Health

What do we do for Health:

LINC is a community resource centre for lesbians and bisexual women and their families in Cork and beyond which is in its twelfth year of operation. The HSE provides core funding to support the work we deliver in the L&B community. Nationally, 10% of the population are estimated to be lesbian or gay and therefore, there are approximately 19,000 lesbian or gay people in the city of Cork and 48,000 in the county.LINC aims to “improve the quality of life, health and well-being of all women who identify as lesbian or bisexual”. This shall be achieved by:

• Building a safe, accessible and vibrant community centre (actual and virtual) for lesbians, bisexual and trans (LBT) women
• Providing information and support for LBT women and their families
• Promoting the physical, mental, emotional and sexual health of LBT women
• Informing and contributing to relevant policy development at local, regional and national level
• Being a model of best practice rooted in feminist, social justice and community development principles.

We have a strong track record of providing services in the areas of: mental health promotion and suicide prevention; general health and well-being; social support; education and training and family matters.LINC runs a programme of activities which varies over the course of the year, such as:

• Support groups, including the Phoenix Group for women under the age of 23, Older Women, Bisexual Women, Women in Recovery. In 2011, we will be running support groups for Married Women and Lesbian Parents
• Training, currently offering First Aid, Communication Skills, Trans Awareness, Basic IT skills
• Hobby Workshops including Creative Writing, Gardening and Art, and monthly Book club and Film Club
• Volunteering opportunities
• Social activities
• Target 1000 (Funded under the Suicide Prevention Measure and starting in 2011)

Target 1000 will have two strands: working with community members and working to raise awareness of LGBT issues among health practitioners. The community strand: “MY (Mind Yourself)Positive Health” will include workshops on Suicide Awareness/Prevention; Coping Skills; Emotional Intelligence (knowing how you feel, knowing how someone else feels and knowing what to do about it); Stress Management (recognising signs of stress and knowing how to manage it). The health practitioner strand aims to promote awareness and understanding among mental health and other support services in Cork of the issues facing lesbian women and how a more accessible service which is appropriate to lesbian mental health needs can be provided.Women can also access subsidised counselling services through LINC. Please see thesupport tab for details.LINC runs a youth group for women under the age of 23: Phoenix Youth. The group meets on Wednesday evenings from 6-8pm and has gone from strength to strength. The sessions are facilitated by an experienced youth worker who provides information and support as well as running a range of social and other activities. For example, Phoenix have an on-going art project creating a mural. Phoenix also links up with the youth group at The Other Place.LINC is open as a drop in community centre from 11-3pm Monday to Wednesday and 11-8pm on Thursdays. We offer one to one support, information and advice. The centre itself offers a welcoming and homely environment in which to meet your friends for coffee, browse the library or the internet, and find information on a variety of LGBT issues and concerns. We also have a Lesbian Resource Directory which has pulled together local L&B information and also signposts on to national resources.We also deliver Awareness training to organisations and companies who would like their staff to have a greater understanding of the issues and concerns of the LGBT community.For up to date information check out our website at www.linc.ie, or find us on Facebook.As quoted by a community member, LINC is “somewhere I can be myself”LINC, 11a White St, Cork. 021 48080600 or email info@linc.iePlease click here to find out the LINC Health Research file