Matty Amartey - Centric Community Researcher

I wanted to join Centric as I have a natural interest in the work I heard they are involved in. Their work resonates with my personal life and I feel I have skills that will add value to the team and the work being done. Being a part of Centric is amazing.

The projects we deal with are vibrant, immersive and vastly different from each other. It's nice to be part of something so interesting and innovative. I feel like I can relate to my team and there’s something in the air when working with them, I have already built strong relationships with many.

There is an optimism that is inherent in Centric. The way of working is unorthodox and fluid and you never know what else is coming and what new projects you may be involved in. It has already begun to reshape my thinking and expand my horizons to what I can do in the future. It made me look at topics I have never looked at before, and how I, as part of Centric, could work in these areas. It has also made me understand how important research is and how relevant Centric’s approach is to reforming the way research is done.

Homerton Hospital has been my first project. Honestly, I never thought I would be involved in current affairs. Vaccine mandates are about to be implemented and I have been part of the process to hear the concerns and issues arising from them, directly from staff that may lose their jobs when they come into effect. So much goes unheard by these communities and in this case, the Homerton Hospital staff. It is important they are heard and understood so their issues can be addressed.

I feel privileged to be able to facilitate the voices of the unheard. It makes me feel important and relevant to the conversations going on.

I now feel in tune with the issues of today and have already gained a deeper understanding of why this will have such an impact on the NHS and the staff who come from communities I share a lived reality with. Building a bridge between authorities and institutions with the community is so key. It is clear there has been a breakdown in communication between staff and management, but this is happening throughout the UK between employers and employees, as well as communities, and the institutions that are positioned to serve them. Centric provides the platform to have real, open and honest conversations, that without intervention, simply wouldn't happen.

To be part of Centric is to be an optimist, a realist, a facilitator, a researcher, a community champion, but most importantly, a human.

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Muhammed Rauf - Centric Task Force

Matty joined the team a few short weeks ago and has already made a big impact. As part of our Homerton project, we ran recruitment days. We went into the hospital to speak to staff directly about Centric and the work we will be doing. Matty jumped at the opportunity and hit the ground running. Not just engaging with staff, but connecting with them. They felt confident opening up to him and sharing their emotions.

Matty brings a unique skill set to the Centric team based on many years of lived experience dealing with the criminal justice system and social services. He has been part of the raw end of the Black struggle. Identifying the failings of these systems, and the effect it has on the lives of marginalised communities, trapping them in a destructive cycle many never free themselves from.

Centric knows it is important for people like Matty to be brought into working with the community, utilising their wealth of lived experience when working to form solutions for systemic issues these marginalised communities face.

Centric employs youth, academics, community leaders, corporates, entrepreneurs, disruptors and many more. We create a package of expertise, lived experience and knowledge that is brought to the table when working alongside the community for social, institutional, structural and political reform.

Empowering communities, giving them a voice, and the ability to change their own lives, as well as the lives of those around them. Doesn’t that sound like a movement worth supporting?

Get in touch at: Muhammed.rauf@centric.org.uk

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