tsiMORAY CHANGING THE STORY IN MORAY: Community-Led Research into Mental Wealth, CHIME & Storytelling
Changing the Story in Moray is a 12-month community-led research project that will work with 4-6 community initiatives funded through the Moray Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund to explore how storytelling can help build and make visible mental wealth in Moray.
Using the CHIME framework (Connection, Hope, Identity, Meaning and Empowerment), the project will support community organisations and participants to capture and share stories about the difference they make, while strengthening local capacity for research, reflection and learning.
Why is this important?
Community groups across Moray create connection, reduce isolation and improve wellbeing every day. However, much of this knowledge remains hidden within funding reports and is not always visible to decision-makers.
This project will help communities:
Capture their experiences in accessible and meaningful ways
Build confidence in sharing their knowledge and impact
Contribute to a stronger collective understanding of mental wealth
Ensure lived experience plays a greater role in shaping future decisions
What will happen?
A Community/Peer Researcher will work alongside participating organisations, tsiMORAY and the Collaboration for Mental Wealth in Moray (CMWM) to:
Build relationships and understand local contexts
Co-design simple storytelling and reflection methods
Support ongoing story and evidence gathering
Facilitate collaborative analysis and learning
Share findings through accessible outputs and events
The role is currently being promoted via social media/website.
Key Research Question
How does storytelling help build mental wealth in communities and contribute to positive change?
The project will also explore:
What community mental wealth means in practice
How CHIME values emerge through community activity
What supports or prevents effective storytelling
How community stories can influence policy and practice
What difference will it make?
For participants
Increased connection, confidence and empowerment
Greater recognition of lived experience as valuable knowledge
For organisations
Improved ability to evidence and communicate impact
Stronger skills and tools for storytelling and reflection
For Moray
A community-generated evidence base on mental wealth
Stronger links between community experience and decision-making
A scalable model for community-led research and narrative change
Connection to the Community Research Network
The project is fully integrated with the Collaboration for Mental Wealth in Moray (CMWM) and will contribute to peer research development, CHIME learning, shared tools, and wider efforts to strengthen community-led evidence and influence across Moray.
Vision
By changing how stories are captured, shared and valued, this project aims to strengthen mental wealth, amplify community voices and help ensure that lived experience shapes the future of wellbeing in Moray.
Part of the Collaboration for Mental Wealth in Moray (CRN), funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and The Young Foundation.
Hosted by Moray Wellbeing Hub CIC, the Collaboration for Mental Wealth in Moray is a network of partners who are researching what works for creating mental wealth in Moray through the co-creation of solutions and community-driven action. Partners in the network are the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI), tsiMORAY, Science Ceilidh, Arrows (A Quarriers Service), Earthtime for All, and Grampian Regional Equality Council (GREC).
