URBRUM Social Media Wellbeing Programme

Background
The URBRUM social media wellbeing programme has passed its fifth year and is still going
stronger than ever in Birmingham. The programme traditionally engaged young people across
Birmingham and offered a range of social media approaches to accessing information and
services that support the young citizens in Birmingham. URBRUM remains the leading social
media programme in Birmingham and alongside its key partners, links citizens in with
wellbeing at a person centred level.
Although traditionally young person centred in its approach, URBRUM recognises that social
media is playing an ever-increasing role in the lives of all citizens, and regardless of individual
opinion as to its benefits or challenges, Social Media as a route of communication,
engagement and support is here to stay.
Our Challenges in Birmingham
Birmingham has a diverse population of over a million people – The health and social care
landscape across Birmingham is forever changing and the needs of all communities are
requiring more diverse support to ensure that our city has the greatest opportunity to
flourish. The Five Year Forward View for The NHS (2014) recognises this in outlining that a key
direction towards a proactive approach to health and wellbeing requires a radical upgrade in
prevention and public health. In addition, The Marmot Review, recognises the value of

investing our energies upstream through communities to address continued inequalities in
achievement and acquisition of skills.
Along with the challenges faced in Birmingham in respect of upstream investment in
wellbeing and prevention as well as ensuring that our people have the best possible
opportunities to flourish and achieve aspirations, we also need to be looking into the future
– Horizon scanning.
One key challenge we face is one of identity at a shared and individual level. Through
perceived difference and shared ignorance comes fragmentation and dysfunctionality in an
ever-diversifying City. Through recognising and embracing both our differences and shared
ideals, Birmingham can truly move forward, a city with a shared identity through equally
embracing its diverse foundations.
The Foresight Report (2013), Future Identities, Changing identities in the UK outlines that
identities are integral to mental health and wellbeing as they determine how a person
understands their place in the world, and how they relate to others. Maintaining and
expressing multiple identities freely is important for individual wellbeing and social
integration. For an individual, their various identities are fundamental to selfhood and are
deeply rooted in their psychology. The same can be said for shared identity.
Common Unity recognise that the URBRUM Programme continuously needs to develop to
respond to change and to place URBRUM in a position to give a more rapid response to social
need. URBRUM, plays a pivotal role in challenging many of both the present and future
challenges that all communities experience through offering a dynamic, person centred
service solution to best support people from all sectors of our city to realise their own
aspirations and find a voice both across communities as well as within the wider health and
social care landscape.
The Way Forward for URBRUM
The URBRUM Voice - a real opportunity for engagement, discussion, dialogue and debate
on the current issues affecting citizens and the issues citizens want to affect in the wider
Birmingham arena.
The URBRUM Voice will strive to further enable opportunities for citizen centred debates and
discussion on key topics involving both community representatives, guest speakers/panel
members on an equal footing.
Podcasts - Along with the spoken voice realised through The URBRUM Voice, the power of
visual media and sharing of that media plays an ever-increasing role in influencing citizens

and their outlook on life as well as having a wider influence on all our communities that
engage through the internet. Our video and audio podcasts offer further platform for people
to best express their views on issues relevant to their lives to best highlight challenges and an
opportunity for greater understanding across Birmingham by all sectors.
URBRUM - Workshops/ Focus Group / Expert Opinion
This type of direct engagement enables citizens from a wide age range to discuss the health
and wellbeing concerns but also establishes an arena for learning.
Engagement - Services are not currently joined up and it is only through working cohesively
alongside others that the needs of citizens/communities can be best addressed. URBRUM is
all about engagement and this includes all communities. URBRUM is a vehicle by which to not
only highlights difficulties and challenges faced by its citizens but also demonstrate the assets
our citizens/communities bring to the arena for the benefit of all.
The Waiting Room – Birmingham Health and Well-Being services at your finger-tips.
URBRUM hosts the ever-evolving and ground-breaking approach to engaging citizens with
their own health and wellbeing through online platforms of support. A One Stop Virtual Shop
for communities.
Caron Thompson
Company Director
www.common-unity.org
caront@common-unity.org