NEWS RELEASE For immediate release
Wickes sponsors BIG Challenge at Selby Centre with London Youth and 50 young people
The Selby Trust1 will be hosting the BIG challenge event for 16-17yr olds this Saturday, 28th September as part of The Challenge Network2 with young people from the Selby Centre-based Congo Empowerment Action3 and London Youth’s Volunteer It Yourself Project4.
Hosted at the Selby Centre in Tottenham in partnership with London Youth the day will conclude more than 2 months of activities for young people from 26 charities across Haringey, Hackney and Tower Hamlets as part of the National Citizen Service’s Challenge project over the summer.
Sponsored by Wickes as part of London Youth’s VIY Project the BIG Challenge at the Selby centre will follow the success of last weekend’s 5 miles, 1000 smiles fundraising event and will see more than 50 young people aged 14-17yrs old from North and East London redecorating a large space at the centre and taking part in the Selby Trust’s Wood Works Wonders and Global Garden, Global Kitchen Projects.
From 11am to 4pm, four groups at the Selby Centre will be involved in:
Repainting and decorating a training room often used by the community;
Building raised beds for the Global Garden, Global Kitchen project at the Centre out of recycled wooden pallets;
Painting existing raised beds and flower areas at the Selby Centre and laying Decking to develop the Global Garden, Global Kitchen
With more than £300 worth of materials donated by Wickes, the day will allow each individual taking part to gain accreditation in Painting and Decorating Level 1, using practical skills to bring young people from different communities together and be active in improving their own skills for life and work.
Films created by both groups will be promoted by the Selby Trust, London Youth and Congo Empowerment Action to raise awareness of the place of young people as a driving force in local entrepreneurship and leadership and distributed in partnership with Positive Youth News Haringey to boost local acknowledgement and pride of young people.
The impact of work on the day will bring the Global Garden, Global Kitchen project to life ahead of the end of crowd-funding for the project in December.
The project is the third addition to the Green Hub at the Selby centre and will grow cultural food in an urban food growing area with fruit trees, herbs, bushes and terraces. So far the project has raised more than £5,000 online with site Spacehive, and is attracting local people to support the by donating small amounts online at www.spacehive.com/selbytrustglobal garden.
London Youth will be joined by young individuals Congo Empowerment and Positive Youth News Haringey from local areas and the event this Saturday comes after a group of 24 young people held skill-sharing visits and an information session at the Selby Centre in August, exchanging skills in Media and Dance as well as learning about how young people can help support the Trust’s new Global Garden at the centre through The Challenge sponsored events.
Summer events with London Youth and the Selby Trust are bringing together young people from different backgrounds to access skills and confidence they wouldn’t normally reach.
Completing The Challenge means that young people are more prepared for life after college while gaining recognition for their talents and contribution to the community. The partnership with Wickes has been instrumental in making the BIG Challenge a hugely exciting and big day to celebrate this partnership and in October, photos from the day will be displayed at the Selby Centre as a reminder of the day’s impact on our community.
THE SELBY TRUST - MANY CULTURES, ONE COMMUNITY
Selby Centre is a major community resource in the heart of Tottenham. It is located in an area of high deprivation, bringing together a rich mix of individuals and organisations, primarily from BME, refugee and other historically excluded communities in Tottenham, Haringey, North London and beyond.
ENDS ()
High resolution images and further information available by emailing selbytrustsm@aol.com
James Smith
Communications and Outreach Officer
Selby Centre
Selby Road
London N17 8JL
Tel: 0208 885 5499
Fax: 0208 493 8517 Website: www.selbytrust.co.uk
Notes to editors
• (1) The Selby Trust provides a range of community-led services, including facilities management, under the banner of "Many Cultures, One Community". It manages the Selby Centre - probably the second largest community centre in England and Wales. www.selbytrust.co.uk
• (2) The Challenge is a National Citizen Service programme run in close association with Youth groups and community organisations across the country to provide a unique and exciting summer programme for 16-17yr olds in the summer after exams. The Challenge begins with 3 challenges over 15 days and is followed by 4 social action days in September and Autumn focussing on inspiring young people with confidence, team working and skills for the future. Find out more at www.the-challenge.org
• (4) London Youth supports over 400 diverse community organisations across London.
Working with more than 75,000 young Londoners, London Youth delivers programmes with and through this network in every London borough and in two learning centres. Find out more at www.londonyouth.org.uk
• (5) For full dates and details please see the table below, provided by London Youth:
What When Who with What’s involved
Media/Dance skill sharing visit Thursday 1st & Friday 2nd of August (approx. 1.30-2.30pm)
Selby Trust and youth groups from London Youth and Congolese EmpAct 12 young people (+2 mentors) from The Challenge will coach dance to their peers from Congolese Empowerment Action and learn how to film and use media.
Sponsorship Visit Monday 5th of August (approx. 11.30am-12.30pm) Selby Trust and youth groups from London Youth and Congolese EmpAct 12 young people (+2 mentors) will come to find out more about work that goes on at Selby Centre and the community groups that use the centre. The objective is to give young people a better idea about the contributions they could make to Selby Centre by volunteering and fundraising over the summer.
Volunteering Day Sunday 8th of September 11am-4pm Selby Trust and youth groups from London Youth and Congolese EmpAct 12 young people (+1 mentor) will come to volunteer at the centre on a range of activities including wood working and gardening for the Global Garden, Global Kitchen Project.
Big Challenge Saturday 29thand/or Sunday 30thof September 11am-4pm Selby Trust and youth groups from London Youth and Congolese EmpAct 60 young people (+8 mentors) will be available to help with decorating/gardening/clearing as part of a BIG volunteer day at the Selby Centre.
• The Selby Centre is a £1m social enterprise operation based in Tottenham, Haringey and is a success story against the odds: almost 80% of its income is self-generated from incubating and supporting social enterprises that hire out community facilities at the Selby Centre at affordable rates.
• The organisations at the Selby Centre read like a checklist of the government’s Big Society agenda: providing citizenship and employability training for the local Somali community; social care providers for vulnerable people; training organisations aimed at helping ex-offenders, young people without work, the long-term unemployed; and job support agencies working with those who are hardest to reach. There is also a developing plan for a free school.
• In 2010, Selby Trust was listed in RBS’s UK Top 100 Social Enterprise Index for growth and in November 2012, the Selby Trust was awarded the Social Enterprise Mark as a result of dedication to improving the community and our fast growing Green Hub - incubating on-site enterprises Wood Works Wonders, The Community Energy Lab and fundraising for the Global Garden, Global Kitchen Project with partners Spacehive.
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