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Five ideas for being kind on Random Acts of Kindness Day 2023

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A “Random Act Of Kindness” is uplifting for the recipient and beautiful to witness.

Our team member Jo recently witnessed a moment of kindness while sitting in a queue of stationary traffic. Jo saw an arm appear out of the window of the car in front and hand a bunch of Tulips to an elderly lady who was being assisted down the hill. Jo recalled that the smiles on their faces spoke volumes.

Have you ever had your entire day improve because of a gesture of kindness from someone? Would you like the opportunity to make someone’s day a little better or change the trajectory of their life?

To celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Day in our way, we recommend five projects from our community that you could sign up for or visit today (or any day) to spread some kindness.

Get to know your neighbours at Brightons Fitzherberts Community Hub – The Community Hub’s mission is to reduce food poverty and social isolation by welcoming and nourishing all with food, friendship, and fun! The hub offers a safe, inclusive space for all, where local people can come to eat and form lasting friendships.

The Real Junk Food Project Brighton runs a daily ‘pay as you feel’ community cafe from the hub using food that would otherwise go to landfill so in getting lunch at the restaurant you are supporting yourself, the community and the environment! You can even ‘pay ahead’ in a random act of kindness and buy a stranger their lunch.

Encourage someone to exercise – Brighton Table Tennis Club, based in the Fitzerberts centre, prioritises working with people who have the least access but would benefit most from playing and being part of the BTTC community. Thanks to their mass participation community model, anyone, anywhere in the world, can join their community and become an AllStar TT just by signing up and playing games.They also run open sessions for everyone who would like to develop their skills as a table tennis player. Do you know someone who could do with some endorphins or some fun? Suggest a game of table tennis.

Give the gift of language – Conversation Over Borders offers free online one-to-one English conversation tutoring for refugees and asylum seekers. They bring displaced people and the wider community together to facilitate human connection, reduce social isolation and build confidence in spoken English. Classes run for 8-week blocks. Working with the same person twice a week, you do not need to be a trained teacher to apply, and the COB team provides teaching support and resources for all of their volunteers. In volunteering for COB, you will show someone enormous kindness, empowering them to feel more confident, less isolated, and more welcome when they need it most. You never know; you may learn a thing or two yourself and make a friend for life along the way.

If volunteering sounds too much for you right now, then why not rehome your old devices and donate your tech to them here >.

Cheer someone on – On the 2nd of April, 2023, thousands of incredible people will partake in the Brighton Marathon weekend. You never know who might need a simple smile or a clap of encouragement to get them through. So if you have a little time to spare, get down to the sidelines, cheer someone on, and support those runners while they run to raise money and change people’s lives.

Give a virtual gift to a young homeless person – For as little as five pounds you can give a virtual gift through the Clock Tower Sanctuary website and buy anything from a hot roast dinner to support back into education. Your kindness and generosity will help homeless young people in Brighton & Hove begin to change their lives and find a way forward.

These are a few ideas for spreading kindness on Random Acts of Kindness Day and every day! A small act of generosity or thoughtfulness could change the trajectory of someone’s life and maybe even yours. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation has compiled a list of free ways to 25 FREE Ways to Celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Day.

These small acts could change someone’s life forever.

Our 2022 Roundup

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On behalf of our team, we wish you a wonderful and prosperous holiday season and our sincerest thanks for your work in the community in 2022. We hope the rest of your year is relaxing and peaceful.

It was great to see so many of you at the Royal Pavillion ice rink on Tuesday a couple of weeks ago, and we hope you and your guests enjoyed the evening as much as we did. We loved receiving your feedback. Thank you!

This calendar year, we are thrilled to have awarded over £500,000 in grants across the Brighton & Hove area and to our partners abroad. We have made around 70 grants in areas of social importance, education, health & well-being, environment, and Arts & Culture. We couldn’t be prouder to be a part of this growing network and have the opportunity to support our partners on their journeys.

We wanted to share some highlights from the year and inform you of what’s in store for the year ahead. So please take a few minutes to read our 2022 round-up and plans for next year.

We are lucky that there is just too much positive news to share with you all from this year. So we have picked out a few of our partners’ achievements to get you in the mood for the festivities and show you the broad range of unique projects we have supported this year.

