Voting Now Open: Brent Cross Town Community Fund 2024

We Restart - Brent Cross Town Community Fund Shortlist (Brent Cross Town)

Community is at the heart of everything we do in Brent Cross Town, so it’s a privilege to be able to assist some of the groups and projects that support and enrich the local community with the annual Brent Cross Town Community Fund, now in its sixth year. Last year, we introduced a vote to enable the local community to decide which of the nine winning groups should be awarded extra funding. This year, we want you to get even more involved. We’ve shortlisted seven groups out of 60 that applied, and we’re inviting you to vote on who should be awarded grants from our £50,000 pot.

Cast your votes on this page before 2 December 2024. You have three votes.

The objective of the 2024 Brent Cross Town Community Fund is to support groups focused on skills, education, training and employment, and we have been hugely impressed by the range and quality of submissions. We’re thrilled to introduce our shortlist:

Brent Cross Town Community Fund shortlisters Barnet Mencap (Brent Cross Town)

BARNET MENCAP: EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES AND AUTISTIC PEOPLE

Barnet Mencap helps people with learning disabilities into employment, giving them a degree of financial freedom and a sense of purpose and achievement. The group supports its clients in searching for jobs, writing CVs and preparing for interviews. It also assists those who need further education.

They have applied for a grant of £10,000 which would allow them to employ a facilitator for a year and purchase two more laptops, educational materials and refreshments.

 

Community Fund shortlisted Pro Touch (Brent Cross Town)

PRO TOUCH: BRIGHTER FUTURES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

At the end of 2023, 16.4% of 16-18-year-olds were NEET: not in education, employment or training. Pro Touch will offer unemployed over-16s the opportunity to complete youth work and sports qualifications, enabling them to find work. They will also help those who complete a course to improve their CVs and interview skills and offer them volunteer work with Pro Touch, creating a sports project for children. Every participant will be supported by a mentor. 

A grant of £9950 would allow Pro Touch to offer training and 1:1 mentoring to 12 young people. Those 12 young people would, in turn, support or coach 60 young people in a sports project, also funded by the grant.

Brent Cross Town Community Fund shortlisted project Centre of Excellence (Brent Cross Town)

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE: CHANGE MAKER

Centre of Excellence offers comprehensive ESOL (English as a second language) and employability programs to the Somali and BAME community in Barnet, helping them to find access services, find employment, and integrate into the wider community. 

A grant of £10,000 would allow the group to offer employability and training programmes to 200 people. The course would include conventional classes and practical workshops that will empower individuals and their families.

 

Art Cafe by We Restart, Brent Cross Town Community fund applicants (Brent Cross Town)

WE RESTART: THE ART CAFÉ

 The Art Café is run by WE RESTART and addresses the urgent need for skills development and employment readiness among asylum seekers residing in the Brent Cross area.  The group offers weekly workshops focused on art, English language proficiency and British culture, helping participants gain practical skills, build confidence, and enhance their employability, preparing them for future roles in creative industries while fostering community connection and cultural integration.

A grant of £7500 would allow WE RESTART, which already supports 500 adults and 110 children in similar schemes across London, to offer 22 weeks of The Art Café, including transport and all materials, to 30 adults in and around Brent Cross.

Brent Cross Town Community Fund shortlist: Art Against Knives /The Lab Records (Brent Cross Town)

ART AGAINST KNIVES: THE LAB RECORDS

Art Against Knives started The Lab Records, a weekly pop-up recording studio in 2015, providing young people with the space to write, record and produce their own music and socialise in a safe and creative environment. Attendees learn to create and produce music to a professional standard, allowing them to access careers in the music industry. The staff are also specialists in youth violence and experienced personal development mentors who provide on-the-spot mentoring and personal development support, helping young people to manage conflict, access specialist support services and make positive life choices.

A grant of £10,000 would allow The Lab Records to offer 30 young people skills training and pathways into education, training and employment, as well as one-to-one advice on issues such as finance, housing and mental health issues.

Mentoring academy, Brent Cross Town Community Fund (Brent Cross Town)

MENTORING ACADEMY: FIT FOR LIFE

Mentoring Academy’s Fit For Life scheme addresses youth unemployment in Barnet and the increasing involvement of young people in criminal activities, particularly knife crime. The programme offers fitness instructor training and certification, career support, and mentorship to secure employment, as well as promoting sustainable careers and healthy lifestyles as an achievable alternative to criminal activity.

A grant of £9980 would offer training, certification and mentorship to 20 young people in Barnet.

Motivez Sustainable Barnet (Brent Cross Town)

MOTIVEZ: SUSTAINABLE BARNET

With Sustainable Barnet, community and youth-led organisation Motivez aims to address both pollution levels in Barnet and socio-economic barriers to STEM careers. Although climate change is one of the greatest issues we face, and the transition to green energy is absolutely vital, there is currently a shortfall of 470,000 STEM professionals.

A grant of £10,000 would allow Motivez to run a three-month project that will build relationships between STEM professionals and 300 ambitious young people who are disproportionately affected by climate change. in deprived London areas. This will be achieved by facilitating a hackathon-style competition to develop STEM-based solutions to mitigate local pollution issues. Through 20+ fun activities, industry and neighbourhood visits, fireside chats, intimate workshops and mentoring led by relatable and inspirational STEM professionals, the young people will increase their awareness and knowledge of how to solve these issues using STEM.

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