| 16/03/2020 |
£9,950 |
S.M.I.L.E-ING BOYS |
14. What is your project? (400 words)
S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys Project is a series of four 8 week-long wellbeing workshops in four schools across four boroughs of London (Lambeth, Southwark, Haringey & Wandsworth), working with 13-16 year old Black boys. This will culminate in an exhibition of their images, written poems, short film and audio media created collaboratively with myself during the workshops - at Battersea Arts Centre, Theatre Peckham, Southbank Centre, Brixton Village & EartH (Evolutionary Arts Hackney). The workshops will be designed using a Wellcome Trust-funded happiness research already conducted in Scandinavia and Bhutan by me through poetry, photography and film.
The project will empower this demographic of boys to explore their mental health and happiness levels in a bid to reduce their propensity towards violence, more specifically the rise in stabbings in London.
The project addresses the rising number of youth stabbings and fatalities amongst Black boys in London through a public health preventative approach. The rise in youth violence is one of the symptoms of lack of mental health support for this demographic, as documented in the mental health foundation and the centre of mental health reports. The number of youth stabbings in London from April 2017-April 2018 came in at 1,299 and this number has risen by 16% since 2018 - (Statistics from The BBC). This project will provide the audience the opportunity to understand and engage with the realities of these young people; provide a platform for them to celebrate their works and achievements; help boost their self-esteem; and share important learnings from the whole process.
There will be a period of planning for the workshops and selection process by the 4 schools. The project will run until the end of the Summer term which will then lead to a series of S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys celebration events to bring these young boys together to share positive stories and positive narratives of themselves in a bid to empower this community and challenge stereotypes that lead to self fulfilling prophesies, and to keep them engaged in positive projects instead of other negative ventures.
The project aims to build on the contents of the workshop following a robust social impact evaluation, add a peer mentorship structure as this was identified as one of the key needs to foster continuity in a bid to cascade this methodology to the younger kids of this demographic. |
| 16/03/2020 |
£8,225£320,886 |
HOUNSLOW ACTION FOR YOUTH |
Coordinate preventative services. This project provides a vital services that works in partnership with statutory, community, and business sectors |
| 16/03/2020 |
£10,000£12,158,917 |
THE ROUNDHOUSE TRUST |
14. What is your project? (400 words)
We are asking for support towards Out of Order, a project working with trans people (including non-binary, gender non-confirming and questioning) to improve wellbeing through theatre and the arts. The project will offer increased access to the arts, specialist drama therapy support and the promotion of trans rights, and will particularly aim to work with BAME and disabled trans people.
SOCIALLY-SUPPORTED THEATRE MAKING
The project is centred around the creation of a new theatrical show through our model of socially-supported theatre making. Three trans Lead Artists, all of whom are prominent performers, will recruit and work with 5/6 18-25 year-old trans Young Artists to devise a new piece of theatre. The piece, that will include music, theatre, comedy writing and movement, will raise awareness of trans issues and confront the ever-present toilet debate within the trans community through humour and lived experience.
This narrative will be further developed with the Young Artists over one month of rehearsals in October 2020, culminating in a two-week run of shows at the Roundhouse in November. All of these will be paid, professional development opportunities and build on the experience of Hive City Legacy, a similar project we did in 2018 with femmes of colour.
WRAPAROUND ACTIVITY
We will also hire trans people to work on all off-stage areas of the production, including stage management, lighting and sound, each of whom will have a young trans person shadowing their work to gain experience in these fields that are often not diverse or representative. Alongside this, we will offer two/three workshops for up to 60 young trans people to give an insight into the creative industries.
WELLBEING AND MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
We are seeking funding particularly for several components of this project that form the basis of the wellbeing support and profile-raising of trans and intersectional rights. This will include hiring a drama therapist to work alongside delivery staff, intensive youth support that will be available to all participants, a contribution to the production and marketing budget to raise awareness of challenges faced by trans people and a contribution to the lead artist and young artist fees.
“Across the landscape, it is apparent that young people need to see themselves on and off stage and this project is set out to achieve this for our trans community without barriers posed on them by race, sexuality, gender or economic prohibition” – Krishna Istha, Lead Artist |
| 16/03/2020 |
£5,980 |
THE EALING TRAILFINDERS FOUNDATION |
14. What is your project? (400 words)
Rugby Union is still largely played by white, middle class men, and it is generally people of this profile who get involved in the sport at a young age. However we also know that playing rugby can have huge benefits to young people from any background. We have begun to explore and deliver work in more disadvantaged communities and unsurprisingly are finding that there are many young males from more disadvantaged and ethnic minority backgrounds who have great potential to develop and succeed in the sport. And we are also seeing the benefits that playing the sport has upon their lives. We want therefore to organise a programme specifically for this target group - in particular those aged 16-18 and on the cusp of adulthood and independent life.
