As 2019 comes to an end, we'd like to take the opportunity and be grateful for our achievements and learnings over the last year. This would not have been possible without your support and participation, and the work of 21 fantastic community leaders who applied their talents and experience to build inclusive community spaces for social action.
Let's take a look back...
In 2019:
We delivered 4 participatory workshops across Lambeth's community centres to understand people's perceptions of an inclusive community space.
We raised £4,573 via our crowdfunding campaign to build the OurSpace Leaders Programme.
We reached out to and invited 21 local leaders from Central Brixton, Tulse Hill and Angell Town.
We delivered a 3-day residential training to build skills in Leadership & Facilitation.
We offered further trainings in Business Planning, Fundraising and Course Delivery.
OurSpace Leaders delivered a unique community business programme in 3 centres: Impact Brixton, Yellow Qube and Tulse Hill.
Over 18 new community project leaders graduated from their courses in December, and are ready to launch their projects.
3 community spaces are equipped to offer support to community groups and project leaders in local area and beyond.
Wise Women Wellness Once Again Served-Up Another Memorable ‘Wellness Fest’
Last month, Wise Women Wellness hosted their second illustrious social wellbeing event - ‘Pre Xmas - WISA Wellness Fest’ at the Lambeth, Brixton Town Hall.
Wooden carved doors opened to a stream of culturally diverse ladies buzzing with curious excitement. They were invited to join a group of up to eight women to reflect on their own personal self-care.
The focus in the circles was curated to inspire intimate discussion amongst the women, sparking great dialogue connection, and sharing of good daily wellbeing routines. The conversations were centered on their overall satisfaction in five key wellness domains including their emotional and psychical wellbeing which the NHS identifies as being important factors when striving to live an optimum well-balanced healthy life style. Talks ranged from women in the health service, education, wellbeing practitioners, entrepreneurs and the media...
Host and founder of Wise Women Wellness, Sharon Brooks introduced the WISA Wellness Fest and highlighted the ethos behind the community outreach project, and explained its mission to inspire women of diverse cultural heritage adopt good self-care practices and help prevent experiencing an emotional crisis. Co-host and Programme Director - Lorraine Suxdorf treated the women to one of her poems and talked about the importance of holistic wellbeing.
Women later tucked into vegetable platter and sandwiches.. and at the close of the event were encouraged to continue networking.
Participant, Gleny - ‘ It was amazing ..very inspirational, looking forward to being at the next one..’
Founder, Sharon Brooks: ‘This is where women come together share, learn and nurture their personal self-care journey.’
The next ‘WISA Wellness Fest’ will be held in March 2020, for further details of this event and Achieve Life Balance - self-development workshops in Brixton. Call Sharon Brooks 07973 825255 / info@wisewomenwellness.org.uk
In 2019, Leading Routes has launched a new programme Future Scholars, shared "The Broken Pipeline" Report, brought Black in Academia live, hosted another Paths to University event and many more.
In 2019 the 81 Acts of Exuberant Defiance, Steering Group created our Humanifesto to guide our way forward together and share our call to action with a wider audience.
We have spent time with our ears to the ground learning about the rich layering of local networks and gaining a better understanding of the incredible breadth, reach and warmth of practice that bubbles away in Brixton on a daily basis.
We have been doing our best to involve as many people as possible in the conversation about what needs to happen, when and how, to galvanise our community & strengthen our strategies of resistance as an act of honouring the events of 1981.
We have been developing robust partnerships with Brixton-based and national, cultural and civic partners to inform the way that we work, our ambitions and the shape and feel of what we want to achieve in 2021.
Supported by the Edge Foundation, the generosity of partners and the commitment of our community steering group, we have been able to drill down into the social impact drivers of the project and to consider how we deliver a meaningful legacy once the programme is complete.
With this in mind, 2020 will see us move into a new phase. We will dream big together to resource an eclectic, radical programme of activity which ensures past and future generations of activists, socially engaged artists, community leaders and local residents are learning from one another. We will work together, without hierarchy, to ensure that this critical and symbolic moment for reflection inspires and activates brave new visions for our shared future and incites the collective action we need to see the social changes we crave realised.
