Urban Hope annual review 2011

Annual Review 2011

Dear Urban Hope,

Thank you for your presence.

Thank you for your presence, in absence of food,

Thank you for your presence, in absence of shelter,

Thank you for your support, in absence of a hand to hold,

Thank you for your brains, when I felt brain dead,

Thank you for being my megaphone, in absence of a voice,

Thank you for being my specs, when life see

med a little blurry,

Thank you for being my family,

In absence of a mother, father.

Thank you

, It’s

been a g

reat yea

r.

This message was sent to us by one of our Urban Hopefuls at New Year.The young woman who wrote this message has put Urban Hope into words in a way that we could never do.

Our TV screens and newspapers brought many of our city’s challenges into sharp focus in the summer of 2011. Volumes have been written on the subject of the London riots and we at Urban Hope have attempted to enter into debates and dialogues that seek understanding and consequent action.

This necessary dialogue tempts us to look across London from a high up place (as if viewing Islington from Highgate); summarising cityscapes of modernist tower blocks with themes of hardship, violence and fear. In taking this wide angled view we risk missing the true nature of the urban reality and discovering urban hope. The truth is discovered by walking the streets of a community, living with and walking alongside those whose stories are small but significant parts of thematic Newsnight debates. Only then might we uncover the glimmers of hope that are frequently young-people-shaped.

In 2011 those of us involved in Urban Hope continued to immerse ourselves in the life of our local community, building purposeful relationships across social and generational boundaries with a specific focus on children and young people. The process of reviewing our work has led us to understand that young people who join the Urban Hope family are more likely to stay engaged with education, find employment, cope with the stresses of adolescence and for many the pressures of growing up in a marginalised and deprived community.

In this Annual Review you will find just a handful of the many stories that underpin Urban Hope. We hope that having read this you will want to find out more and join in yourself.

Ben Bell Director & Senior Worker

Annual Review 2011

Thank you for being my specs, when life see

med a little blurry,

Thank you for being my family,

In absence of a mother, father.

It’s been

a great

year.

So... what did we get up to in 2011?

471 sessions for 411 people.

6,473 face to face hoursLaunched Beautiful@ Urban Hope

a confidence and self-esteem

course for young women

sport coaching sessions twice a

week at Rosemary Gardens Park

throughout the summer

a fun day & community building events at the Almorah Road Community Centre

said “hello world” with our new website helping people keep up to date with our news

1,000 mugs of hot chocolate5,000 glasses of juice1,500 meals cooked and shared

200 hours of singing lessons &150 hours of music production tutorials

offered to hold young people’s pain for a while so they could rest, reflect and grow

2 student youth workers

and an administrator

joined the team

471 sessions for 411 people.

6,473 face to face hours

Trips to the countryside for

young people to learn team

and confidence building

skills

a fun day & community building events at the Almorah Road Community Centre

1,000 mugs of hot chocolate5,000 glasses of juice1,500 meals cooked and shared

led and joined in with loads of

community development

initiatives

78 people volunteered their time

to benefit young people in our

community

620 hours spent giving

young people one2one support

summer staycations with lots of trips to places of interest in London.

Celebrated with young people when they passed exams, found work, got accepted for university

Volunteering with Urban Hope...

“Volunteering with Urban Hope has allowed me to engage with my community and get to know new people

“

“As a fresh import from the United States, volunteering with Urban Hope has helped me to better get to know the community I live in. The group I work with have adopted me as a part of their community, as they do with all the newcomers that join the drop-in sessions regardless of their gender, ethnicity, place of origin or other distinguishing characteristic.

The young people I have got to know have the opportunity to ask questions of people like me; where am I from? what job I have? etc.

Volunteers come with a wide range of skills and experiences, I work alongside a lawyer, fashion designer, restaurant P.R. agent and a government adviser for Afghanistan. Each volunteer is able to introduce young people to different sets of ideas and opportunities outside of those that may be presented to them in their usual routines.

As a volunteer the “work” I do differs in each session: I join in with cooking and the family style dinners that are complete with fiery debates; I play table tennis and get involved in activities; I have even gone on a weekend leadership course, challenging young people to push boundaries and grow by trying new things and realising that they can accomplish the things they set their minds to.

I have enjoyed the last year volunteering one evening a week with Urban Hope and I look forward to seeing what the coming year has in store for Urban Hope’s staff, volunteers, young people, and those of you who come and join us.”

