© 2011 West Yorkshire Learning Consortium,
Suite 89, Oxford Chambers, Oxford Place Centre, Oxford Place, Leeds, LS1 3AX,
Tel:
0113 2453111.
Charity Number: 1100520. Company Number: 04614852.
Leeds
Kirklees
Bradford
Calderdale
Wakefield
© Tim Green Photography
Projects funded by the Transformation Fund
Foundation Leeds
This charity offers housing and floating support to people at risk of social exclusion, including care leavers, offenders, families, asylum seekers, and people with substance misuse and mental health issues.
The Transformation Fund project will train customers to take part in staff interview processes. Practical interviewing skills will increase self awareness, self confidence, communication and team work, enabling participants to move towards training and employment.
Incommunities
Incommunities is a social landlord, offering housing, shared ownership, and temporary and supported housing. The organisation also works towards tackling worklessness, and reducing barriers to learning and employment.
The project will involve a range of activities, such as creative writing, exploring identity and community through archives, cinema, clay animation and film production, with a celebration event. These activities will lead to increased self awareness and confidence, improved social skills and personal goal setting.
Leeds Housing Concern – Pennington Place
LHC is a Leeds based charity which offers supported accommodation to marginalised sections of the community with additional needs.
The Transformation Fund project aims to break barriers to accessing classical music, enabling clients to listen to, and appreciate, music. This will involve attendance at a classical music concert, preparation and consolidation, listening and sharing together, and following up interests in other composers.
Access to music as an art form is seen as beneficial as an emotionally and psychologically nurturing experience.
Lippy People CIC
Lippy People is a social enterprise in Leeds dedicated to the voice and restorative justice of marginalised communities, including ethnic minorities, homeless people and ex offenders, to develop media literacy and engage in social media to affect positive change. The CIC encourages the growth of community activism, social media entrepreneurism and community leadership.
The project will enable homeless people to make and edit a film, developing media literacy. Discussion, awareness building and reflective conversations between the service users and providers will generate ideas about affecting change. Transferable skills will be gained in IT and communication, disseminating information via the internet and so connecting to the world. The breaking down of barriers will build tolerance, confidence and self esteem. This will develop notions of governance which, longer term, participants could use as new skills to start to earn a living.
Open House (Kirklees Customer Involvement Group)
Open House is a Huddersfield charity providing rehabilitation, education and training, and recreational activities to ex offenders, substance misusers and homeless people.
The project will offer a range of activities, including walking, a women’s group, painting and decorating, golf, and producing a newsletter. Activities will develop basic skills, creativity, social skills and team work, and increase self esteem and confidence. Physical fitness and health will also be improved, and clients will benefit from using visual and memory skills, and the experience of interacting with the wider community.
St Georges Crypt
This charity is providing two projects with the Transformation Fund:
Faith Lodge: A Leeds hostel for single homeless men recovering from addictions, mainly to alcohol.
A trip to the Eden Project is planned, with art and photography for an art display. Personal development will be aided by organising of the trip, including research, planning the journey, time management, and sharing and discussing plans. The visit will provide inspiration for future gardening plans, and the development of new skills, including team building, conservation skills, independence and self esteem.
Regent Terrace Hostel: a wet hostel for alcoholic, homeless men, supported in harm reduction and resettlement, maintaining a safe and secure environment.
Participants will be involved in visiting two arts venues, recording their experiences through art, to develop a meaningful support plan. This will promote confidence and skills, including social skills as a mutual understanding is gained of others in group, enabling clients to begin to take control of own life and gain independence.
The Basement Recovery Project
The Basement provides a drop in services to socially excluded people in the Calderdale area, including people who are homeless, and chaotic substance and alcohol users. Recovery programmes and user representation at local and regional level are also provided.
The new funding will create a drop in IT club, enabling service users to engage with online forums to help recovery. The IT club will also facilitate group work, peer support, with the sharing and learning of information and IT skills, enabling participants to become more competitive in the jobs market.
‘I felt some tears coming on the bit about the group sitting in the orchestra pit at a classical music concert.’
Jan Novitzky,
NIACE
‘The breaking down of barriers including
building tolerance, confidence
and self esteem, will develop notions of governance and help participants use new skills to start to earn a living’.
Jo Wilkinson,
Lippy People
Animated film making