As part of Black History Month celebrations, Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) has created a series of multilingual Livecasts on the theme of kindness.
Developed by the Trust’s Staff Psychological Wellbeing Centre (SPC) in collaboration with the CNTW BAME Network, the three Livecasts are spoken in three different languages, native to the member of staff who recorded them.
Spoken in English, Swahili and Hindi, the Livecasts represent just some of the many diverse nationalities of people working in the Trust.
The idea came from the fact that people find things more meaningful in their own language.
Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Trust Lead for the Staff Psychological Wellbeing Centre, Kalpita Kunde, said: “Accessing messages in a language or accent that is familiar has so much more meaning and impact. We wanted to create something that staff could identify with.
“The theme of kindness was chosen because it’s universal, no matter where you’re from or what language you speak. Kindness has an impact on everyone; staff, service users, carers and families.
“Kindness is one of the easiest things we can do, especially in these challenging times. We hope that people are able to listen to the Livecasts and find them helpful.”
Three staff volunteers were asked to talk about their definitions and experiences of kindness and what it means to them.
Disclosures Processor Edith Russell speaks in Swahili about the importance of asking for help and how we can help others in need, while Senior Practitioner Psychologist Varshaa Deshpande describes how kindness has become a necessity during the pandemic.
Chaplain Raza Rahman’s Livecast is spoken in English. He talks about kindness as a gift, something that is not to keep to ourselves but that should be shared with the world.
The Livecasts can be found on the Trust’s YouTube channel. They are one of a number of initiatives the Trust is doing to mark Black History Month. Others include a book club discussing ‘Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race’ by Reni Eddo-Lodge and an event celebrating the role black people have had in shaping our communities.