community

Inside TWCP: Meet Our New Wellbeing Navigator Coordinator, Alex Anthony!

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.

Alex Anthony

Wellbeing Navigator Volunteer Coordinator

Adult College of Barking & Dagenham grant funding for new ESOL for Parents Programme

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.

Janet, Student

The new programme

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.

How To Get Involved

Register via Eventbrite: ESOL for Parents Programme Tickets, Sat 5 Jun 2021 at 09:30 | Eventbrite

Or please complete the form below.

Hikmah Social – Building Brotherhood Through Football

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.

Abu Jahaid, Co-founder of Hikmah Social Tweet

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.”

Triumphs

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.

How TWCP has made a difference?

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.

Activities

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

Director blog: People before programme – June 2021

One of the many things that stuck in my mind on recent community organising training was this phrase ‘people before programme’. It hit me like a train when I got what it meant.

Essentially ‘people before programme’ means not just starting from where people are at, rather than where you want them to be, but also putting the person first, genuinely valuing the relationship rather than what you think you can get out of it.

I’m guilty of getting on the wrong side of that and I’m pretty sure most of us, one way or the other take the occasional short cut. Pretty much every meeting I go to I see people talking past each other, waiting to speak rather than actively listening. A lot of the time I don’t even notice because it is habitual, and I end up doing the same; it is transactional not relational.

I guess if you work in the private or the public sector you know what to expect – there are rules to the game. The private sector has profit as a bottom line and money defines the feedback loop; the public sector runs on systems of top-down accountability and political control. Once you get beyond the massive PR and hype that mystifies the public and private sector, the ‘programme’ is brutally clear, and people on the inside need to follow it. The nail that stands out gets hammered down. But in the community sector we get the opportunity to do differently. We get to define and create our own culture which is why the principle of ‘people before programme’ hit home – how come we don’t do more of that? Obama said: ‘we are the leaders we are waiting for’ and in the community sector we have more freedom than most to make that true.

It isn’t complicated. We all know how it feels to be fully listened to, and on the flip-side when someone tunes out. The power that flows between us was made to be shared – that is what relationships are about, but as we move outwards, we experience ‘the world as it is’, not ‘the world as it should be’, and it doesn’t pay to be naive. Building a more relational culture will not be enough, but it is a start.

If you put ‘people before programme’, you give them power. The power to set their own agenda, to be listened to and initiate their own programme for change. It requires losing control. But also offers the opportunity to work alongside. I’d like to think our citizen action groups follow that and we should be more widely held to account on that basis and on how we develop the resident-led Community Development Trust now in place. There is a vulnerability as well as a strength in that. It is just as easy to pull apart as to pull together – the reasons for pulling together are not as obvious as elsewhere (public and private sector) – but when it clicks, wow.

I’ve been going to the Learning Group convened by BD Collective and the Llankelly Chase Foundation that has been looking into issues of power and paternalism in the borough. I’m not sure the word ‘paternalism’ connects with people but think of it as a near neighbour to sexism, racism and other oppressions. It speaks to a world where things are done to you, like it or not. Where power is held over you by a few, or even a single individual, at the top of the tree. I guess that learning group is trying to put ‘people before programme’ too, but what would it take to dismantle the isms and schisms, the paternalism and all that? Nothing less that conscious and consistent dismantling of control whenever it gets in the way, which is often.

Losing control – that is the strapline I want to see on the next LBBD corporate plan 2022-2026 and VCSE (Voluntary, Community, Social Enterprise!) strategy. Losing control as the means to get a bigger win for all. For me that is the logic of coproduction, localism and generative governance – all the flash terms policy people get paid to talk about but struggle to deliver, so really it is an appeal to be consistent, to do what it says on the tin.

Meanwhile here’s to creating new and exciting spaces to learn and work together.

Matthew Scott

TWCP Director

Inside TWCP: Meet our new Health Outreach Worker, Rahela Begum!

Growing up in South London I’d heard about Barking and Dagenham, and just like where I’m from, it didn’t have the best reputation. So, fast forward to 2017, when I was looking for somewhere to live and I found an affordable place in London, I couldn’t believe it. It was here in Barking that I found a lovely community on the river. The place I moved into was a houseboat! From that first day walking through the town, and when I spoke to my future neighbours, I felt at home. It had that same community feel I was missing from my childhood. The area was full of families and people who had lived here for years, as well as so many new people. It was buzzing with people who had ideas of how they wanted to change the area, and the feeling was catching. I soon got a job in the area, joining Participatory City and the Every One Every Day project. I got to work in the area I lived in and I felt so lucky because I got to meet even more people.