We want to run a community rugby programme in the highly deprived White City area of Hammersmith which reaches out to young black men, and offers them the opportunity to start playing the game.
This community rugby programme will take place in the Linford Christie Stadium, and work with 30 young black men from the local area participating in weekly rugby sessions over 30 weeks. These will be supplemented by monthly workshops on topics surrounding mental health, wellbeing, life planning and aspirations. These workshops will build upon the personal development aspect of playing rugby, helping participants to think of the various opportunities that exist for them both within rugby and sport, but also in the wider world.
The weekly sessions will be run by two of our Foundation's experienced, capable sessional coaches, while workshops will be run by experts on the particular topics, with our coaches also in attendance to provide additional support. Many of our coaches are current or former players from the Ealing Trailfinders Club, and provide very good role models to young men in particular. As well as offering the benefits of their experience playing the game and living well, they also offer a very positive form of masculinity to young men who may be from very challenging backgrounds and vulnerable to influence from more toxic forms of masculinity.
Coaches will be supported by two volunteers who we will recruit specifically for the project. We will encourage young people to take up leadership roles within the sessions too, and to progress towards volunteering in our other programmes (so further supporting their ongoing personal development). |
| 16/03/2020 |
£10,000£135,664 |
HERTS INCLUSIVE THEATRE |
We are seeking funding for a project which addresses social isolation and the mental wellbeing impact on adults with learning disabilities. We will do this by providing 64 x 2 hour arts and theatre sessions weekly from September 2020 through to April 2022. The project would be run in partnership with the Aspire Leisure Centre in Stanmore who provide us with the use of a fully accessible studio theatre.
We are the only organisation in Harrow offering this service for adults with learning disabilities. We have been providing similar arts activities for adults with learning disabilities in Harrow since 2010. We have 18 participants taking part in a current project which ends in July, and we aim that some of those will transfer to the new project as well as attracting new participants.
The project will provide an accessible opportunity for adults with learning disabilities to explore cultural and social activities, which has been proven to increase their mental wellbeing. Increasing their social skills, including confidence, friendship, team work as well as learning new skills. Our project will break down barriers in society, showing the abilities of adults with learning disabilities, we aim the skills they learn will feel confident to attend other activities including mainstream arts activities, and look for volunteering opportunities.
During the funding period our project will be broken down into three themes, the first would run from September until December 2020, and look at music and movement concluding with a short performance at the Harrow Disability Arts Festival. The second theme would run over two ‘terms’ from January until July 2021, creating a large scale piece of theatre looking at themes relevant to the day to day life of adults with a learning disability. These themes would include Hate Crime, Money management, Work and Healthy Living. The aim would be to provide the adults with support to be self-advocates on these issues, whilst also creating a piece to perform to other adults with learning disabilities. The third theme would run again over two terms from September 2021 until the end of April 2022, we aim to be involved with activities celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. If not, we will be looking at the work of William Shakespeare. All of the content of our themes are person centred, so we go in with a theme but let the participants help us decide and shape the content. |
| 16/03/2020 |
£10,000 |
CORE ARTS |
The NEW Core Arts garden created from “Our Spaces” grant in 2019 and using Core Landscapes roof garden and neighbouring street tree pits, the “Core Gardening for Life” programme will:
•Empower marginalised people with lived experienced of mental ill health to connect with nature by learning life-long horticultural skills in a supportive social environment.
•Engage with the natural world to increase mental health resilience, enable life long self-care, create opportunities for personal development + increase physical and mental wellbeing.
The skills will be learnt from developing the new CA’s gardens and local tree pits, caring for and propagating sensory, seasonal and emotive plants throughout the 4 seasons, in supportive + structured sessions. With a combination of technical + practical horticulture sessions, nature perception + overcoming obstacles + fears, to create opportunities for personal development and social inclusion.
Plus 2 x public events,
•1st linked to Open Garden Squares Weekend June 2020
•2nd linked to Mental Health Awareness Week May 2021
Year round sessions will cover:
80 x classes through the year for referrals + community/support volunteers. Up to 12 people per session. 64 volunteers p/a of which 36 mental health based referrals covering:
· Soil management
· Composting
· Propagation
· Plant identification
· Plant design
· Herb + food growing
· Organic ‘pest’ control
· Holistic gardening techniques
· Wildflower growing
· Green roofs
· Medicinal plants
The programme will break down stigmas around mental ill health by enabling people to work and create together collaboratively whatever their pathway into the project. It will support marginalised people with unique challenges to feel part of and valued by their local community. Core Arts is in a unique position to deliver this programme based on 27years of creatively enabling people with severe and enduring mental health issues to overcome barriers, fulfil their potential and participate fully in their community.
