Resident steering group member; Nikhil Rathore, was able to prepare the grounds for a ground penetrating radar scan to be completed, with support from TWCP, a local resident and Thames View Community Garden.
The vegetation was cut back by the team, and next steps will include building raised beds on the site. The team hopes for Barking Food Forest to be open to residents in due time.
“Getting Active After Lockdown” activities have been a great hit with Riverside students. A consistent turn out of students attended weekly sessions on various activities that promoted their health and wellbeing. The Young Citizen Action Group (YCAG) had recently received funding from London Sport to have some youth activities delivered to young people over 7 weeks.
YCAG decided on the following community activities, which took place at Riverside School:
It has been another successful achievement by the young people from YCAG to deliver these activities for their peers. Having designed an online survey to understand their peers experiences of lockdown, the YCAG narrowed down a list of activities that students wanted to get involved in. Community organisations then took part in interviews led by the YCAG to confirm the offers available. Community groups offered praise to the young people involved:
“It was great to be part of YCAG Dragon’s Den, and brilliant to see young people being put at the head of the table. Those involved were strong minded and came out with amazing and important questions.”
“I was very impressed with the young people’s resourcefulness. Not only did they survey the needs and preferences of the other students, but also asked pertinent questions to establish whether an activity would be beneficial to them. Very professional throughout the process!”
“It was very good to see young people on a board, working together to provide enrichment opportunities for their peers, schools and community. Everyone was very welcoming and polite and asked good questions. A great example that when young people come together they can design purposeful and impactful projects.”
Students have since taken part in all the activities with such enthusiasm and shown a willingness to learn new skills. Many of them having never undertaken boxing classes or had the opportunity to cook various cuisines voiced their appreciation that the activities were on offer, and asked how they could continue developing their new skills.
The last session with year 7 was all about what they like to cook: chicken strip burgers, pizza, pancakes, and milkshakes but introducing a healthier, economic way to make things at home rather than takeaways. We had fun delivering the sessions and glad our sessions have increased their confidence, knowledge, and interest in healthy cooking!
Emmanuel Oreyeni, Founder of Young ARTivists, received the great news that his arts-based social justice movement had received 26% of the Thames Talk poll votes, and so secured £1300. Thames Talk, a community engagement platform created by Barking Riverside Limited, directly involves local residents in decisions made for Thames Ward. Participants take part by completing the polls to automatically receive digital ‘coins’ which are then donated in return for real cash rewards for local groups.
Young ARTivists (YA) is a new youth-led and arts-based social justice movement for young people in Thames Ward who want to use their talents in art, dance, drama, film, music, and poetry to raise awareness on issues affecting the youth of Thames Ward. YA offers fun and creative ways to elevate the voices of young people and an opportunity to empower them to take action on issues they are passionate about for the benefit of their community.
The project is supported by TWCP and will work closely with the Young Citizen Action Group (YCAG).
The funding will support the running of a four-month initial programme to engage the young people in Thames Ward who want to use their artistic talents to raise awareness of, and get their voices heard on, issues they are passionate about, engaging the wider community using their creativity and critical thinking.
The programme will be based on social issues chosen by the young people. Weekly sessions will be run by Emmanuel incorporating a range of different artistic mediums to allow participants to develop their skills together to start building a network of powerful creatives seeking social change.
A final exhibition will be hosted to showcase the work of the young people and to engage the wider community.,
If you would like more information about the Young ARTivists programme, please complete the form below.
TWCP Director
Despite the area not always having the best of reputations, to me its wide leafy avenues have held strong feelings of warmth and neighborliness. I’ve always been aware of the pride residents have felt for their borough, having been captivated by my Aunt and Uncle’s stories of the sewing machinists at Fords, or the big street parties held in my grandparent’s ‘banjo’ not long after the building of the Becontree estate. Ever since I’ve always been interested in stories of community solidarity and our borough’s colourful history.
Why TWCP?
Prior to this role I’ve been lucky enough to give back to the community I worked in as a librarian and then working in special educational needs. When later I worked in regeneration I understood the importance of involving residents to steer change and the enormous difference investment could make in instilling a sense of pride in people’s towns. I hold a history degree from Royal Holloway University with a keen interest in humanitarian work. I’m an experienced researcher and campaigner, and skilled at community engagement having worked with vulnerable people in challenging situations.
Having been able to return to work in the borough from another corner of London I feel excited to be present during a period of growth and potential for Thames Ward. I wanted this job because I’m passionate about being able to work on resident-led initiatives that promote a more equal and connected community. My new role has put me in touch with so many amazing local residents and groups who have been working hard in keeping their neighbours healthy, connected and happy both before and during the trials of lockdown. I feel very lucky to be part of our team and to know that each day our little patch of London will grow to be a little greener, healthier, and more confident community.
Wellbeing Navigator Volunteer Coordinator
Sports for Development is an overused and sometimes misunderstood concept. It is the difference between sport for sporting outcomes such as fitness, competition or enjoyment, for example. Or using the sporting activity not only for these points, but to actively and in a clear and structured way, help develop other aspects of the participants taking part. This can be from raising awareness on a topic to improving training and employment opportunities. One of the biggest challenges for new and developing projects is knowing how to capture and demonstrate the impact of the work being done with the participants taking part. Supporting TWCP and the projects that are developing in the area, will ensure that these projects make the most of the great work they are doing, and can demonstrate this to wider stakeholders. This can help open other avenues to them including funding which can of course help with sustainability. Helping projects understand just how impactful their work is, is something often overlooked and taken for granted. There are so many ‘Sport for Development’ projects that on closer scrutiny are actually just doing ‘sport’, with little actual ‘Development’ work at all.
