Building a better tomorrow for everyone, everywhere
Centre for Health Empowerment
The Centre for Health Empowerment is a project of People Street that prizes collaboration over certainty. We are not here to advocate for a single perspective or to push predetermined solutions. Instead, we think deeply about practical ways to tackle health inequalities, embracing the complexity of real-world challenges.
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We believe in multidisciplinary exchange—bringing together voices from different fields, lived experiences, and ways of knowing. If you are drawn to thoughtful dialogue, if you prefer to explore the full rhythm of an issue rather than march to a single beat, this is the space for you.
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We welcome critique—not the kind that tears down, but the kind that asks hard questions, challenges assumptions, and opens up new ways of thinking. Our focus is on practice: testing, iterating, and refining approaches that make health systems fairer, more inclusive, and rooted in the realities of the people they serve. Above all, we seek to foster debate, deepen understanding, and turn collective insight into action.
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If you would like to join us on this journey, please use the contact information at the bottom of this page.
People Street is launching the Centre for Health Empowerment in response to the deepening health inequalities and the urgent need for communities to have a stronger role in shaping their own well-being. As the gaps in health outcomes widen, we believe in the power of self-health—an approach grounded in health promotion and community empowerment—to build resilience, improve lives, and create lasting change.
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At the heart of our work is the principle of self-health: the idea that people are not passive recipients of care but active agents in their own well-being. By fostering self-efficacy, collective action, and community-led solutions, we are creating a future where everyone has the knowledge, confidence, and power to drive better health outcomes for themselves and those around them.
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The Centre for Health Empowerment has grown directly from our grassroots work, funded by North East London NHS, and shaped by the voices of the communities we serve. They have told us clearly: raising awareness is not enough. What’s needed is meaningful support—opportunities to build skills, access resources, and take control of their own health and well-being.
The Centre exists to answer that call, turning lived experience into action and ensuring that communities are not just heard but equipped to lead the change they want to see.
What is Self-Health?
Self-Health refers to the capacity of individuals, families, and communities to take an active role in managing their health and well-being, both independently and in partnership with healthcare providers.
This emphasis on self-efficacy and community-based approaches is essential for building resilient and healthy populations. By strengthening self-efficacy and fostering community-led solutions, we can create a future where everyone has the knowledge, confidence, and support to live healthier lives.
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Self-Health is built on community, cooperation, and mutual support—it is not a personal self-help journey.
Recognising that individuals are part of families, which are rooted in communities, we work across all three levels: individual, family, and community. Our approach is collaborative and participatory, ensuring that solutions are driven by the communities themselves.
Self-Health is multi-dimensional. We work at the individual, family, community and system level. Moving between and within levels to deepen understanding. We appreciate that individuals exist within families and communities. That communities and families impact on a person's health. For example, a community's attitude about mental ill health can influence a family's decision to access or avoid accessing mental health services. Appreciating this enables us to design accessible health pathways and services.
The Centre for Health Empowerment is​ intentionally community-driven, shifting away from a system where patient data is owned and controlled by institutions. Instead, we enable individuals, families and communities to review, interrogate, and analyse their own health literacy data—using insights to drive improvements and advance health justice. Meetings will be chaired by Community Representatives, who will convene a multidisciplinary group.
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​​In summer the 2025, we will invite collaborators to join us on this journey. Meeting bi-annually, we will share insights from grassroots interventions and co-create solutions and recommendations. We will feed this work into the appropriate local, regional and national teams. Our aim is to support the capacity of health systems to embed health inequity thinking into business as usual. We strive for pragmatism and sustainability.
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If you would like to get involved, please contact us using the link below.