ESSENTIAL HOLIDAY VIEWING

This year, our partners, The Launchpad Collective, helped their client Mohamas Aljasem on his journey to becoming an actor, and he debuted in Netflix’s The Swimmers @theswimmersfilm. This powerful film is based on the life story of two sisters following their journey from Syria to the Olympics and is undoubtedly one to watch over the festive period.

AN ARTIST RESIDENCY ON A BARGE!

This year ONCA announced its 2022 ONCA Barge Residency programme supported by Enjoolata. ONCA is a Brighton-based arts charity that bridges social and environmental justice issues with creativity. Its mission is to promote positive change by facilitating inclusive spaces for creative learning, artist support, story-sharing, and community solidarity.

Lagos-based photographer Bernard Kalu completed the residency on ONCA Barge in April. ‘Onye Ocha Biara Uwa Ojii,’ the body of work that emerged, is a continuation of Kalu’s exploration of colourism. Please take some time to view this powerful body of work on ONCA’s website.

YOUTH MUSIC & NATURE CONNECTION

When we first launched our grants programme in 2020, it was one of our key goals to connect projects that could strengthen each other’s work and help create magic within our community. We wanted to help grow a vital ecosystem of people doing good and inspiring one another.

Towards the end of 2021, we introduced The Nest Collective, a leading cultural force in environmental advocacy, to our partners, the refugee charity The Hummingbird Project.
With help from an Enjoolata grant, an extraordinary partnership evolved. The project culminated in a day in the woods for young people from various cultures and countries where they could make genuine connections with artists and each other and feel seen.

We were informed that the participants had huge smiles on the day and felt more connected after spending the day together in nature. ‘The ‘buzz’ of the day fed into the positive energy at the group meeting the following week’.

ENJOOLATA ON SPOTIFY

We were so inspired by this partnership and so sad to miss the day in the woods that we invited Saied Silbak to contribute to our first-ever ‘Enjoolata Curates’ playlist on Spotify. Listen here. Keep an eye out on our Instagram page for new playlists as we collaborate with one partner every month to bring you a guest playlist from around the world.

Listen here >

BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS & COMMUNITY

We are thrilled to hear that so many of our partners are meeting at our coffee mornings and connecting through our foundation, and we cannot wait to see how all of these collaborations develop next year!

SUPPORT BEYOND FUNDING

In 2023 we will launch a pilot scheme with Annie Murray, the Director of the film production company Edit Sweet Ltd & founder of HORIZON, a charity supporting people in recovery to find a new creative way of life.

In Collaboration with Annie, we will provide some of our partners with a unique opportunity to develop their media and storytelling skills. Places for this training will be minimal, so keep an eye out in your inboxes and our social media channels for updates in the new year!

If you are keen to register your initial interest, please email daisy@enjoolata.org, and you will be the first to receive information.

LESSONS LEARNED WORKSHOP WITH LOUISE GRAHAM

This year we undertook some transformative work with Personal, Executive & Leadership Coach Louise Graham. We worked with Louise to analyse our successes and redefine our goals in the ‘Theory of Change’ process. We look forward to sharing this with you in the New Year.

To help you get kickstarted for the year ahead, Louise is offering a one-off workshop for free, exclusively to our partners.

Louise will help you move into 2023 with more energy, joy, and focus. Upon completing the course, you will receive a free workbook to review & reflect on your own or with your team.

COMMUNITY GRANTS PROGRAMME 2023 ANNOUNCED

We are thrilled to re-open our Enjoolata Community Grant Applications in the new year. Applications will be open from the 3rd of January until the 17th of January, 2023.

The Programme will support smaller organisations with bold ideas implementing social and environmental change, helping to realise our vision of a fairer, healthier, happier, and more sustainable world.

We are most interested in making these grants to organisations that identify and work on the root causes of problems and approach issues with a commitment to long-term social and environmental change.

We are excited to see which applications come in and hear about all the fantastic projects within Brighton & Hove. For our criteria and more information about applying, visit our website.

SEE YOU IN 2023!

Thanks again to all of you for the difference you are making in the world, and we look forward to catching up with new and old faces in the new year!

A holistic approach to support – Voices in Exile group work funded by Enjoolata

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Voices in Exile support refugees, asylum seekers and those with no recourse to public funds. Their ethos  is multi-faith and human rights based and their approach is collaborative and holistic. 

First and foremost Voices in Exile offer practical and legal support to those unable to access the justice system and services such as healthcare, but once these basic needs are taken care of they also provide their members with access to a range of creative programmes. Through these programmes VIE Seeks to help people find positive ways to address their needs, build skills and work towards integration. 

