Voluntary Action Camden

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Category: Charity Spotlight

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Highlighted Charity/Group of the week 05/04/2024 – Touch Project CIC

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Spotlighted Charity of the week – The Touch Project

Welcome to one of our Camden New Groups Network members – Touch Project, and its founder Kathy Breidenbach.

VAC has recently started the New Groups Network for support and peer mentoring, and we were delighted to meet Kathy and learn about her work and her organisation. Touch Project is a Not-for-Profit community interest company and is run by a team of experienced, qualified & caring volunteers.

Find out what Touch Project is about and what they do in Kathy’s own words and photos of her and her faithful assistant Joy:

“Our mission is to encourage learning, growing, and helping people connect to all aspects of themselves. If you want to reduce stress & improve relaxation, if you’d like to have fun while improving your wellbeing naturally and nurture more caring connection in your life, please come and join us as we co-create wellbeing workshops every Thursday evening and the last Sunday afternoon of the month.

Every week we joyfully explore connection, communication, boundaries, and enjoy home-made healthy goodies. Wellness skills nurture and improve your quality of your life! We have Joy the Labradoodle, so you can get some good puppy love at a fully accessible venue, the Old Diorama near Euston.”

Free female and helper tickets are available, please call Kathy on 07832737813.

https://www.touchproject.world/

Highlighted Charity/Group of the week 08/03/2024 – the Stroke Association

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The Stroke Association

 

Our Community Links Referrals and Case Management Lead, Nasrin, has been working closely with the Stroke Association recently:

 

“The concept of Social Prescribing has become increasingly popular in recent times. However, I believe the voluntary sector truly shines in this area by offering support to the community. Whenever our clients need help accessing local services to enhance their well-being, we make every effort to connect them with the numerous outstanding groups and charities present in the borough. However, there may be occasions when a gap exists, and it is in such situations that VAC plays a crucial role in filling that gap and facilitating the establishment of the required group.

 


Our collaboration with the Stroke Association has revealed a critical gap in services in Camden. As a result, we have played a key role in facilitating the provision of suitable premises for the establishment of a much-needed Camden Communication Support group. The Stroke Association’s ability to now operate within the borough is truly remarkable. Caroline from the Stroke Association referred to the new opportunity to offer something “closer” to their residents in Camden. This initiative holds utmost importance for the community, as it has the potential to offer invaluable guidance, education, and emotional assistance. Furthermore, it will greatly benefit professionals such as social prescribers and clinicians, enabling them to connect individuals with community resources that can aid in their recovery and boost their confidence.”

 

Highlighted Charity of the week 16/02/2024 – WE RESTART

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WE RESTART

 

VAC is welcoming WE RESTART as one of our newest member organisations and part of our Camden New Groups Network.

 

WE RESTART is a new charity empowering community through creative arts. In Autumn 2023, they opened the A.R.I.A. (Asylum seeker, Refugee and Immigrant Artists) Hub, a dedicated space to nurture the talents and potential of artists-at-risks. It offers comprehensive, long-term support that is crucial for building sustainable careers in the arts.

Cristina Antonini is the Co-founder of WE RESTART. She says:

 

“The A.R.I.A. Hub is a studio residency here at our office in High Holborn, where 7 selected artists share their experience and develop their career in the arts. Together they are also developing a project to showcase during the next edition of the Refugee Week. WE RESTART are among organisations participating in the Mayor of London’s program Skills for Londoners. We help asylum seekers and refugees in enrolling to ESOL, Math and Digital Skills courses with AEB providers / London Multiply. We do so working from hotel accommodations (more specifically in Brent) to engage directly with potential students. We would like to bring our experience also to Camden and support the asylum seekers staying in hotels in the borough.

 

 

Our program encompasses the provision of tools and materials, mentorship, professional development, and networking opportunities. We firmly believe that by nurturing the talent and creativity of asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrant artists, we preserve their artistic identities – priceless assets in their journeys to rebuild their lives and extraordinary gifts to the communities where they have found refuge.”

 

To learn more, you can visit We Restart’s website.

Highlighted Charity of the week 02/02/2024 –Families4Peace

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Sector Spotlight: Families 4 Peace
Families4Peace is a grassroots organisation that began with a desire to create a community project that addressed the inequity in London. In 2021, a couple of north west London secondary school friends were looking for a way to make an impact on their community. As they were busy organising their project, the conflict in Ukraine unfolded.Recognising the gravity of the crisis, the teens quickly appealed to their families, schools, and peers to help address this crisis which would ultimately bring more than 100,000 Ukrainian refugees to the United Kingdom. 

In response to the crisis, Families4Peace collaborated with VAC and Camden council to host a community event to disseminate information to Ukrainians in the Camden area. More than 150 Ukrainian families attended.

 

In early May 2022, the Families4Peace community centre opened its doors at The Cavendish School to hundreds of newly arriving Ukrainian families. Running by-weekly community hubs and information support, organise more community events including family cooking sessions, prep support for school aged children and after school activities for the many secondary school children in our network.

 

There are many opportunities to get involved with Families4Peace. They need volunteers to help run their community centre, manage their social media presence, organise fundraisers and help with translation and ESOL courses.

 

To find out more about this amazing grassroots organisation visit – Families 4 Peace

Highlighted Charity of the week 26/01/2024 – Somers Town Museum

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“Voluntary Action Camden has supported the development of the Somers Town Museum since its inception as a local History Club celebrating the radical history of the neighbourhood. We have also worked with the Museum to co-deliver a training session on setting up a Community Interest Company (CIC) and promote the Museum to residents looking for opportunities to get involved in community projects through social prescribing referrals.

Led, run, and developed by residents and other volunteers the project has grown into a successful Community Interest Company, and now has shop front premises on Phoenix Road in the heart of Somers Town. An astonishing range of activities and opportunities to get involved are on offer for residents – it is a tiny space with huge ambitions!”

 

There is so much to discover at the Somers Town Museum… some of their recent work involved hunting down and bringing home some of the famous Gilbert Bayes sculptures that disappeared from St Pancras Housing estates (now Origin Housing). You can find out more about this and sign up to their newsletter and find out about events and more on the website: https://aspaceforus.club/

 

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