Katarina Jones “As a volunteer I have the incredible opportunity to work side by side with the talented youth workers and support them in a variety of ways.”

Abbi McCamlie, Tells us about Urban Hope’s support over the years.

“Urban Hope has been a big influence in my life. The Crib has given Millie (my daughter) and I a place where we can get help, meet new people and socialise. I have been introduced to lots of different services that will support us which has been really helpful.

Through coming to Urban Hope I received support with childcare which was vital for me to be able to start my apprenticeship at ‘Fifteen’ (Jamie Oliver’s restaurant that gives a chance of a better future to unemployed young people.)

Urban Hope helped me to realise what I wanted to do with my life and helped me to achieve it. They’ve been a massive support even with something so simple as just needing someone to talk to.

Without Urban Hope I would feel like I didn’t have anything, and if they weren’t here, young people would just continue to get into trouble. Without Urban Hope they will never be able to believe in themselves enough to change their lives and achieve. The Urban Hope team are people you can trust and turn to. Through working with Urban Hope I have been able to sign off benefits and I’m now learning to build trusting relationships with other people.”

The Crib group, named by those who attend, is a weekly space for young parents to get together, cook and share a meal, get parenting tips and advice as well as input from supportive professionals. This work is delivered with the support of the Packington Children’s Centre who provide Crèche and family support workers.

“Urban Hope helped me to realise what I wanted to do with my life and helped me to achieve it.

“

Urban Hopefuls volunteered to cook hot meals for homeless project.Many young people already volunteer their time to help run our project but these inspirational Urban Hopefuls decided they wanted to make a contribution to beyond the life of Urban Hope and cook some hot meals for over 100 clients at ‘the Manna’ – a project that supports homeless and marginalised people.

It was a great way for our Urban Hopefuls to share in the service of our local community. They made a delicious meal using skills they learnt at Urban Hope.

“ I did it because it was something good to give back to and help out at. I found the project really interesting; there were a lot of people that I wouldn’t see in my normal life which was surprising. I really enjoyed working as a team, cooking and serving the food… can we do it again sometime?

“

THE MANNA COOKING PROJECT

“I belong somewhere other than school or home and feel more part of a community”

Erxhi Pali Talks to us about his invovlement in Urban Hope.

how long have you been coming to Urban Hope?“I’ve been coming along to Urban Hope since year 9, which I guess would be a year and a half now.”

In what ways has this affected your daily life?“Being part of Urban Hope has boosted my confidence, it’s kept me entertained and off the streets.

It is quite inspirational in certain ways, like we get to do music producing, cook food and play sports, which keeps someone of my age busy and entertained.”

What sessions are you part of at Urban Hope?“I used to go to Thursday drop in, but I’m busy on Thursdays now so I go to Monday’s club, which is a kind of drop in session, with loads of games and a chance to chat about life”

How do the staff and volunteers help you?“Firstly, they respect me, they treat us all equally. They keep fights down and encourage and provide friendship. They inspire strength and positivity in young people:”

How does it make you feel to be part of Urban Hope?“I belong somewhere other than school or home and feel more part of a community.”

“I belong somewhere other than school or home and feel more part of a community

Natalie Da Silva“Most Wednesdays, I meet with Joy and we discuss things that have happened during the week.”

“This time together helps us explore different topics and listen to each other’s viewpoints within a trusting relationship between mentor and mentee. It gives me the chance to ‘speak out’ about things I would find difficult to say to anybody else.

A mentor is a ‘role model’, they challenge and inspire, and I would encourage others to try this form of mentoring. It provides an opportunity for your voice to be heard!”

“It gives me the chance to ‘speak out’ about things I would find difficult to say to anybody else.

“

Chrissy Stoodley“Being at Urban Hope as a student youth worker is such a privilege.”“It is an amazing project whose skilled and heartfelt commitment to the young people and their families has a real impact on this community.

The experience and expertise of the workers here is a constant source of inspiration, support and help for my studies too. There is a strong ethos of reflective practice and a deep care to ensure the work we do is meeting the needs of the young people.

So far my experience has been challenging but really positive: new types of youth work, new cultures and high expectations for quality youth work. The young people are so happy to be here, telling me that it’s their home from home and that Urban Hope means safety, family, fun and community to them.

I’ve been struck by the changes I’ve seen in the young people who join Urban Hope, for example they begin to hold themselves differently, are more confident to try new experiences and speak up for themselves.”

“

“I’ve been struck by the changes I’ve seen in the young people who join Urban Hope...