VIE received a £10,000 grant from Enjoolata to help fund these group activities which included sewing on the  ONCA Barge at Brighton Marina, gardening and cooking activities with Common ground in Stanmer Park, a cultural visit to Brighton Museum and Pavillion and pottery and sculpture classes at Hanover Community Centre. 

VIE have reported that the activities have already had a significant impact on members –  improving their sense of connection to Brighton, reducing isolation and encouraging members to participate independently in beneficial wellbeing and creative activities and groups in the area. 

VIE have helped their members gain access to free classes such as women’s yoga at the Brighton Natural Health Centre, Men’s Pilates at the Meeting House, International Women’s group at Jubilee Library and stone carving, woodwork, textiles and photography at Fabrica. 

Outcomes of the workshops have included 

  • Improved knowledge and confidence to access local services and activities
  • Practise using digital devices and the internet
  • Participation in health and wellbeing activities
  • Improved social networks and connections to the city
  • Increased confidence in everyday English and participation in / leading group workshops
  • Access to other groups and volunteering

One member commented ‘I would like to thank you (Voices in Exile) for your help and support for me and my family, especially Miss Hayat who gave me support and was by my side in my most difficult times. I used to feel lonely and isolated but thanks to you I now feel that I am not alone’. 

Support comes in many forms and whilst it is vital to address the essential basic needs of individuals,  Voices in Exile’s work in the community is a reminder that there is more to life beyond basic needs and everyone should have the same opportunities to live their life to their full potential.

The Old Green

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In the summer of 2021 Enjoolata awarded funding to a small group of residents on Stanmer road on the outskirts of Brighton who had got together to transform a piece of scrub land known as The Old Green into a natural and educational resource for the local community.

The group were set on regenerating the land using the permaculture approach of working with nature and not against it. They planned to grow herbs, wildflowers and vegetables and to provide educational activities to members of the local community.

Now entering its second year the garden has evidently become an important asset for the community, especially during the pandemic when social isolation was at an all-time high. It is being used by all age groups and particularly by mothers and their children. It has been used for Christmas carol concerts and Halloween gatherings and the residents have future plans to hold all sorts of workshops in the area.

Fig, apple, and pear trees have been planted along the length of the land. A swathe of wildflowers will soon emerge as the weather gets warmer and the garden seems to give a sense of cohesion to the quite diverse surrounding community with its cross section of inhabitants ranging from students and new young families to the older generation of working-class families who have lived there for years. Many in the estates have no gardens and The Old Green provides a space for all.

Jam is made from the rosehips; the rest are left for the birds as are pieces of bread hung from the branches. A three-bin compost system offers an opportunity for members of the community to recycle their food waste and witness how the garden and wildlife will reap the benefit. In line with their permaculture beliefs, the project uses low impact materials in the garden and the group recycle wherever possible.

One elderly gentleman who had lived in the area for years commented that he had seen dragonflies flying around for the very first time and frogs have been sighted in the small ponds created on the edge of the garden.

Urban green spaces, such as parks, playgrounds, and residential greenery, can improve mental and physical health and improve life expectancy for urban residents. Outreach programmes will ensure that those living in council housing without gardens or in areas of social disadvantage will be given priority access, facilities and learning opportunities.

Funding from Enjoolata will continue to be spent on training priorities for those who might not have opportunities to access green spaces, with the remainder going towards ongoing maintenance.

Art is not a thing, it is a way.

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By the shipping basin in Portslade there is an old boat yard whose entrance is covered in murals. This is Making It Out whose tagline is ‘Creative alternatives to repeat offending’.

The team at Making It Out design and make furniture, installations and a range of artefacts from small scale pieces to large public art installations. The difference between MIO and a regular studio is that MIO focuses on supporting people who have come from the prison system or are at risk of offending. It is a space where participants can access job opportunities and learn skills in a creative and supportive environment.

On our most recent visit we spent time in the Art Room, a space tucked away in the back, stacked to the ceiling with artworks of all types. The Art Room is a creative hub that actively encourages artistic exploration, focusing on the creative release that comes from experimenting. A place where participants can socialise and learn from each other.

Sean, who started out as a participant with MIO, is now Artistic Development Coordinator of the project and makes his own work at the studio. Sean explained that through ‘creating such allegorical works at the Making It Out studio, whilst also guiding others in their creativity, I hope to bring a realisation of the cathartic and self awareness that any participant can delve into, on any level’.