· Addressing mental ill health and related social isolation + stigmas attached to it
· Reaching people with lived experience of mental ill health including severe + enduring mental health conditions via referrals systems
· Equipping people with lasting life long skills to use horticulture + nature engagement as tools for mental health self-care, facilitate social engagement + social networks,
increase opportunities for further study or vocational development, people to feel happier, included and valued.
· Case studies, Warwick + Edinburgh MHWBS, before + after surveys
· Addressing Hackneys low position on Thriving Places Index https://www.thrivingplacesindex.org/ relating to: mental health, community participation + community cohesion. |
| 16/03/2020 |
£8,900£9,777,000 |
CW PLUS |
Trans BootCamp is an empowerment programme for trans women, which is designed and delivered by trans women working collaboratively with 56 Dean Street (Europe’s busiest sexual health clinic), 56T (Dean Street’s trans health and wellbeing service), and CW+ (the charity of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust). The project was originally conceived and will be led by Rebecca Tallon de Havilland, Ireland’s first transgender woman, and trans campaigner.
Numerous studies of trans people over the last two decades highlight health issues associated with this group of people. This includes mental health, and quality of life outcomes, including high rates of depression and anxiety, low self-esteem, problematic alcohol and drug use, high levels of HIV and suicide in the trans people. Recent studies (Transforming Outcomes report by the LGBT Foundation and the Government’s National LGBT Survey) continue to reveal disturbing patterns of mistreatment and discrimination, and startling disparities between trans and cisgendered people when it comes to the most basic elements of life, such as finding a job (up to 25% less likely to be in paid employment than a cisgendered person), having a place to live (1 in 4 trans people are discriminated against when seeking rented accommodation), accessing medical care, and enjoying the support of family and community.
Trans BootCamp was piloted in 2017 and in 2019 with promising results, 100% of participants reported improved health and well-being, and increased skills and confidence. One participant said:
“I'm a trans woman in the earlier stages of my transition. Trans BootCamp was excellent; the information I got from it has really helped with my transition and helped set my future goals. And I've been able to pass some of it on to others.”
In the next year, the overarching aim of Trans BootCamp is to enable trans women to thrive in all aspects of their lives. It will support up to 15 trans women, of various ages, living in London and beyond, and aims to deliver the following outcomes:
- To improve the health and wellbeing of 100% of participants
- 100% increase in the skills and confidence of participants
- An increase of at least 60% in the number of participants securing paid employment or volunteering opportunities
- More confident and knowledgeable about access health and social care, in at least 70% of participants
- To reduce the feelings of loneliness and isolation of by bringing trans women together. |
| 16/03/2020 |
£9,800£2,980,581 |
ROYAL ASSOCIATION FOR DEAF PEOPLE (RAD) |
14. What is your project? (400 words)
Deaf Thrive London is a pilot project that will reach out to culturally Deaf Londoners who use British Sign Language (BSL), who are further marginalised by being LGBTQ+.
We know that Deaf people are four times more likely to have mental health challenges, exacerbated by loneliness and isolation due to communication barriers. They have poor access to information – many Deaf people are not fluent in English, their second language – and support: counselling in BSL is in short supply, and community support inaccessible due to language barriers. In addition, LGBTQ+ Deaf people often feel excluded by “mainstream” Deaf social groups, where some have old-fashioned attitudes.
We will start by holding two consultation events with Deaf LGBTQ+ Londoners, to gather information about the everyday challenges they face, their wellbeing, and their preferences for activities and workshop topics.
We will also use these events to recruit 4 volunteers as Wellbeing Champions, and go on to provide them with Mental Health First Aid Training. The volunteers will support workshops and activities, and will be supported to enable groups to become self-sustaining.
For the rest of the two-year grant period, we will hold 20 events, the contents and locations of which will be shaped by our consultation:
• 10 Workshops will focus on sharing information to enable participants to become empowered, understand their rights and the underpinning legislation, self-manage their physical and mental health, and take action to improve their personal circumstances
• 10 Activity events will provide a variety of accessible activities focussed on London’s cultural opportunities (arts, museums) as well as physical enjoyment (green spaces, swimming, sports)
An important element of all events will be the opportunity to socialise, make new friends, and share experiences in a non-judgemental environment – reducing loneliness and isolation. By involving trained volunteers, we increase the potential for groups to continue to meet and enjoy activities together after the project ends.
