Up at the O2

Aim

To get 7500 disabled children dancing and advocating for their futures whilst promoting intergenerational volunteering!

Flamingo Chicks is a multi-award winning charity and inclusive community giving disabled and ill children the opportunity to explore movement through dance. From a small community group founded in 2013, we have become a national force championing inclusion for disabled children; 24,000 children have danced with us since we began. Last year:

• 7,371 children came through our sessions (up by 32%)
• 237 workshops delivered (up by 74%)
• 84 regular classes (up by 52%)
• 32 new settings, we also worked with every children’s hospice in the UK!
• 23 inclusive dance teachers across the UK
• 2 inclusive dance tours,  Men-tour and SMOOSH 
• 5 new Parent & Carer Champions
• 571 active, intergenerational volunteers

HOW WE HELP DISABLED CHILDREN AND FAMILIES 

We deliver ground-breaking inclusive programmes designed to support disabled children and their families through five core pillars:
1) inclusive dance classes
2) peer-to-peer support networking
3) intergenerational volunteering
4) youth-led advocacy
5) global outreach

These pillars unite creating support, systemic change and a fairer, more inclusive society.  

WHAT WE WANT TO DO

Since Covid hit, we’ve seen surging demand for our support.  We are steadily increasing the number of children we reach year on year – and with your help, we can keep up the momentum!  

This year, we want to raise a minimum of £20,000 to increase our reach to 7,500 children in 2023 and shine a spotlight on the importance of supporting disabled children’s mental and physical health.

Funds raised will enable us to:

• DELIVER inclusive and immersive classes, workshops, a tour and virtual class reaching 7500 children
• SUPPORT parents and carers through supportive and educational events
• TRAIN others to share excellent practice
• ADVOCATE with powerful campaigns 

This will include:

• Lauching a brand new performance and advocacy arm of Flamingo Chicks called ‘Performance Deconstructed’ 

Magical touring workshops inside an enchanting pop-up stage with moving props, fabrics, smells, sounds and costumes to nurture confidence, imagination and curiosity. 

• Uniting the generations

Our Award winning Volunteer programme currently sees 571 intergenerational volunteers contribute to our work.  We particularly encourage socially isolated, older and disabled volunteers to take part. 

We also promote opportunities for generations to interact such as our unique tea dances which bring care home residents and younger Flamingo Chicks for carefree afternoons of dance, music and friendship .

• Training 

We are working to expand the diversity of our team, on boarding new skill-sets, lived experience of disability and improved ethnic diversity to better represent the communities we serve. Your support will help us recruit, train and support new team members, set up additional regular classes and launch new workshops in places in the UK we haven't worked in before. We’ll also launch a new tour and widely showcase our techniques, up-skilling many others in inclusive practice.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made