Together, We are stronger
Building on our community work in the London Borough of Greenwich, our project will run a series of “Caring Saturday” events to enable communities to come together and engage with and support local people facing social isolation and loneliness and other vulnerable groups
We will facilitate these events by arranging for members of the community to host a range of activities such as
• physical ” keep fit”) exercise
• dancing
• fun games
• music
• comedy
• story telling
• entertainment
• sessions on identifying their existing skills, strengths and abilities, and how these could be shared to benefit the community ( eg form filling, shopping, gardening, DIY)
• sessions on options for volunteering
• sessions on job hunting, cv writing and interview techniques
• sessions on training options to improve job prospects, and adult education options for skill development, knowledge and leisure
Relevant government agencies, charities and community groups will be invited to the events to explain their services and explore with the vulnerable groups how they can best be supported.
These events sessions will include food and drink and enable participants to socialise, learn, enjoy themselves and create opportunities to have a go at something new and show what they can do
How This Project Will Benefit Our Community London
In order to reduce the participants experience of social isolation and loneliness we want to help them achieve improvements to their wellbeing, a feeling of greater connectedness to their community, also an increase in social contacts and friendships, and more interests to pursue in their lives; some will also have more opportunities for voluntary work or other ways to support their community, and some will have increased job prospects.
Physical activity will help them achieve these outcomes because it will help the participants:
• Improve their physical health – reducing the risk of a person contracting major illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer by up to 50% and lower the risk of early death by up to 30%(NHS 2020)
• Feel good –boosting their mood, concentration and alertness, helping them develop more motivation and a sense of purpose, working toward a more positive outlook on life to increase their prospects, feeling empowered
• Improve sleep – good sleep will help them regulate moods.
• Improve their sense of control, coping ability and self-esteem. Those who exercise regularly often report how good achieving a goal makes them feel.
• Distract them from negative thoughts and provide opportunities to try new experiences,
• Offers opportunities to socialise and get social support if you exercise with others, opportunity for participants to open up about their problems and concerns in an informal friendly environment
• Increases levels of chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin, stress hormones and endorphins.
• Increases energy levels.
• Acts as an outlet for frustrations.
• Reduces skeletal muscle tension, which aids relaxation.
• The physical benefits of exercise are also important for people with mental illness. It improves your cardiovascular health and overall physical health.
Why We Undertake This Project, Target and Benefits
We have chosen these groups as a result of our experience of previously running Caring Saturdays events and our one-to-one and group conversations and surveys. We consulted with community residents including vulnerable people within the Borough, plus local community groups, and members of the local church St Luke’s, Charlton, councillors, and officers of the Royal Borough of Greenwich. We’ve received input on the needs, and many ideas to aid planning, scheduling, and provision, with the opportunity for socially isolated people to be catered for
The project participants will benefit from the project by reducing their experience of social isolation and loneliness. We will do this by helping them achieve improvements to their wellbeing, a feeling of greater connectedness to their community, also an increase in social contacts and friendships, and more interests to pursue in their lives; some will also have more opportunities for voluntary work or other ways to support their community, and some will have increased job prospects. To do this we will promote and encourage community participation in our Caring Saturdays events including physical and social activities and the chance to discuss and seek advice on problems and concerns with Council staff and support organisations.
Our Networks
We are having regular chats with a large number of community members through meeting and supporting 400 local vulnerable people ( including elderly and homeless people) by delivering food parcels. We have also engaged with many others whom we offer support and guidance, and those in our community who come forward to volunteer.
Pre Covid19 we carried out one-to-one and group conversations and surveys with 30 homeless people within the borough, plus many local people and community groups, and members of the local church St Luke’s, Charlton, councillors, and officers of the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
Why We Are Confidence This Project Will The Targeted Audience
We’ll promote project involvement via service providers, community members, local/social media, publicity materials, website, presentations at meetings, incentivizing vulnerable people to participate with the offer of entertainment and fun social activities as well as physical activities
We have established a project committee, an interactive content page on our website known as News & Blog, and a presence on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, where we release latest news.
Through these means, the communities have contributed to project development, and will go on to support delivery Volunteers from the communities will act as champions to promote the project and welcome vulnerable as project participants
Also, homeless people can drop in for support 10:00 to 5:00 each day, in compliance with Covid19 restrictions, when we also seek their needs and views and on our project; also Trustees have been regularly reaching out to Borough socially isolated elderly people through food parcel deliveries throughout lockdown
Expected Project Success and The Future Benefits
The project builds on our track record to
• support our transition toward become a larger charity with greater capacity to support even more disadvantaged and vulnerable people in our communities
• deliver set outcomes for our communities
• further increase our presence in our communities
• increase awareness of the plight of people in London who face vulnerabilities including homelessness, unemployment, poverty, social isolation and loneliness
• stimulate more community residents preparedness to engage with and support their more vulnerable peers through volunteering and social action
• creation of a team of voluntary Frugal Empowerment champions to promote our charity in their neighbourhoods and with local service providers
Permissions and Licensing
We are currently working with Care Homes and Local Council in the borough where the event is likely to take place to informing them all them our willingness to work carry out our upcoming events
Authorisations/Insurance
With our safeguarding policy in place, we are also working with authority to ensure all the regulatory covid-19 policy are adhered to
Hearth and Safety and other Risk Assessments
This event will be divided into segments which are no more than six on each segment, so avoid crowd gathering during this covid-19 period,
we want to avoid a physical close contact with beneficiaries, to this we are changing the way we entertain them. eg keeping distance, washing hand, use of sanitizer, avoid hand shake etc
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