Photo credit: Mums on a Mission
After successful completion of his 12-week programme funded by the L&Q Foundation‘s Place Makers Fund, in which 25 students attended weekly, Pierre Epoh Moudio has been granted £2.5K funding for another ESOL for Parents Programme starting 5th June 2021 from the Adult College of Barking & Dagenham!
Thank you teacher! Thank you for all that you are doing for us with your words and because you show that I am reaching my goals of learning English. Thank you so much for getting me out of my dark hole.
The programme will start on Saturday 5 June 2021 and will end on Saturday 7 August 2021. The lessons will be 2.5 hours once a week over 10 weeks.
It will be delivered online via Zoom and support will be provided for those who have never used the Zoom meeting platform. All the students will have access to all the resources that will come in different forms i.e audio and pdf files. The programme boasts a variety of methods for learning including discussions, presentations, use of interactive materials, video, and student led projects.
Students also have a major role to play in the choice of topics covered in the lessons and it will be based on their immediate needs.
The programme is aimed at parents and carers who are frequently excluded from mainstream ESOL courses due to entrenched inequality and complex needs. The level of the students that the programme is aimed at is elementary.
Register via Eventbrite: ESOL for Parents Programme Tickets, Sat 5 Jun 2021 at 09:30 | Eventbrite
Or please complete the form below.
It’s hard to meet with the founders of Hikmah Social and not leave feeling energised by their drive to serve the community and genuinely transform the lives of the people they’ve come into contact with. Their tenacity is infectious and rouses up local people to bond over their love for football and to build deep-lasting friendships that nurture growth and success.
Football has always been a way to bring people together, no matter your background or current circumstances, everyone can enjoy it.
Humility has been a common thread in their story. Hikmah Social was born out of the four friends; Abu Jahaid, Asef Rahman, Muminul Haque, and Tahmid Shakib seeking to raise money for Darul Mustafa Foundation – a school based in the most deprived area of Bangladesh. Collectively, they managed to raise above the target of £20,000 in six months, which allowed the school to acquire essentials for the students and school facilities as well as fund future projects.
The project itself provided the friends with key insight into organising successful football tournaments; including over 60 teams in the tournaments taking place in Barking Riverside, a charity dinner and inspiring many others to start a personal pledge. This experience; uniting the local community, became the foundation for the group today. “Hikmah Social” – meaning “wisdom for the community.”
The group has since become established in 2019, delivering various activities underpinned by their core values: envision, encourage and empower.
In conversation with them it’s clear what their greatest triumphs are: having a committed community and being able to create a sense of brotherhood amongst a diverse group of individuals. They note that it’s the sense of competition and pride that drives individuals to stay committed to the activities.
HS Community Football has also been an ongoing community session for over ten years! It has grown into a space where young men are able to talk more than just sports. The sessions have also become increasingly diverse bringing together different groups because of a common passion.
TWCP has acted as a convener connecting Hikmah Social with different organisations and helping to promote the project. Hikmah Social is now involved with the Active Through Football campaign being supported by the Essex County Football Association and other local groups. They have also been working in collaboration with the Thames View Community Garden to develop the surrounding space.
TWCP has also been able to provide equipment to the project, where previously it was funded by the founders personal finances, these include: football training equipment, nets, boards for coaching adults and children, a rebound net, and bibs.
HS have also been provided with a mentorship, which is helping them understand what makes them different from other groups.
HS Football League: Friday 8pm and Sunday 7pm
The community can get involved in competitive sessions! As each team fights for the title spot, a sense of excitement and willingness to succeed is felt. HS is committed to providing a well rounded service. The league boasts FA qualified referees and each game is filmed and can be accessed for enjoyment and development!
HS Community Session: Monday
Ongoing for over 10 years now. A list of players are organised and the bookings arranged every week.
To get involved email: Hikmah.social@gmail.com
HS U16s Coaching Sessions: Sunday 10am
Health Outreach Worker
YCAG received funding from London Sport to have some youth activities delivered to young people, which would be decided by the young people themselves. The purpose of funding the activities is to get young people active after lockdown ends.
The young people from YCAG (Young Citizen Action Group) designed an online survey to understand their peers experiences of lockdown, their physical activity before/during/after lockdown and what kinds of activities they would like delivered. The feedback from the online survey was tremendous with 700+ students of Riverside School. This will provide a baseline of activity before lockdown and before commencing the project to be able to measure the level of benefit after its delivery.
Following this, YCAG used the results from the online survey to decide which kinds of activities they would like to offer based on what their peers would most like to get involved in. A short video appeal was then produced by them to local community groups asking them in turn to create their own videos to share their offer and raise awareness of the opportunities to get involved in. Great video submissions were received from local community groups summarising their organisations and the activities they offer and these were shown in form time at Riverside School and voted on by students.
Thereafter, YCAG took the results of the vote and invited the top 4 to a “Dragon’s Den” style interview with them where the young people asked questions to confirm the offer available. These were led by the young people and were received very positively by the community groups involved who offered high praise for the approach in general and for the young people involved.
“It was great to be part of YCAG Dragon’s Den, and brilliant to see young people being put at the head of the table. Those involved were strong minded and came out with amazing and important questions.”
"I was very impressed with the young people's resourcefulness. Not only did they survey the needs and preferences of the other students, but also asked pertinent questions to establish whether an activity would be beneficial to them. Very professional throughout the process!"
"It was very good to see young people on a board, working together to provide enrichment opportunities for their peers, schools and community. Everyone was very welcoming and polite and asked good questions. A great example that when young people come together they can design purposeful and impactful projects."
YCAG decided on the following community activities, which will take place at Riverside School:
Activities will start on the week commencing 10th May, and end on the week commencing 21st June.
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