Health

The women's group works closely with the local Health Forum on Women's Health related issues e.g. Breast Cancer Awareness

Having a natural catchment area within the Brandywell, Diamond and Westland Electoral Wards, the Bogside & Brandywell Women's Group is ideally placed (within Dove House) to reach those most affected by deprivation in these areas.

In the health survey "Health in Our Hands" published in 2000 by the Bogside and Brandywell Health Forum, help to stop smoking was requested by a large number of people in the area. Since then four women from Bogside and Brandywell Women's Group have been trained to deliver Smoking Cessation and currently run support groups in the area for residents who are trying to quit. This can only help to create a healthier community. We now run a very successful Smoking Cessation Programme.

The University of Ulster has been commissioned by the Bogside and Brandywell Women's Group, funded by the Big Lottery, to undertake a qualitative study of the interactions between the aspirations of young people living in disadvantaged areas across Northern Ireland and the obstacles faced by their mothers in reconciling life in and outside the home.

This project is called "Aspirations"

The research aims to:

(i) examine the expectations and aspirations of young people in disadvantaged areas across Northern Ireland and the extent to which these are linked to intergenerational unemployment.

(ii) Explore how mothers can be facilitated to break this cycle of unemployment and poverty by entering education, training or employment.

The experiences and views of a sample of mothers and young people in disadvantaged areas of Derry, Belfast and (rural) Co. Fermanagh will be ascertained.