Chrissy w

ith Crib group.

Seen far right of picture.

On a Thursday evening in October over 150 people came to celebrate young people’s musical achievements. We pulled out all the stops to transform St Stephen’s Church into a stunning venue that was filled with families, friends and community leaders for this one-off performance.

The performers had been working with a team of specialist tutors for the past year on their vocal techniques, song writing, beat-making and production. Supported by performances from friends of Urban Hope – Shelly Nelson, Wilson, Tobi & Cherelle – young people performed tracks that they had been working on at our sessions. We were thrilled by their growth in confidence and blown away by their talent.

The performers weren’t the only stars of the show, with young people from all our sessions working alongside our amazing adult volunteers helping to host, compère and steward the evening.

Throughout the evening there was a wonderful sense of family coming together to celebrate Urban Hope and the young people who make it what it is. It was this sense of togetherness much more than the music, which made the evening such a huge success.

It was an amazing night which has inspired us to expand this programme. We’re currently on the look out for funding which will enable us to make this an annual event.

Urban Hope Showcase

“We were thrilled by their growth in confidence and blown away by their talent.

“

the Worshipful Companyof Weavers

the Marple Trust

Thank you

Volunteers that worked in our weekly sessions in 2011

Reyan AdamJohn AmudeliMaria BalogunGemma BellCarolina Castro-RodregiuezTommy CraigLeroy DarkoChristian DennysSophie DobbinsMargaret EvansYetunde FaloreDanny FergusReem GhirmaySarah HooperKatarina JonesSandy McClureChris Newman-DayFran Newman-DayLuana NicolauKevin Oroko

Chesney ParchementIvy PreddieJazzmine PriceJade SavageSarah StrangSteve SwinhoeCharly WhikesAlexandra WilkinsonJoel WilliamsLionel WilliamsRodney WilliamsBasil Woodd-Walker

We were also supported by another 49 wonderful volunteers who have helped us run community events throughout the year.

Cripplegate Foundation Helping since 1500

www.urbanhope.co.uk

St Stephen’s Centre17 Canonbury RoadIslington, LondonN1 2DF

020 7354 9616

[email protected]

@UrbanHopeJoy@UrbanHopeBen

www.facebook.com/urbanhopelondon

Thank

Urban Hope Staff 2011

Ben Bell Project Director & Senior WorkerJoy Faulkner Youth & Community WorkerSarah Craig Young People and Families WorkerChrissy Stoodley Student Youth & Community WorkerByron Smith Student Youth & Community WorkerFran Newman-Day Administrator

Urban Hope Management Commitee 2011

Margaret Evans ChairLucy Sawyer SecretaryElizabeth Williams TreasurerNikki Groarke Vicar of St Stephen’sKate DurkinMike Dana

Expenditure Staff 82379 65326Sessional Staff 5431 Equipment 2757 4320Training 1772 127Activities 5594 5687Communications 2653 268Governance 256 Maintenance 605 1011other running costs 1695 4082Total Expenditure 103142 80821

Funds carried forward 75,426 59,539

Statement of financial activityfor the period ended December 2011 2010 2011Funds brought forward 59,538.00 57,562.00

IncomeDonations 21886 21232Gift Aid Accural 3470 4145Grants 77787 41903St Stephen’s Church 15712 15516Interest 175 0

Total Income 119030 82796

We are a community project accompanying young people through the journey of adolescence; enabling their personal development and transforming the community we share into a place full of hopeful stories.

Founded in 2000, Urban Hope is a project of St Stephen’s Church, Islington. We exist to serve young people, their parents and families, the people down their street and the wider community.

46% of children are living in poverty, the second highest child poverty rate in England.

Three quarters of residents live in flats & overcrowding is a common problem.Islington has the second smallest amount of green space per person in London.

Crime rates are almost double the National Average.

1 in 9 children aged 11 to 16 has a mental health problem, 36% higher than the national average.

Nearly all the young people we know saythey don’t feel safe in our community. Many have experienced being robbed or attacked in the street. These crimes often go unreported for fear of the consequences or mistrust of the police.

www.urbanhope.co.uk

This photo was taken as part of our

Beautiful C

ourse for young wom

en.

Sources: Health in Islington: The Facts 2010 (NHS Islington); Annual Public Health Report 2010 – Understanding the Gap: Improving Life Expectancy in Islington (NHS Islington); www.islington.gov.uk; www.endchildpoverty.org.uk; Islington Play Review Strategy