Healthwatch Essex celebrates International Youth Day with launch of short films ‘Roving Reporters’

Today marks International Youth Day; a United Nations awareness day. The theme for 2020 is youth engagement for global action – engaging young people in local, national and global issues. This year, Healthwatch Essex are supporting the initiative by launching four short films – ‘ Healthwatch Essex Roving Reporters’ – a group of young children interviewing professionals in the health and social care sector.

Lived experience is at the heart of our work at Healthwatch Essex and we use it to have positive impact on the improvement of local services. Based on the key topics raised by callers to our Information & Signposting Team, the short films shed light on issues in health and social care in Essex including mental health, deprivation, access to emergency services and IVF treatment.

Our curious Roving Reporters have interviewed local health and social care organisations across Essex and captured the lived experience of service users. Over the course of the next few days, we will be sharing their interviews with; Kids Inspire, Bourn Hall IVF Clinic, Essex & Herts Air Ambulance and Colchester Foodbank.

View our first video below with Roving Reporters Nancy and Katherine visiting Kids Inspire.

Please note that these interviews were all filmed prior to the Coronavirus outbreak and UK lockdown.