I started to explore the area that was now my home and my favourite way to do that was by visiting all the parks. I started falling in love with the familiar sights of the weeping willows of Greatfields. I followed the path along the lake in Barking Park to the cafe and listened to the children play in the park. I eventually got a bike and ventured to the expansive Mayesbrook and Parsloes. I wanted to get to know the borough like the people I worked with and learn about the history. So many important things have happened here! I eventually moved to Chadwell Heath onto the famous Becontree estate. With Participatory I got to work across the borough on lots of projects, but I wanted to focus my efforts and create an impact.

Why TWCP?

The Thames Ward Community Project is based in one part of the borough, separated by the A13, it’s a place with the fastest developments going up. So how do you create and keep a sense of identity and community when everything around you is changing? I have joined the team as the Health Outreach Worker, so it is my job to bridge the gap between developers, the NHS, other organisations and the residents of the area. I want to help residents create programmes and develop projects that will get people feeling healthier and happier and more involved in their community. The borough is changing and the people living here are changing, I see this as a chance for us to have a positive impact on what’s going on around us. TWCP works with residents directly and supports people to be at the forefront of the projects they want to see in the area. That’s the role I want to play in the community. I want to be behind people’s great ideas, supporting with connecting people, sharing knowledge, opportunities and helping organise ideas to make sure they are successful and long lasting.

Rahela Begum

Health Outreach Worker

Making the connections – May 2021

Community coalition building can transform adult social care outcomes (and much more).

You may have noticed that there are a lot of collaboration type meetings going on right now. Twenty or thirty people on a teams call, an even mix of council officers and second tier charities, a consultant or two. I like that all over B&D people are chatting on shared online calls about collaboration and partnership working right now; it will all help us build back better after the pandemic. Paulo Freire, a Brazilian community worker, said we ‘change the world one conversation at a time’ and I believe that. Margaret Mead said it was a ‘small group of thoughtful committed individuals’ but what I think matters even more is how that conversation happens.

The thing I’m noticing about the ‘reimagining adult social care group’, one of those many larger online meetings about better partnership working and delivery, is that it is pretty open in a way that most of the spaces I’ve encountered in the borough are not. The council has talked about moving away from a paternalistic culture and that can only be a good thing. There is something about the culture of strongly political and hierarchical organisations that inhibit wider collaboration – the higher up you go the more brutal it can get; people learn not to bring their whole self to the job which is a shame because the fearful and transactional only gets you so far. With the reimagining adult social care group it is a big shift and it becomes contagious when people behave like they’ve got autonomy, stuff gets done better and quicker.

My assumption is that the adult social care meetings I have been to are highly provisional spaces – some ideas might fly, relationships build and hopefully some very specific piloting of work. This blog is about a proposal for the latter (specific piloting of work). At these meetings I’ve found myself talking about getting resource (money) and support (capacity building) into the hands of smaller community groups – the ones who don’t go to these meetings, who are not constituted or contract ready but who make up the overwhelming majority of resident collective action.

We need to dismantle the winner takes all system. Hence the value of coalitions – if commissioners placed greater social value on consortiums and coalitions it would be transformative – not just reaching and involving more people, leveraging a greater contribution but fundamentally changing the rules of the game.

In terms of how it might work, the approach we’ve taken at Thames Ward Community Project is to build resident-led coalitions. We listen to what people are angry about, what they care about. We distinguish issue, solution and action and start planning together; we ferret out what works through testing and reviewing. We find small pots of money, then deliver, then repeat at maybe greater scale – all done by resident-led groups. Those groups work together as a wider network or coalition – as we get more success we bid for pots of money as consortiums and coalitions because we are not and never have been in competition with each other. It would be great to get other local examples of shared funding and delivery. But what I’d say is not enough of us are working like this because if we were, there’d be more money pushed downwards whereas mostly the money flows upwards to a few.

Michael who chairs the meetings said there were an estimated 7,000 community groups in the borough. I checked on the Charities Commission website and there are very few charities, well under a hundred and of those only a few with significant turnover, so basically you can count the number of groups on a set of fingers who are going to win contracts and play an active, mature partnership role.