There is a playful, experimental element to spending time in the Art Room and the first thing Sean hopes for above everything else is ‘the discovery a client might have of the fun of playing and experimenting with artistic methods and materials’.

Al, a participant who was completely new to painting, showed us a vibrant landscape that he had been working on. He said ‘I have learnt to paint by being in the art room with Sean and it is all about having the freedom to explore.There is no right or wrong; if we get anything wrong, we can start again. Sean just gives us the space to get on and if we need help, we can ask for support. That’s where the growth is.’

Sean’s ‘’Razor wire in the blood’ – is a ceramic piece started during his time in prison. We also loved his ‘Lockdown Self-Portrait’ – 30 individual paintings made over 30 different days. The most recent of his works, ‘The 4 Truths – Social, Personal, Universal and Human’, is a series of colourful sculptures exploring the issues of our time through Sean’s lens.

Sean describes this work as a ‘4 piece sculpture representing my views of 4 types of truth. Different coloured clay creatures represented humanity. This work is part of a trilogy that began with ‘Forgiveness’, a series of paintings from 2020 but developed a couple of years earlier. The third artwork was a painting about the positive/negative aspects of ‘Guilt’.

Ty, who had first picked up a pencil and discovered his rare talent in prison, is also continuing his artistic development with MIO. The walls were lined with huge pop art like paintings of famous icons such as Amy Winehouse and members of Oasis and a large scale , detailed self portrait in pencil.

When we asked Ty about this work he said: ‘ I did my self portrait for a competition. I had only been drawing like this for about 2 years. I had never done any art until 2 years ago. I had done some detailed portraits of famous people before but this is my first self-portrait. I found doing it very challenging as it is hard looking at your own face for long periods of time, but at the same time it seemed to come together quite quickly. I added the Mod badge as that shows my interest and it gave the portrait a splash of colour.’

Outsider artists have always offered fresh insight into real life. They create such important documentation of the realities of life, beyond the normal conventions of the art world. It’s amazing to see the creators and the artists of MIO continue this tradition. We are all hoping for an exhibition of these works someday soon!

See an article about our last visit to Making It Out here >

‘Working together to end homelessness’ with Emmaus

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The first Emmaus community was founded in Paris, shortly after WW2 when a man called ​Georges came to Father Henri-Antoine Grouès for help. Georges had just been released from a 21 year prison sentence and his family were unable to cope with the change. Inspired by George’s story and hardship Father Grouès asked Georges to help him build a sanctuary for homeless people like himself, first in the priest’s garden and then on land scrounged and bought.

Georges became the first Emmaus companion. He later said that ‘what I was missing, and what he offered, was something to live for’ and to this day it is a sense of purpose, beyond just sanctuary,  that Emmaus offers to its companions.

Today Emmaus is an international solidarity movement made up of thousands of men and women whose work is motivated by the philosophy ‘Serve first those who suffer most’ and ‘fight against the causes of poverty’.

Set against the backdrop of beautiful and peaceful gardens, Emmaus Brighton is made up of a series of charity shops and a cafe, entirely run by Emmaus companions in an old convent. We visited on the eve of it’s 25th anniversary and it was a hive of activity with a warm and inviting atmosphere.

The bustling cafe offers food throughout the day, a vast emporium offers vintage collectables, the second-hand superstore is packed with bric-a-brak and preloved furniture and the greenhouse offers everything garden related including honey produced by the garden’s bees. The Old chapel has even been creatively decked out into a vintage clothing store by local charity Making It Out who work with people coming from the prison system in need of structured occupational support.

Unlike regular hostels, Emmaus companions work a regular 40-hour week. After three months a companion will get a long weekend off work and receive a week’s holiday after six months. Once a companion has been with the community for over six months they will receive a twenty day holiday alongside regular Public holidays.

Some companions choose to make Emmaus home for a few days and some stay for years. There is no limit and that’s what makes the model so different from other ‘homeless’ accommodation. Besides the training given in the shops and cafe, education and relevant training opportunities are also provided.

It is important that companions stay up to date and build skills to ensure the best chances of finding long-term ways to overcome homelessness  and to manage their own lives by accessing health services and welfare benefits online, managing money and finding work. The computers provide focused, distraction-free tools for companions to achieve this.

Pictured is Emmaus’ companion Steve who was making use of one of the laptops funded through an Enjoolata Community grant.