'Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does' - William James
Community Development work means meeting people. What a fantastic
opportunity this presents. It's what we like to do most of all!
When we meet people who have a problem, we believe this can often be
the beginning of something positive. Our services are for everyone
regardless of personal situations.
Based on Kingsmead Estate, the Kabin and the Concorde Centre are the two local venues for our Community Development programmes.
At times, we have struggled to open the Kabin doors. When we have opened it has often only been made possible due to the efforts of volunteer staff who have given up their time.
Perhaps the best way to understand what our work entails is by looking at what takes place during a typical week in the life of the Community Development team…
Mondays are often when people ask 'how do I register for your services such as I.T. Training?' or ' can I make an appointment for some legal advice?' Parents drop off their children at the Kabin crèche facility whilst they attend the circuit training at the Concorde centre. What better way to start the week than with a keep fit training session?
Tuesday afternoons see the opening of 'Good Companions', our over fifty-five's club. They meet to play games and share news and views of Hackney life in days gone by and days to come – whoever would have thought we'd have the Olympics in our back yard! 'The Kabin isn't just a place to shop, it's somewhere to go, to meet and to talk and to find out what's going on'.
One Wednesday, the Kabin played host to an Anti-Social Behaviour Working Group meeting. This group brought together Hackney Council, the Police, Hackney Mediation Service, Kingsmead Homes, Stepping UP Youth and many local residents, working together to address anti-social behaviour problems on Kingsmead Estate.
On Thursdays, we offer an open surgery for legal advice from 10.00 am to 12 noon with East Hackney Law where local people can come to seek help with benefits, debt, employment or consumer affairs.
On Fridays, the 'Kidstuff Shop' opens. People can come in to browse, sit and chat or have a cup of tea. This year, Kidstuff raised £3,000 selling books, clothes, music and movies, as well as toys and baby equipment at bargain prices. Our volunteers welcome our shoppers, persuading them to spend more than they anticipated!
We develop new projects that often evolve from the ideas of local people. The 'Community History' group and 'Silver Surfers' have developed a written history of the Kingsmead estate. Through interviewing residents, the next steps will be the development of a Community History Archive.
If you are interested in finding out more about Community Development work or about joining us a volunteer please contact........ on 0208 525 6970, or alternatively pop in to reception to find out more. We'd be delighted to meet you!
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