What I’ve learnt in Thames Ward is that residents want jobs and the social solidarity that comes from working together; they want their creativity and entrepreneurial flair to lead to more control in their lives – control over work, money, personal and professional development. The journey to that kind of social business sustainability is a rare thing but we should champion this intention, go beyond occasional contracts for the ‘trusted’ few and open up mainstream budgets to smaller groups controlled by local people, especially in a borough that has more developer investment than anywhere in Europe (so I’m told) and a council that exhorts inclusive growth.

When we have these exploratory conversations about collaboration it is easy to rein in ambitions, seek pragmatic and incremental change. I think we should go much further: shift far more money, decision-making and delivery to many more groups via coalitions, consortiums and networks and be explicit about that.

Matthew Scott

TWCP Director

Inside TWCP: From Zero Engagement to Community Work

I’ll be honest, I lived my first year as a resident of Barking Riverside with little to no engagement at all with the community. The “little” compromised solely of taking the EL1 bus route to Barking station, heading to work, and commuting back home again. On weekends, we would head to the town centre, to the local supermarket, which was merely out of necessity, and I was okay with living like this. I had become accustomed to this sort of urban nomad life, in which I made little effort to grow roots where I lived.

A few reasons drove this behaviour, one just being the tunnel vision of the working life, but another has to do with the regeneration that took place in what I would call my hometown. I grew up to watch the area change from infamous to a bohemian hotspot. Young working professionals and students arrived finally seeing the potential for communal projects and shared spaces, to enhance community, without the community. The divide is stark. It made me lose a bit of my sense of belonging, and knowing you belong, and you have a voice to shape where you live is everything.

Fast forward to moving to Barking, and it took giving birth to my first born and the Pandemic to make me slow down and finally embrace what was my new locality. I received a newspaper from a well known charity, which sparked my interest. Exploring all the Warehouse on River Road had to offer gave me a new found excitement for my local area and I actually started to talk to my neighbours. My year was spent taking part in a collaborative business project, where I learned how to create handcrafted candles and textile products; taking care of chickens, a fun and beneficial past time in terms of collecting eggs; and finally joining a Women’s cycling group, which ultimately changed the trajectory of my life! It led me to this job.

It was the year 2020, and those experiences that ignited in me a desire to not only be a part of the Thames Ward community, but to empower the voices of all of us to be part of the change happening right now. You can become an active part of holding those with duty accountable, creating your own solutions to local issues, collaborating with others so the wheel isn’t reinvented, and just learning from the diverse group of people that live here.

I want to challenge you if you are a local resident to be heard! Yes we’re all a little rusty after spending time in lockdowns but thats the crux of what we’re doing here at Thames Ward Community Project. We’re conveners. We’ll help you cultivate your skills, get you a seat at the table and support the community so that conversations turn into action.

Zainab Jalloh

Communications and Outreach Officer

Community Wellbeing Event: Creating Connections, Building Resilience

The Event

The Community Wellbeing event brought together TWCP staff and steering group members, staff and volunteers from the Red Cross, local residents, and health and wellbeing professionals to listen and comment on related topics. The event also provided an opportunity for a general update on TWCP and the Red Cross’s work for interested residents and partners. It was particularly beneficial that the event consisted of a good mixture of different groups and organizations, which reflected the diversity of the Thames Ward and wider Barking area.

Lai Ogunsola introduced the theme of ‘the new normal, working from home and the importance of social connections’ within the context of lockdown and social isolation. The discussion extended to the wider group and practical examples were shared with regard to how people cared for their mental health.

The evening continued with a recital from local spoken word performer Romeo Murisa and a music set by TWCP Co-Chair and DJ Josiah. The spoken word piece was biographic and touched upon many self-reflective themes evoked by the pandemic, social isolation and offered some thoughts on wellbeing. The music set was a light-hearted compilation of the participants favourite songs that had been shared during the introductions earlier.

Participants were then able to choose from a selection of four breakout room sessions: the first led by award winning artist Laura from At Gallery CIC who presented the work of Joshua Lance focusing on the importance of art in health; the second breakout room was led by Natalia from Early Years Cocoon and was centered on simple exercises to deal with uncertainty in our lives; the third room was led by Amtul from Community Health Champions to promote Health Champions, Covid-19 vaccinations and mental health; the last breakout room was led by Katherine from the British Red Cross, which was about building resilience and wellbeing, where themes of engagement, awareness and cooperation were considered, in order to build community to prevent disaster.