We will measure the impact on participants’ wellbeing using feedback questionnaires, based on the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Wellbeing Scale, using “I” statements such as “I’ve been dealing with problems well”. For workshops, we will also measure whether attendees have gained knowledge on the topic.
RAD takes a holistic approach to all our work and participants who require it, will be signposted to other RAD services that can support their wellbeing. These include advice (benefits, debt, housing), employability, and advocacy. |
| 16/03/2020 |
£9,974 |
TOGETHER PRODUCTIONS |
Our project is the Sing For Freedom Choir, whose members are refugees and asylum seekers who have experienced torture in their countries of origin along with Londoners who have joined to sing in solidarity with them. The choir was started by the charity Freedom From Torture in 2016 but they were unable to sustain its funding and withdrew support in July 2017. At the request of the choir Together Productions stepped in and raised over £13000 through a crowdfunding campaign. We were able to restart the choir in 2019, however the funds raised will not sustain it beyond June 2020. This project will allow us to secure the future of the choir by funding it through 2020/21, increasing membership, raising the profile of the project and affording us time to secure ongoing sustained funding.
We have witnessed the huge social and therapeutic benefits the choir offers some of the most marginalised people living in our community. By also including local residents we are able to offer all members the opportunity to connect with each other and share in the joy and experience of singing together. This has a uniquely powerful ability to reduce fear and isolation as well as increasing trust and understanding. Members describe profound therapeutic and social benefits from participation: “one of the worst things about torture is that it silences you – the choir has given me back my voice” and “In my torture time, I lose my confidence, especially in public areas, and I won’t trust anybody...But now, because of this choir, I don’t care, three thousand people and I will go out...I develop skill, I have developed my confidence. Now I trust everybody.”
The project will begin in June 2020 with a large performance during Refugee Week to raise profile of choir, attract press and new members. We will then run the choir for two full terms working to double the membership through Autumn & Spring terms 2020/21. We will use marketing and publicity to attract new members and run taster workshops at the beginning of each term. We will hold weekly rehearsals at the Freedom From Torture centre led by an experienced musical director and performances twice a term. We will hold twice termly meetings of the choir steering committee - formed of choir members, the musical director and TP staff - who steer the direction and development and make all key decisions. |
| 16/03/2020 |
£9,858 |
SOUTHEAST AND EAST ASIAN CENTRE CIC |
14. What is your project? (400 words)
The Pink Transcripts combines Documentary Theatre and Drama Therapy as a hybrid strategy through regular and sustained ten rehearsal-therapy sessions for transgender and cross-dresser members of the Southeast Asian LGBT migrant communities. The workshop sessions will lead to a public performance as a form of engagement and conversation with the Southeast Asian migrant communities and with the British public as a whole and as documentation of the narratives of the struggle faced by transgenders and cross-dressers within the already-marginalized Southeast Asian LGBT migrants communities in London.
The project addresses the lack of spaces for transgender and cross-dressers within the Southeast Asian LGBT communities in London to express themselves, on how to integrate into the Southeast Asian migrant communities and in British society as a whole, and the anxieties due to experiences of violence, exclusion, racism, and discrimination. These experiences are push factors that lead a member of this community to social isolation that usually leads to acute mental health problems frequently leading to suicides. The struggle of the groups within the Southeast Asian LGBT communities is usually unheard - and The Pink Transcripts will utilize theatre as a platform to raise awareness within the Southeast Asian communities in London.
The Pink Transcript is a pioneering project in the United Kingdom that provides Drama Therapy to transgender and cross-dressers within the Southeast Asian migrant communities. Also, the project goes beyond therapy by documenting the struggles of this marginalized group within the Southeast Asian migrant LGBT communities and then performing these documented struggles to the public.
The Pink Transcripts is a ten rehearsal-therapy session of Drama Therapy as performative transcriptions of personal stories of the participants that will culminate in a two-day public performance also by the participants and their collaborators. The rehearsal-therapy sessions will produce written and performed narratives of the participants (transcriptions) that will be put into a script for a public performance targeting an audience of 200.
The project's documentation and performance through Documentary Theatre will be a viable resource for future endeavors from scholars, community workers, artists, and policymakers that impact the welfare of transgender and cross-dresser members of the Southeast Asian migrant communities in London. The Drama Therapy aspect of the project will address the anxieties brought by social exclusion experienced by the participants. This is a pilot project that SEAC with its partner organization, Kanlungan Filipino Consortium, that we envisions to replicate in the future. |
| 16/03/2020 |
£9,691£21,938 |
KANLUNGAN FILIPINO CONSORTIUM |
Migrant women and LGBTQ+ in low-paid precarious jobs like domestic workers, cleaners, nannies and caregivers are among the marginalized groups in London. Because of their vulnerable condition, there is a need to improve on their self-esteem, build their resilience and enhance their sense of wellbeing and mental health (MH). It is also imperative to raise their MH awareness, strengthen their access to social support and community resources and heighten their sense of empowerment as protective measures against distress and abuse.
The proposed project will address these gaps to mitigate the impact of previous abuse experience and improve their sense of wellbeing towards greater empowerment and better quality of life. This will be done through a series of bi-monthly capacity-building workshops that will focus on topics and issues suggested by target participants in various consultative meetings held previously.
Specifically, the intended outcomes are:
(1) To raise their level of MH awareness through MH literacy campaigns, participation in advocacy works and other information campaigns;
(2) To develop their coping skills, resilience other life skills for greater sustainability and empowerment;
(3) To enhance their sense of self-confidence through involvement and participation in the design, implementation and evaluation of the project;
(4) To improve their access to social support and community resources through formation of support groups, community volunteering and mobilisation.
These outcomes will be measured through pre- and post- assessment of the project in the form of self-report questionnaires, routine outcome monitoring, feedback session, conduct of dialogues and focused group discussion with target participants, and multiple observations and note-taking by the session facilitator.
A total of 12 workshops will be held with ton these topics:
1. Introduction to MH and self-awareness (1 session)
2. Self-presentation with dignity - skills in maintaining physical health and wellbeing, self-care (2 sessions)
3. Self-expression - positive and assertive communication skills, social media presence, body movement (3 sessions)
4. Claiming public space/advocacy skills - writing simple narrative of experiences, engaging with media/press skills, writing to MPs and conversations in surgeries, community organising (3 sessions)
5. Coping with anxieties/depression through knowledge of rights at work/society, as women/LGBT+, statutory support and community support, buddy/support system (3 sessions)
The proposed project is envisioned to contribute to the priority actions for MH in England (NHS, 2016) on “helping people lead fulfilled, productive lives through promotion of good mental health, prevention of poor mental health and creation of mentally healthy communities." |
| 16/03/2020 |
£7,571£253,332 |
EAST LONDON OUT PROJECT - ELOP |
This service addresses the gap in provision for those fleeing their homeland because of being LGBT+ and often still face discrimination here from those from their homeland. This project addresses social isolation, psychological distress and supports the creation of peer networks of support to build a new life integrated in the community. All those we support are both economically and socially disadvantaged. Most have no contact with their families of origin. Many have no or limited connections to others in the UK and are afraid of being “outed” in the communities of origin here in the UK. This project enables LGBT+ asylum seekers to meet weekly and also encourages peer networks to form so support and friendships can extend beyond the group. The groups enable peer support and the sharing of experiences of both applying for asylum as well as opportunity for sharing cultural experiences that they have been cut off from. These groups supports those who have escaped violence, torture, been disowned by families/communities and persecution by communities/authority. The impact leaves people with acute anxiety, depression and feeling suicidal. LGBT led support provides opportunity to feel safe to be who you are.
50 people will be supported during the year, two groups will be run a week, each group has space for 15 people in each session, supported by one lead facilitator, volunteers and peer volunteers. The groups are open to those that live in London. The group is kept at this number to ensure that appropriate emotional support can be provided as often within the groups there are a number of individuals who are facing significant mental health difficulties, including PTSD, depression and anxiety. On group also supports LGBT+ asylum seekers to volunteer through supporting them with CV/application forms, interview preparation; to find volunteering to support well being. The volunteering element of the project enables people to find new networks within and beyond the LGBT+ community whilst providing regular support for those volunteering to share their experiences with each other and to support the integration of LGBT+ asylum seekers within the wider LGBT+ community. We have been running this service but funding for this ends March 2020. |
| 16/03/2020 |
£10,000£64,963 |
AKWAABA |
14. What is your project? (400 words)
Akwaaba is a volunteer-run, Hackney-based social centre for migrants supporting 150-200 individuals weekly. Every Sunday afternoon we offer a space for rest, play, learning and mutual support. Akwaaba brings the community together in a safe space, regardless of immigration status, age, ability, sexuality, race, class or gender. We aim to reduce social isolation and empower individuals, building a strong community and a valuable support network. We provide hot meals, signposting services, English classes, and other member-led activities. All members are involved in decision-making and the week-to-week running of the project, prioritising the voices of refugees and migrants. Loneliness and social isolation are key contributors to mental health difficulties, especially amongst migrants (University of Sheffield), and many members of our community are particularly vulnerable to poor mental health: 61% of asylum seekers experience serious mental distress, and refugees are five times more likely to have mental health needs than the UK population as a whole (Refugee Council).
