Co-op Warm Spaces Funding Boost has provided £3,260 of match funding
Project Talent Time
London, Greater London, United Kingdom
Aim
Project Talent Time – A talent development project aimed at raising disadvantaged C&YP’s self-esteem and improving their social skills.
Who are we?
Highlights is a grassroots organisation working to alleviate the impacts of poverty and disadvantage on C&YP aged 8-16. Our users experience material deprivation, while their parents work long hours making ends meet. These C&YP feel deprived during Sundays and holidays, when their peers access opportunities they cannot afford.
We therefore provide activities where C&YP are occupied healthily, in ways in which that build their self-esteem and develop their relationships/social skills. We reduce resentment and frustration by providing C&YP with various activities including; weekly youth clubs, sports and art projects, an annual talent development project, residential volunteer training and holiday camps/outings, helping these C&YP feel a sense of belonging and optimism.
Community impact
Highlights impacts the lives of 250 beneficiaries and their families, annually, alleviating stress, anxiety and poor emotional health. This also has an indirect positive impact on local schools who find that our beneficiaries gain from increased positive wellbeing and social engagement. In this way Highlights transforms our local community, reducing anti-social behaviours and ensuring that our youth, the adults of tomorrow, have better opportunities in the future. By tackling issues proactively, we prevent challenges becoming crises and help C&YP find support to become self-actualised contributing members of society.
Why are we crowdfunding?
Our local community and disadvantaged beneficiaries have been hit inordinately hard by the current cost of living crisis, placing them in very difficult financial circumstances. This has caused many parents/carers to work longer hours to make ends meet, with a knock on effect on their children’s emotional wellbeing. Additionally the crisis has caused a reduction in food and warm spaces for many families and the C&YP we serve.
We are therefore crowdfunding to develop Project Talent Time which will provide these C&YP with warm and supportive spaces on winter evenings with ten sessions of talent development culminating in a public performance where they each can shine.
How we’ll spend the money raised
We intend to spend the money providing bi-weekly talent development sessions for 120 disadvantaged C&YP over a period of five weeks. C&YP will choose between a talent area of drama, song, dance or arts and will work together with trained instructors and empathic volunteers to develop their skills and relationships. Sessions will culminate in a public performance for family and friends taking place in March 2023.
Funds provided will be used to hire the necessary staff, and procure refreshments, premises and equipment to run this project.
This project successfully funded on 1st March 2023