The Impact

Opportunity was given to share clubs and social groups with each other to widen options for safe social interactions during and after lockdown. Links were shared to activities such as: LBBD volunteering opportunities, local artists’ work, community hubs such as the Bromley By Bow Centre, early years support, TWCP events and health groups, links to events on black leadership, relevant articles, music, digital classes for adults, wellbeing and loneliness support, and sports clubs.

Participants who spoke up during the event stated that they enjoyed the workshop as a fun, interactive forum to engage with relevant local issues.

I thought it was a well rounded event where we were able to promote collaboration and I’m looking forward to where this leads. I thought it was particularly successful because the event was not just about promoting collaboration within the exercises in the event, but building trust and relationships that can endure through lockdown and afterwards. I think a lot of trust has been built, showing that we value the ideas and contributions of residents, and of our partners.

Josiah Oyekunle, Co-Chair and Resident Steering Group Member

I really enjoyed the event and thought it went very well. I think having breakout rooms was a good idea since it gave people the opportunity to go in depth on topics.

Romeo Murisa, Spoken word performer

Really excellent event!

Dan Hopewell

YCAG regular Anna excels as part of Inclusive Leadership Programme

TWCP has recently supported young people it works with as part of the Unified Action Programme, which aims to promote shared values among people of all backgrounds through sustainable social integration and meaningful civic participation. The programme has been designed to promote understanding and shared values between and within faith and ethnic communities, and other communities, which form a part of civil society.

The focus is on supporting young people aged 14-25 years old to become Unified Action Ambassadors, inclusive leaders who focus on empowering future generations; connecting communities by promoting understanding and shared values; achieving greater diversity in the governance of sport and broader civil society; standing united against all forms of hate and most importantly giving young people a platform to have their views heard by decision makers. It is delivered jointly by Youth Sport Trust, Sporting Equals and 2-3 Degrees and funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Unified Action Ambassadors believe in a society where no one feels excluded, left behind or that they are just standing on the side lines.

Jamie from TWCP has been running the Young Citizen Action Group (YCAG) at Riverside School since TWCP first began back in late 2017 and Anna, one of the Unified Action programme participants, has been one of the most committed members, attending almost every session since she first joined Riverside School in Year 7. He commented:

“It’s been great to have Anna involved as part of this programme. She attended all of the online training sessions in the evening and was confident enough to speak in front of all of the programme attendees at the final celebration event. I’ve seen Anna’s confidence and leadership skills skyrocket during her time on the programme. She has recorded video messages to local community groups, to the entire student body of her school and taken proactive steps in meeting with Riverside Primary School parents to help promote involvement in the new Barking Food Forest site next to Riverside Campus”.

Jamie Kesten, Senior Community Organiser (Thames Ward Community Project)

As one of the youngest participants in the programme Anna was particularly impressive in the strides she took as an inclusive leader and the confidence and passion she has shown, which has been noted by her athlete mentor, Vernon Samuels, a former Olympic Triple Jumper:

It’s been an absolute pleasure to connect with Anna as her Athlete Mentor and as the youngest young leader involved in the Unified Action programme. Anna wasn’t intimidated by the fact that the age spread of participants went all the way to 25 year olds! Nor was she daunted by a lack of peer support when the two other young people involved in the programme as part of the Thames Ward Community Project were unable to continue.

Anna has shown week after week of the programme a steely resilience and determination that shows she is a young leader on a mission to improve the quality of life for her community – and especially for the pupils of her local primary school where Anna’s hard work and influence as a leader will facilitate access and engagement with the new Barking Food Forest, ensuring it is an inclusive and accessible space for members of the primary school and their families to enjoy along with the wider community.

Despite tight deadlines and a big to do list, Anna refuses to be intimidated by the size of the task at hand. With her humble and articulate approach, Anna draws on available support and expertise to help carry forward her dream of the community garden space into reality.

Vernon Samuels, Athlete Mentor & Ambassador for the Unified Action Programme

Community Wellbeing Event supported by The Red Cross – Monday 1st March 2021, 5.30pm – 7:30pm via Zoom

Join in the conversation on Monday 1st March from 5:30pm – 7:30pm, as we connect local residents and help facilitate conversations on the importance of social connection and the promotion of good mental health and well-being and promote the value of vaccinations to enable recovery from the pandemic (COVID-19).

Click the link below to register and get involved: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/community-wellbeing-event-supported-by-the-red-cross-mon-1st-march-2021-tickets-140131415837

Tag: community