Voluntary Action Camden

Our project archive

These are some of the projects we have been involved with in the past.

Healthy Minds

The Healthy Minds programme offered local people a wide range of free activities to support Camden residents rediscover their interests and uncover different community resources. For those who needed a helping hand to find what’s right for them, a navigator or sports buddy was there to help. VAC worked with MIND in Camden and other local partners in organising activities and information sessions to help people manage their health and well-being.

Camden Community Festival Fund

VAC administered Camden Council’s Community Festivals Programme between 2013 and 2019. The grants programme was supported by Camden Council in recognition of the contribution made by community festivals to strengthening Camden communities, in developing a rich culture and economy within the borough and offered opportunities for volunteering and mentoring for Camden residents.

This annual grant scheme added brightness, culture and diversity to all areas of Camden, thanks to the local communities that work tirelessly to put these festivals together.

Target HR – Human Resources Support from VAC

The Target HR project was established in August 2009 under the Big Lottery Fund’s Basis funding programme. It was a five-year pilot project aimed at supporting small and medium-sized voluntary and community organisations working with marginalised communities, across the seven boroughs of the Central London sub-region to improve their HR practice, skills and knowledge. It involved the development of a cross-borough Human Resource capacity-building service, managed and delivered by Voluntary Action Camden (VAC).

CAN Parent Project

The Parenting Support Trial project was a project through which mums, dads and carers of children aged five and under were offered vouchers to access parenting support and classes.

Over 600 parents, including fathers, accessed the support. A small group of parents kept in touch meeting every Wednesday as a support group in a local library.

HELP European Project

This project was part of the Lifelong Learning Programme.

VAC contributed on the Financial Literacy side of the Peer Mentoring project. VAC has expertise in both Peer Mentoring and Financial Literacy and therefore shared its learning and best practice with all the partners in this project.

Camden Community Empowerment Network

Between 2001 and March 2012 VAC hosted and supported the Camden Community Empowerment Network (CEN). CEN’s were established in 2001 under the National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal as a mechanism to promote community engagement in local decision-making and influence change at a local level. In March 2012 funding for CamdenCEN was withdrawn.

Better Governance Project

This five-year project was funded by The Big Lottery between 2008 – 2013. The project offered: A training programme of five sessions on governance (delivered over a three-month period). One-to-one support on any organisational development area, customised to meet the needs of the organisation. Accredited training on an “Introduction to Teaching and Learning” course for trustees interested in developing their training skills. Click here to find out more about this course. Co-training opportunities – the chance for a small group of interested trustees to become part of a pool of trained trustees able to work alongside VAC staff to deliver governance training sessions.

The Home School Link project

The Home School Link project involved two Home School LinkWorkers who worked alongside school staff, parents and pupils as a cultural bridge between home and school in order to improve inequality in educational attainment of Bangladeshi and Congolese children. The Home School Link workers worked with staff from four different schools in Camden to raise awareness on issues affecting the pupils’ achievement and help them develop strategies to address them.

Parents were better able to support their children’s learning through informative group workshops on the UK education system. Focusing on key areas, such as improving language and truancy rates whilst mentoring children through group discussion on any issues surrounding their learning and developing ways to overcome barriers to achievement, helped support pupils to reach their full potential.

Mental Health Project

The mental health project was established in 2007 and ended in 2017. It aimed to support staff and organisations in Camden to promote mental well-being and prevent mental ill-health; to raise awareness of mental health and challenge stigma and misunderstanding; and to improve the range and quality of services available locally to those affected by mental health issues. This was achieved through training, networking, awareness raising events and campaigns, mental health champions and dementia friends sessions

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