and giving participants the opportunity to express themselves and highlighting the stories of many in the community. The shows were an important voice during lockdown, delivering public health campaigns, including the prevention of Covid transmissions to the Chinese community. This project will explore how Dragons Voice, and similar programmes of community building and training can be used to support older migrants into sustainable work which will enable them to secure and maintain sustainable and healthy work up to and beyond SPA. Our objectives are: 1. To understand the experiences, barriers and challenges faced by older unemployed and underemployed migrants in securing and maintaining sustainable work 2. To identify ways which employers can make use of the skills of older migrants 3. To develop ways to deliver formal, accredited training and develop transferable skills for older migrants 4. To understand how, through a medium like Dragons Voice, older migrants can build solidarity within and between communities to address shared barriers to sustainable work 5. To improve and enhance mental health outcomes of older migrants by taking part in the project We will assemble a working group made up of employers, community radio experts, community activists from Chinese and other BAME communities, and older migrants to develop a programme to engage one hundred participants in training and participation with Dragons Voice. Through a series of workshop discussions within the working group, the experiences of older Chinese migrants will be explored, including barriers to sustainable work. Solutions will also be co-produced and an agenda for change will be agreed. The programme will serve as a template to support other marginalized groups who are unemployed, underemployed or in unstable work into sustainable employment which enhances mental health and well-being up to and beyond State Pension Age.

Lay abstract: Background This project explores how participation in radio broadcasting can support older workless migrants into secure work and promote good mental health. It builds on the Manchester based radio programme Dragons Voice. Questions 1. What are the barriers faced by older migrants in securing and maintaining sustainable work and what is the impact on their mental health and well-being which will enable them to stay economically active up to and beyond SPA? How can the barriers be overcome? 2. How can radio broadcasting provide training to support older migrants to secure and maintain sustainable work, which in turn can benefit and enhance migrants’ mental health wellbeing? 3. How can community forums like Dragons Voice be used as bridge between the migrant and business communities in order to reduce older migrant joblessness and underemployment? 4. How can community building like Dragons Voice provide a vehicle for marginalised communities like Chinese migrants to support one another into sustainable work? 5. How can participation in community programs like Dragons Voice enhance mental health well-being of older migrants? Aims and objectives This project aims to address problems of worklessness, isolation and poor mental health faced by older migrants. Its objectives are: 1. To understand the experiences, barriers and challenges faced by older unemployed and under-employed migrants in securing and maintaining sustainable work. 2. To identify ways which employers can make use of the skills of older migrants 3. To develop ways to deliver formal, accredited and transferable skills for older migrants 4. To understand how, thorough a medium like Dragons Voice, older migrants can build solidarity within and between communities to address shared barriers to sustainable work 5. To improve and enhance mental health outcomes of older migrants by taking part in the project Development work plan The project will be conducted through co-production workshops involving older migrants, business leaders, community groups and members of the wider BAME community. It will consist of three workpackages (WP)s: 1. Baseline analysis through workshops and rich picturing 2. Mapping of community work to support older jobless migrants through workshops 3. Multi-stakeholder design of a research, policy and practice agenda through a workshop and survey of older Chinese migrants on the relationship between employment and mental health WPs 1-3 will generate qualitative data on the experiences of older Chinese migrants in the job market as well as a co-produced agenda for helping them find and secure sustainable work. WP3 will also produce quantitative data on the link between employment and mental health Timelines for delivery The project will be conducted over a six-month period: 1-2: Assembly of steering group; ethics approval; and rich picturing (WP1) 3-4: Mapping community involvement (WP2); Questionnaire design (WP3) 5-6: Multi-stakeholder research, policy and practice agenda workshops and analysis of survey results Impact and dissemination The aim of this project is to facilitate the coordination of stakeholders (employers, unions, social enterprises) in developing and implementing a research, policy and practice agenda for addressing constraints faced by older Chinese migrants in the Greater Manchester area. Throughout, we will disseminate the project's milestones and outcomes to the wider Chinese migrant community through the Dragons Voice broadcasting.

Research activity codes: 3.1 PRIMARY PREVENTION INTERVENTIONS TO MODIFY BEHAVIOURS OR PROMOTE WELL-BEING
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH