IT club opens window of opportunity for Jan
Getting involved in local projects can so often lead to other great things, whether that be further volunteering, the opportunity to improve skills and confidence or the chance to meet new, exciting people.
For Jan Tchamani, founder of the Grove Road Estate – Inclusion Project, offering IT classes to local people was just the start. In March of this year she was named joint-Age UK Internet Champion of the Year and last week she was appointed as a Digital Leader at the National Digital Conference. In this guest blog, she explains how the project she helped create has reached out to severely disadvantaged people, giving them the means to get out, get active and get online.
Jan pictured with her husband, Terry
When I put together my application to the Big Lottery Fund for our Social Inclusion Project, I had very specific aims to do with improving the lives of everyone who lives on the sheltered housing scheme for the over-50s where I live with my husband.
The Grove Road Estate is made up of two tower blocks with 68 flats, most of which have solitary tenants. Most are here because at some time in our lives the rug was pulled out from under us by redundancy, ill health or some other unforeseen circumstance. We try to make the best of things, and the funding has helped us all get out and get active – and make friends.
At the very heart of the project was the IT Club. I’ve seen too many examples of older people at a severe disadvantage not to be passionate about digital inclusion and as a result the club has flourished.
We had several absolute beginners when we started last autumn. Now we have a group of committed people who not only handle their own needs online but are willing and able to help the ‘newbies’ who are still coming along every week. The atmosphere in our community room on Tuesdays is positive and welcoming. We’ve become a team.
People stay on to chat about other issues that beset them, and every week we witness those ‘small acts of kindness’ that make life worthwhile: members spending time alongside someone demonstrating how to use a dongle or set up a Facebook page, or making a cuppa and toast for someone who is struggling to get to grips with the intricacies of email or online shopping.
Local people get involved in a computer class run by the project
What I didn’t foresee was what this would do for me personally. I acquired my IT skills when I did my teacher training aged 39 and I’m a confident user. So imagine my surprise and delight when, in March 2013, I became Age UK Internet Champion.
Age UK contacted my husband Terry and me to invite us to a gala awards night at the Royal Society in London, and I received my trophy from the lovely June Whitfield. What a proud moment that was.
I’ve had writing opportunities too, which is very exciting as writing has always been my passion. Also, I was awarded the title of Digital Leader at the ND13 Conference just last week, thanks to a nomination from Age UK.
Later this month I’ll be attending a citywide digital inclusion meeting where we’ll be discussing how to help Birmingham citizens make the most of the new technologies – especially those who are at a disadvantage. Running this funded project has really opened a window of opportunity for me.
Are you inspired by Jan’s story? Have you been involved in a local project helping people get online? Leave your comments below or join the conversation on Twitter @biglotteryfund.
Want more? Projects across the country are proving that age is no barrier to those wanting to keep pace with technology. Read Betty Holden’s blog as she tells us how she inspired others to take their first steps on the Internet.
Nucleus at the heart of mental health recovery
In north-west London, mental health charity Brent Mind runs Nucleus – a Lottery-funded “brokerage” service, which provides people experiencing mental distress with the opportunity to get their lives back on track. Nicola is just one of the 250 people whom Nucleus has helped in its first year. Nucleus brokerage worker Jay Sugar tells her story.
(L-R) Nucleus brokerage worker Jay Sugar and team leader, John Byrne
“If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know where I would be today,” says Nicola, 38*.
It sounds like an exaggeration, but for Nicola, her current outlook and prospects really do show how far she has come.
Nicola grew up in Mexico and came to the UK when she was 17 to study. She’s been here ever since. She married an Englishman but is now divorced.
A few years ago Nicola was made redundant. She found it difficult to get another job and fell into depression, exacerbated by anxiety and loss of self-confidence. She was finding it difficult to pay her rent and was facing eviction.
Nicola went to a local housing and resettlement service funded by Brent Council in north-west London. It’s there Nucleus runs a weekly drop-in surgery and it was there that we met.
My role is as a brokerage worker. I meet with people experiencing mental distress and give them the tools to take back control over their own lives. I inform people of their options, assist with personal action planning, and work with them to achieve their goals.
“When I first met Jay, I was desperate,” says Nicola. “I found out about the service from a friend who said that someone could listen to me, give me advice and some support.
“I wanted a way out of the mess I was in. I was homeless, had been diagnosed with depression, was very tearful and wanted to move on.
“Jay listened to me. That meant so much. I will never forget his first words – ‘You are not alone anymore’.
Nucleus has helped over 250 people in its first year
“For the first time, in a long time, I had somebody to talk to, somebody who listened and who didn’t rush me.
“I was homeless at the time, living in a hostel in central London. The place was nice but the people were varied. I didn’t like having to share facilities – toilet, kitchen. It was unhygienic.”
Nucleus signposted Nicola to a resettlement worker, with whom she made an appointment and was offered the support she needed.
“It was thanks to Jay and Nucleus that I now have my studio flat where I have my own kitchen where I can cook and it is clean.
“I also love swimming. I am from Mexico and would swim everyday there but when I came to England I missed it so much. Jay signed me up for the local centre and now I would swim three or four times a week. This has helped me so much.”
Nicola has also undertaken various training programmes and workshops geared towards gaining paid employment. She now works as an administrator.
“I’ve always said ‘I am a survivor’ but without Nucleus I do not know where I would be today. For sure, I know I would have gone down and down and I would be in a far worse situation.
“I’m so thankful to Jay and appreciate his help so much. I feel so much better now that I have even started to give up smoking.”
(*Not her real name)
Did you enjoy reading Jay’s blog? Has a funded project helped turn your life around? Leave your comments below or join the conversation on Twitter @biglotteryfund.
Carers Week 2013: Sindi’s Story
Sindi became a young carer when she was just seven years old, taking on the huge responsibility of looking after her ill mother. Now aged 21, Sindi shares her experience of growing up as a young carer and how, in the face of adversity, she is now embarking on an exciting career path.
Sindi cared for her mother from the age of seven
At the age of seven, my family and I migrated to the UK from Albania. It was an extremely unsettling and stressful time as we could not speak the language and had not established a support network. I recall constantly moving.
My mum’s life experiences prior to moving to the UK, and the experience of moving to a novel environment, took its toll on her. She developed depression and suffered from anxiety and panic attacks. She would be in and out of hospital and when home, she would be bed bound.
Without knowing it, I began to care for her and was a young carer from the age of seven. Being the eldest of two children, all responsibility fell on me.
My situation failed to improve and my caring responsibilities continued, further deepened and remained unnoticed. I had to grow up extremely quickly and soon came to the realisation that I was the backbone to my family and that it was a struggle for them to function without my help.
My dedication to do well at school overrode my adversities and my hard work proved successful as I completed my GCSEs and attained good grades.
I went on to be accepted at university but due to my caring responsibilities, I was unable to move home. For the first two years I was commuting five hours per day to attend lectures and use the resources at university.
In 2010, my parents separated and, to my relief, my mum’s health began to improve. I moved out of the family home to concentrate on my studies. In 2012 I graduated university with a 2.1 in Psychology.
I began to look for further opportunities where I could acquire new skills. I came across an internship programme at The Children’s Society, working as a policy and media Intern. I was attracted to working on the Young Carers in Focus (YCiF) project. It is funded by Big Lottery Fund and is an exciting opportunity for young carers to communicate, share stories and raise awareness about the things that matter most to them.
So far, the internship has been extremely beneficial for my future career prospects. I have been able to learn a great deal about policies relating to young people and have also had the opportunity to meet other young carers and see how the YCiF project helps them.
Since starting my internship, I have sought out employment opportunities and recently found out that I have been successful in getting a job at the Cabinet Office.
The afflictions of life have not hindered my performance, if anything, they have taught me to be more tenacious, to make the most out of every opportunity that comes my way and to appreciate everything I have.
What do you think of Sindi’s Carers Week blog? Are you inspired by her story? Leave your comments below or join the Carers Week conversation of Twitter using #CarersWeek
Fixing the issues faced by young carers
Carers Week is a UK-wide annual awareness campaign. Its aim is to improve the lives of carers and the people they care for. In this guest blog Hatty Berry, 16, talks about life growing up while caring for her mum, Shona. She has been working with Fixers, a charity funded by the Big Lottery Fund, which helps young people aged 16 to 25 fix the issues that fire them up.
With the help of Fixers, Hatty made the film embedded in this blog to show teachers, social workers and other professionals why some children may misbehave because of the pressures they are under at home. She has also been named as Carer of the Year at the Child of Sussex Awards in recognition of her hard work.
I’ve been caring for my mum since I was 11 years old. She has a condition called Fibromyalgia, which leaves her with severe muscle pain over her entire body. I help her get ready for the day, getting her out of bed, making sure she takes her medication, helping her bath, doing her hair and get her moving around the house before I go to school.
Most evenings I have to cook dinner for us as well. She can be very forgetful because of all the medication that she takes, so I spend a lot of time helping her find where she has put her purse, phone, shoes, or cup of tea!
Hatty Berry, 16, cares for her mother on a daily basis
As it is only me and my mum in the house, sometimes it does get quite difficult and I do feel quite alone; there’s no one else to help me. That is a very big stress on my life and on occasion it has made me behave badly at school.
I think a lot of people, especially teachers and other students at my school, have been quick to judge me and have assumed, when I am late or tired in lessons, that I simply couldn’t be bothered to get out of bed on time or that I care so little about my future that I stay up late.
I want people to know that isn’t the case – there is a reason behind my behaviour and the same could be true for all young carers.
I want people to think twice and not judge children or teenagers, especially those who might be caring for a sick family member, until they’ve actually sat down and spoken to them and asked if there are any problems or if there is anything they can do to help.
To illustrate my point, I have made a film with Fixers that I hope will lead to greater understanding. The film follows the story of three teenagers who misbehave in school. It shows their school day and then gives a glimpse of what is going behind the scenes in their personal lives to make them behave anti-socially.
I hope that through the film, people will think twice before they judge a young person, and actually consider the reasons behind someone’s behaviour. They could be carrying a responsibility beyond their years.
What do you think of Hatty’s blog and the film which Fixers helped her create? Join the Carers Week conversation on Twitter using #carersweek or leave your comments below.
Three ingredients for social innovation success
London Youth’s Build-it programme brings young people and older tradespeople together to refurbish empty homes in Lambeth, returning them to use for social housing. In this guest blog, the charity’s chief executive, Rosie Ferguson, explains more about the key project ingredients – creativity, collaboration and co-production.
London Youth’s Rosie Ferguson
Recently I heard about Liam, a young man from a Lambeth estate who’d left school and started to look for work. He was really down because over the past few months he’d made 100 applications but none of them had led to employment. He was constantly being told he didn’t have the experience that the employers were looking for.
Helping young people like Liam get skills and work experience is one of the benefits of Build-it, the programme we’re launching today. The other side of the programme is about the context in which young people get those skills and chances – the community in which they live.
If you’re familiar with Lambeth, you’ll know that in lots of parts of the borough there are major building developments taking place. At the same time, the council has embarked on a programme to renovate homes and properties. Build-it gives young people and older mentors, who have worked in the building trade, the chance to contribute to the regeneration of their community. So if we get it right, everyone wins.
You may remember that Build-it was one of the BIG-funded projects which featured on Channel 4’s The Secret Millions. To develop it, we looked at the needs I’ve described above, and with our partners at Cospa, and other key stakeholders, combined three key elements to create something special that would meet those needs.
1. By thinking creatively, we solve many problems at once
Build-it tackles youth unemployment, a social housing shortage and inter-generational tension. By working with an “and/and” (not either/or) mindset we can tackle three challenges at once.
Another Big Lottery Fund project we’re involved with, Talent Match, will work with young people furthest from the jobs market, to address the real barriers stopping them from accessing work; whether poor mental health, caring responsibilities or low confidence. We recognise that young people and communities develop best through rounded solutions, not targeted interventions.
2. Genuine collaboration with people from different backgrounds and sectors transforms programme impact and the likelihood of sustaining change
In developing Build-it we’ve had the best brains round the table from Job Centre Plus, colleges, construction & property consultants and housing associations.
It’s an approach we’re extending to our focus on other employability work for young people. At a strategic level, we’re working with London Councils, the Greater London Authority, employers like Barclays and Microsoft as well as local youth outreach organisations like Skyway in Hackney to help shape Talent Match. Getting these partners together and thrashing out what will really work means not only will we deliver better outcomes for young people now, but we’ll improve the relationships between people on the ground to continue to collaborate beyond a funded programme.
3. Genuine co-production with young people creates a step-change in impact and engagement
Young people must be front and centre of programme development and decision-making; whether establishing delivery values and principles, engaging employers, or interviewing and selecting staff. Real and long-lasting engagement of young people goes far beyond simple consultation and ensures that what is planned will reach the right people in the right way. That’s why the young people who featured in The Secret Millions are now continuing as Build-it ambassadors, to help shape the programme going forward.
Architect George Clarke teamed up with young people on The Secret Millions
I believe that if we get these three things right – creativity, collaboration and co-production – then not only will we develop great programmes that transform communities, but the outcomes for the young people will also be as strong as they can be.
Just last week, I heard that 19-year-old Rachel Penfold, one of the participants who featured in The Secret Millions used her experience to turn her life around, despite leaving school with few GCSEs and feeling she had little purpose or direction for the future. You can read her story here.
We’ve offered Liam and others like him the chance to sign up to Build-it, and are hoping that he makes the same strides as a result of joining the programme.
As we continue to develop solutions along these three principles, I’m pretty excited to see what these “three Cs” can achieve.
Build-it and Talent Match are two of the largest and most challenging things we’ve done at London Youth – and amongst the most exciting. This is because they are both embedded with three principles that have become core ingredients of our approach.
Rosie Ferguson is London Youth Chief Executive
What do you think of Rosie’s guest blog? Join the conversation on Twitter using #biglf or leave your comments below.
