One of the most meaningful parts of my recent work has been co-leading community engagement workshops focused on menopause education — particularly within underserved communities in Bristol.
Thanks to some public engagement funding, we were able to run a series of workshops with Somali women, mixed-ethnicity groups, and others who are often excluded from mainstream health messaging. We didn’t go in with PowerPoints — we listened, shared, co-created.
These workshops produced more than just conversation. Together, we developed multilingual menopause information leaflets, hosted open Q&A sessions, and even co-wrote a short awareness film now featured on the Bristol Menopause Toolkit.
Too often, menopause care is designed around a narrow narrative. By giving voice to those with different cultural contexts and lived experiences, we made the information better, braver, and more accessible. And the feedback? Overwhelmingly positive. People felt heard, respected, and seen.
Education works best when it’s a dialogue, not a broadcast. I’m grateful to everyone who took part and helped shape these resources — and to the funders who trusted us to do things differently.