An event to bring young people to the forefront of a loneliness policy is going to be held in Parliament tomorrow.
The campaign #thelonelymillion is leading the issue to raise awareness, fight the stigma and make change.
A five-year strategy to tackle loneliness was introduced by the government in 2018.
Since its expiration, the rates of loneliness have increased for multiple reasons, such as the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and economic challenges.
Photo Credit: David Gradon
David Gradon is the founder of The Great Friendship Project (TGFP), in partnership with #thelonelymillion, which researches and supports lonely young adults.
He said: “We lost that political lead on this issue.
“It’s funny. In 2018, loneliness didn’t have that much resonance, whereas today we’ve been through the pandemic where we saw the impact and yet now, we don’t have a clear strategy.”
David started the project after the Covid-19 pandemic when he lost touch with friends and struggled making any new connections.
TGFP started as a walk for people aged 20-39 years old in 2021. Just 12 people joined. But each week, the amount of people quickly snowballed. The project now has over 30,000 members.
David left his full-time job to dedicate himself to the issue. He said: “What made me decide to do it was the huge amount of research that has been overlooked.
“When you think of loneliness, you often think about the elderly.
“It has all these negative stereotypes and connotations around the sort of person who struggles with loneliness, and I think – why don’t we challenge these?”
60% of young adults in the UK report that they experience loneliness on a weekly basis.
Census 2021
There are even physical implications that are comparable to 15 cigarettes a day.
The two major advocates of the campaign are funding and awareness.
Funding for loneliness traditionally focuses on under 18s, where societal structures are already in place through education.
“As soon as you leave that, there’s a cliff edge.”
David hopes for a bridge of support to be built from leaving education and into your thirties.
Loneliness in the workplace is “highly stigmatised” and David says that they should “prioritise tackling loneliness”.
“It’s important that we address it now before we see the worst of it.”
The event takes place tomorrow, on Monday 27th January.