We would use a Right to Thrive Grant to support a Volunteer Development Programme. Our overarching aim is to make Akwaaba a co-creation of its migrant and non-migrant members and that means actively promoting the participation of those who face barriers to playing an active part in community life. The number of migrant community members who are volunteering at Akwaaba has grown significantly over the past year and we would like to provide more support to our migrant volunteers so that they can continue to attend Akwaaba regularly, develop in their roles and acquire new skills. We regularly have 15 to 20 such volunteers each week at all levels: as ‘welcome’ volunteers and kitchen volunteers; as workshop facilitators; as premises supervisors and kitchen supervisors; as trustees; and as our new book keeper. We are seeking funding to cover the travel costs of 20 migrant community volunteers per week; fund relevant volunteer training sessions, including sessions on mental health self-care; and pay for childcare etc so volunteers can attend meetings and training days.
Impact will be shown in the short term by the enrolment and retention of members in the Programme, and in the longer term by their feedback on the scheme and future involvement as community leaders. The Programme will help us to reduce destitution and social isolation by encouraging such migrant community members to take on leadership roles. Developing the skills and confidence to become a community leader will promote positive mental health. |
| 16/03/2020 |
£10,000£234,518 |
STORM FAMILY CENTRE LTD |
14. What is your project? (400 words)
Off the Streets is our youth club that is run 3 nights a week for young people aged 11-25 years. The aim of the youth club is to provide a safe environment for young people to engage in activities, socialise with others in the local area and most importantly learn skills that they are able to draw on throughout their lives. We have worked over the past 9 years with young people on the Doddington and Rollo estate and surrounding areas. We provide various activities and have identified through our monitoring information on participants over the years that we have a high percentage of young black males that attend our youth facility.
The project we are proposing to deliver is a music production programme. Which will consist of music workshops, working on music production, vocal lessons, recording sessions with a studio engineer and performing at our annual peace concert. As we are aiming to deliver this project with young black males we will be including group and individual coaching sessions where the young males can explore what issues they face in society being a black male and how they aim to achieve goals in spite of this factor. Here is a timeline on how we intend to deliver the project:
June – Recruit young people for the project and begin introducing project to potential participants.
July – August – begin group coaching sessions and then begin studio workshops, still introducing the project to other young black males.
August – Participants are involved in volunteering at our annual peace concert where they will get the chance to speak to performers focusing on their performances next year.
September – December – continued studio sessions and introduce coaching sessions for young black males to explore personal barriers and cultural barriers to them reaching their fullest potential in life.
January – June – continued studio sessions with song production and showcasing sessions in the youth club, also providing employability sessions for young men seeking employment to ensure they remain in positive activities both in and out of the youth club. Providing the participants on the project to run studio sessions with other young people at the youth club. Share their learning with others and providing new skills to add to cv's/portfolios.
July – August – rehearsals for peace concert, final coaching sessions performances at our 2021 peace concert and receive AQA certificates. |
| 16/03/2020 |
£5,877£122,056 |
BOWHAVEN |
14. What is your project? (400 words)
BowHaven is a peer-led mental health charity based in the heart of Tower Hamlets, a culturally rich and diverse borough. We have been running a successful Mental Health Wellbeing and Recovery Centre since 2003, and our way of working is completely person-centred. This means that there is a high level of focus on choice, self-expression, support, opportunity, positive ownership and responsibility.
BowHaven is more than just about accessing a service. It is about being part of a philosophy where authentic recovery and well-being is rooted in a sense of belonging, where once clients join they become members of the centre, giving them the scope and ability to influence and shape their environment, in a meaningful way for both themselves and others.
We are seeking funding over two years to produce a series of six cultural events designed to celebrate the diverse communities living in Tower Hamlet. The events will be co-designed and hosted by marginal/intersectional cultural groups (various BME and LBGT) and are open to people from all communities. These would showcase aspects of culture via sharing of food, language, art story, drama, craftwork and poetry. We would make connections by supporting people who use Bowhaven to reach out to others within their community to generate activities for the events.
This project will serve as a means of making more people within these communities aware of Bowhaven and facilitating conversations about mental health. The events will facilitate dialogue across communities, enabling better contact with ‘difference’ and better mutual understanding. This itself is facilitative of better mental health. In addition, we hope the project will help to de-stigmatise mental health within groups that are likely to access support.
