Count Me In Too is an award-winning project that seeks progress and social change for LGBT people in the South East Coastal area. The Universities of Brighton and Sussex work together with Spectrum (an LGBT Community Forum that promotes partnership work, community engagement and community development) to ensure that the needs of the local LGBT people are met.

Project Outline

From the Count Me In Too website:

To understand the history of the award-winning Count Me In Too project, it is important to recognise the project’s origins, which lie in the award-winning Count Me In project of 2000. This research was designed entirely by community members and was funded by the East Sussex Health Authority and Brighton & Hove Regeneration Partnership programme. Drawing on the findings of this research, a LGBT community strategy was created with key demands for improving the lives of LGBT people in Brighton & Hove. Many (but by no means all) action points were directed at the creation and provision of services. From Count Me In Spectrum was formed, in part to hold mainstream services accountable to LGBT communities.

By 2005 the LGBT community strategy was nearing its end and there was a demand for further up to date evidence, with which to inform future work. During a CUPP- Trustee matching event at the University of Brighton Kath Browne was introduced to a Spectrum trustee, and this meeting led to a funding bid being submitted to Cupp (BSCKE). This bid kick-started Count Me In Too.

A series of open consultations were instigated and a steering group formed, which guided the design of the research. During early 2006 a call was put out for stakeholders to submit questions for the questionnaire. Data collection in the form of focus groups and a questionnaire was undertaken in 2006.

From Autumn 2006-Spring 2007 initial analysis of the data was undertaken by the LGBT analysis group. The first reports on the findings of Count Me In Too were released in June 2007. From this point until July 2009 a series of in-depth finding analyses were undertaken with reports released covering a wide range of topics. These included:

•Domestic Violence & Abuse

•Community Safety

•Housing

•Mental Health

•General Health

•Bi People

•Trans People

•Drugs & Alcohol

Details of these reports can be found at http://www.countmeintoo.co.uk/library.php

These reports were guided by analyses groups consisting of key stakeholders relating to the relevant issues and funded by appropriate services/commissioners.

In the midst of these finding reports, the project began a new phase, using a substantial grant from the South East Costal Communities (SECC) Fund. This phase has seen Count Me In Too undertake further consultation with LGBT individuals, communities and organisations, to assess how the findings of the research should be further disseminated.

Through consultation the project has identified a number of ways in which this and other LGBT research in the city can be disseminated. These include a series of exhibitions, both within Brighton & Hove and further afield, that provide easy access to key findings and further information on the project.

In the Autumn of 2009 the LGBT Research Information Desk came into being, providing individuals, communities and organisations in Brighton & Hove with an opportunity to access and use LGBT-related research.

Initial Reports

Community Report http://www.countmeintoo.co.uk/initial_community.php