The project is needed because whilst BowHaven is a diverse community, our membership isn’t representative of demographics in Tower Hamlet. For example, Bangladeshi people form 32% of the population, but 5-10% of those who use BowHaven. We developed this project through consultation with our BME and LBGT members as to what would help in bringing the community together and reaching those who need our services.
BowHaven’s direction is towards an inclusive approach, rather than catering for the need of different communities separately. These events will provide an opportunity for marginal and intersectional communities to present their culture to the wider public and to build understanding and have better representation.
Our project will directly engage 160 new people (20 per event). |
| 16/03/2020 |
£3,216 |
OMNIBUS THEATRE |
14. What is your project? (400 words)
From 13 July, a free 10 week programme, of 2 hour physical theatre and dance workshops for 20 young LGBT+ people to improve mental health. The sessions will be led by a talented LGBT+ facilitator who is experienced in working with young, diverse and marginalised non-professional performers.
They will learn devising, performing and dancing skills, creating 4 routines exploring self-identity. On the 10th session, participants will perform to friends/family, with professional production values in our theatre, instilling a sense of pride and achievement. Participants can then join a permanent Omnibus Community Chorus, responding to productions, including performing their routines alongside professional actors in our new adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando this September–October, presented in association with Stonewall and featuring an all-trans cast.
Taking part in dance and theatre is proven to boost confidence and social skills and reduce social isolation and stress. It is a social endeavour encouraging self-expression and confidence through finding a creative voice in an environment characterised by mutual encouragement. The NHS states that the cardiovascular nature of dance offers mental health benefits including- higher energy levels, decreased stress, raised self-esteem. Exercise is proven to have the same impact on anxiety and depression as taking anti-depressants.
Before the programme, participants will complete questionnaires stating activity levels, fitness, self-confidence, ease in self-expression, mental well-being. Participants will repeat on the final session, measuring growth, and ‘check in’ weekly during warm-ups and cool-downs. We will keep a weekly attendance register.
All participants will be given the opportunity to have sessions with members of the cast or creatives of Orlando, receiving professional mentorship, improving employment prospects and boosting self-esteem.
Although we receive no cash support from Lambeth, their goals inform our objectives. This project addresses all 4 Borough plan areas:
1. Enable sustainable growth and development (encouraging creative industries)
2. Increase community resilience ( life-long learning, early intervention and investing in a public space / community asset)
3. Promote care and independence (improving mental health and wellbeing)
4. Make Lambeth a place where people want to live and work (we are an accessible quality cultural facility)
This project contributes to the UK LGBT 2018 action plan –
- Healthcare (improving mental health care for LGBT people)
- Representation (Trialling innovative ways of tackling prejudices in our communities … improve the representation of LGBT people in public life, championing role models and giving people the confidence to be themselves in public.) |
| 16/03/2020 |
£6,000 |
MIGRANTS ORGANISE LTD |
“Before coming here I was so alone. I didn’t want to go out, talk with people. But since I’ve been here, my life has completely changed. They know what they are doing”
From experience we know mental health is a serious problem for refugees, asylum seekers and other vulnerable migrants. This is backed up by wider studies e.g. MIND that indicate higher rates of depression and anxiety for refugees and asylum seekers compared to the national population. To address this we are seeking funding to provide intensive support to 50 of the most vulnerable individuals living in London to make a real difference to their mental health and quality of life. We will participate in all or some of the following activities:
1. Mentoring - matching individuals with volunteer mentors who will provide one-to-one emotional and practical support through friendly meetings e.g. in cafes and familiarisation outings around the neighbourhood.
2. Group-work - bi-weekly activities according to their specific needs to support their well-being, resilience and connections e.g. voice group, English classes, craft sewing group and walking group.
3. Specialist support for survivors of gender-based violence and/or trafficking through three peer support groups that meet bi-weekly at our office and in West and South London. Women decide content and activities according to their needs e.g. mindfulness or voice coaching workshops.
We will use an overall M&E framework and each individual will have their own personal plan to reflect and review. In addition to simple quantitative indicators e.g. number of sessions attended we will track progress against the following outcomes and indicators:
• Improved mental health and wellbeing – members feeling healthier, more motivated and positive with hope for the future, laughing more;
• Development of resilience and coping mechanisms – members feeling stronger and more capable, more confident, greater sense of self-esteem, able to handle problems and challenges;
• Growth in meaningful connections with wider community - members being more open to people, having new relationships and friendships.
We will track participant progress from a base-line using the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. We will also use simple questionnaires for specific events and sessions. With the relevant permissions\safeguarding in place we will use film\photography to creatively document personal and group journeys.
We have robust systems to recruit suitable volunteers for the project. The project will take place over a period of nine months from June 2020 to March 2021. |
| 16/03/2020 |
£5,995 |
H&Q PRODUCTIONS |
Here, Queer & Mentally Unclear Educational Workshops is a 60 minute long theatrical workshop which educates on LGBTQIA+ identity and mental health. Our challenge is the rising hate crime towards LGBTQIA+ people. In 2017/18 sexual orientation hate crimes in the UK weent up 27% from the previous year and transphobic hate crimes went up 32% (Home Office 2018: 12). And the situation for young people is daunting, with one in 7 trans people being physically attacked at school by teachers and/or students (Stonewall 2018 School Report). 91% of LGBTQIA+ people never report a hate crime or incident so we know these numbers are actually much higher.
The effects of hate crime are long lasting and people who experience hate crime are over twice as likely to face serious emotional impacts such as difficulty sleeping, anxiety, panic attacks or depression, compared with people who experience crime in general (Home Office 2018: 28). We are targeting schools because there is a normalization of anti-LGBTQIA+ stigma, bullying and violence. In the general population nearly 1 in 5 people believe’ LGBT was ‘immoral’ or ‘against their beliefs’’, and this rises to 1 in 4 among young people, showing a generational shift toward anti-LGBTIA+ prejudice. (Galop Hate Crime Report). We believe the best way to combat hate crime and prejudice is through education and compassion. Our workshops therefore take a compassionate approach to LGBTQIA+ education, with a focus on the importance of allyship.
The workshop tells stories of two young people, one who identifies as non-binary and bisexual, and one who identifies as a trans man. The two share verbatim stories intertwined with emotive songs. The theatrical dialogue is interspersed with educational information covering the LGBTQIA2+ acronym, gender identity, sexuality, bullying, mental health and wellbeing, allyship and signposting.
Our project includes a period for marketing and outreach with specific focus on getting into Sixth Forms, Colleges and Secondary Schools in London Boroughs of Westminster, Lambeth and Southwark. Followed by rehearsals, performing the workshop, receiving and monitoring feedback and assessing progress. This is an ongoing project, but we aim to deliver workshops to at least 4 schools in the target Boroughs by February 2021. We collect feedback on sight by providing feedback forms for participants to fill out and follow up with the schools. We continue to stay in contact to monitor any shifts in the culture towards LGBTQIA+ people. |
| 16/03/2020 |
£9,862£1,056,876 |
QUEEN'S CRESCENT COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION |
14. What is your project? (400 words)
‘ZenW5 – a safe space for BAME and migrant women’ - is a unique project. It tackles the fact that BAME, refugee and asylum-seeking women often live in poverty and language isolation, with no access to the kinds of things that other women do when they feel ‘low’ – yoga, meditation, stretching exercises, massage or just coffee and cake with friends.
These may sound like luxuries, but they aren’t. The space to think, breath, get sweaty without judgement, talk, feel another person’s fingers unknotting the tension in your shoulders. These are the ‘sandbags’ of the body’s initial mental health defences, preventing serious depression, especially for women.
This programme will offer three activities a week; an hour’s yoga class, an hour’s Zumba class and a ninety minute ‘Massage and Meet-up’ session. To encourage refugee and asylum-seeking women to participate, we will provide an Arabic translator at yoga and Zumba. The class teacher will work with the translator beforehand to ensure smooth delivery of the class in both English and Arabic.
‘The Massage and Meet-up’ sessions will offer fifteen minute seated or Indian head massages. QCCA has already talked to Richdales Institute and the London School of Massage about trainee masseuses getting work experience with us. We believe these sessions won’t need a translator.
We have budgeted for drinks and snacks after all three activities, so that women can chat and make friends. QCCA will recruit at least one volunteer for each activity to serve coffee and offer support, especially helping with English conversation.
Those on lowest incomes will be offered £3 travel expenses.
QCCA already has experience running popular women-only exercise classes as part of our Camden Health Kick (CHK) programme. Our women-only Zumba classes attracted between 8 – 12 women a time, most from local BAME communities. The CHK manager would co-ordinate ZenW5 using her contacts with existing users and teachers. Local knowledge tells us that there are also significant numbers of refugee and asylum-seeking women in Camden who could attend. We could launch this programme quickly.
QCCA will measure impact by collecting quantitative data on who comes and how often. Participants will also take qualitative surveys. At the start of term they will be asked holistic wellness questions (‘Do you feel anxious/stressed/physically fit/happy/confident? etc). Answers will include ‘Yes very/yes averagely/no not very/no not at all/not sure’. This survey will be repeated at the end of term and progress measured. |
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