King's joins forces with local charities

Each was asked to bring new ideas and fresh thinking to address specific concerns set out by their partner charity. 

Supported by the Mayor of London, the teams joined together to address issues such as supporting vulnerable families, empowering disadvantaged young people and improving the lives of local residents. 

Ten have now been shortlisted and will present their ideas at the final of King’s Civic Challenge at City Hall on Friday 13 March hoping to win funding to make their ideas a reality.

Cardinal Hume Centre 

An estimated 8.4 million people in England are living in an unaffordable, insecure or unsuitable home, according to the National Housing Federation. Across London there is a shortage of affordable housing. This includes Westminster where, like many London boroughs, considerable deprivation exists alongside great wealth, with 38 per of children living in poverty.  

Five King’s students are working with the Cardinal Hume Centre on a project to raise awareness of housing problems facing young people in Westminster. They hope to reduce homelessness and housing insecurity by educating young people transitioning to independent living about their local housing options. 

TEAM: Cardinal Hume Centre staff with students from The Dickson Poon School of Law, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience and King’s Business School.

Carers’ Hub Lambeth 

Carers UK estimates that there are up to 8.8 million informal carers in the UK with around 20,000 living in Lambeth, according to the 2011 Census. Caring significantly increases social isolation and loneliness with eight in ten UK carers saying that they feel lonely or socially isolated. 

Five staff and students from King’s are working with Carers’ Hub Lambeth on ‘Caring Stories’, hoping to introduce workshops to reduce loneliness among informal carers and foster a sense of peer support to improve their mental and physical health. 

TEAM: Carers’ Hub Lambeth staff with students and staff from The Dickson Poon School of Law, the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy and King’s Professional Services.

Friends of Windmill Gardens 

Communities across London – and in King’s home borough of Lambeth – face multiple challenges including inequalities of outcome and opportunity, social isolation and youth violence. 

Four King’s students are working alongside Friends of Windmill Gardens on the Windmill Centre Project, which aims to tackle inequality in Lambeth through an educational programme for 14-18-year-olds. By bringing young people together for a series of education workshops, the project will combat loneliness and social isolation, while offering new opportunities to local young people. 

TEAM: Friends of Windmill Gardens staff with students from The Dickson Poon School of Law, the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience.

Girls United 

Just 10 per cent of girls aged 13-16 meet recommended activity levels daily, and young women from low socioeconomic backgrounds are, on average, less active than their peers. This is a particular challenge in Lambeth where a third of the population live within areas of significant deprivation.  

A team of three staff and students is working with Girls United to combat inactivity amongst young women across our home boroughs. Their proposed workshops will empower young women to feel more confident and develop leadership skills, while realising the benefits of sport to their personal journeys. 

TEAM: Girls United staff with students and staff from the Faculty of Arts & Humanities and the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine.

GlobalGirl Media UK 

Though 51 per cent of the world’s population is female, voices of women are largely absent from mainstream media. In Hollywood feature films, only 4.5 percent of directors are women and just one woman has ever won the Best Director Oscar. Lambeth charity GlobalGirl Media UK is committed to addressing this disparity on its home turf. 

Together with four students and staff, Global Girl Media UK are working to provide a platform for young women to showcase their films. By celebrating films created by, for and featuring young women, the project aims to improve the wellbeing of women in Lambeth by inspiring a greater sense of value and social equality. 

TEAM: GlobalGirl Media UK staff with students and staff from the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy, King’s Business School and King’s Professional Services.

London Youth 

Through consultation with young people and youth workers London Youth identified a significant challenge: young Londoners grow up in a city full of rich heritage stories, but disadvantaged young people rarely engage with them. They aren’t always sure what ‘heritage’ means and don’t feel it’s accessible to them due to financial barriers, travel and safety and a lack of cultural capital. 

A group of six students and staff are working with London Youth on ‘Heritage Heroes’, a project to help young people develop employability skills, communication skills and confidence. Featuring workshops led by artists and speakers the project will encourage young Londoners to engage with heritage, arts and culture.  

TEAM: London Youth staff with students and staff from The Dickson Poon School of Law, the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King’s Business School and King’s Professional Services.

Mousetrap Theatre Projects 

Gateway Academy on Church Street is one of the most diverse wards in the UK. 98 per cent of the pupils have English as an additional language, many have refugee status and 57 per cent of the school’s pupils are eligible for free school meals. 

Five students from King’s are working with Mousetrap Theatre Projects. Their project will set up an afterschool drama club at Gateway Academy to improve children’s confidence and communication skills through ‘active play’. It will be a fun, safe space for vulnerable children whose parents need to work or study but struggle with after school childcare. 

TEAM: Mousetrap Theatre Project staff with students from the Faculty of Arts & Humanities, The Dickson Poon School of Law and the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy.

Rathbone 

Loneliness and social isolation can affect anyone, but individuals with disabilities are likely to suffer the most. In Lambeth, around 37,000 people have their day-to-day activities limited by a disability or long-term disease (around 11 per cent of the population) and research by the Health Foundation shows that volunteering can help reduce social isolation.  

Three students are working with Rathbone in West Norwood. Their project, Rathbone Community Outreach, seeks to tackle social isolation among adults with learning disabilities by setting up tailored volunteering opportunities within local charities. In doing so they aim to reduce loneliness, improve mental health and establish stronger community ties amongst participants. 

TEAM: Rathbone staff with students from the Faculty of Arts & Humanities, the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience.

Southwark Pensioners’ Centre 

Repeated studies have shown that loneliness and social isolation is a significant issue among older people, affecting their health and wellbeing and contributing to increased rates of dementia. According to Age UK, more than a million older people say they go for over a month without speaking to a friend, neighbour or family member. 

Three King’s students are working with Southwark Pensioners’ Centre to develop a cookbook that promises to reduce ‘barriers to belonging’ among Black, Asian and minority ethnic pensioners in the local community. It will bring together people young and old from the BAME community in Southwark to create tasty, healthy cultural food while researching heritage, art and culture and sharing stories across the generations. 

TEAM: Southwark Pensioners’ Centre staff with students from the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience. 

Theatre Peckham 

Theatre Peckham supports and nurtures children and young people to discover the magic of theatre, and to develop their potential as young audiences, artists and theatre professionals of tomorrow. But despite being located near many large universities, it struggles to connect with local students. 

Five King’s students are working with Theatre Peckham on Peckham Previews Youth Festival, which provides a platform for innovative new writing and performance from emerging artists. By engaging university students, the festival will increase awareness of the charity and establish long-lasting connections that will help to expand the reach and impact of the Theatre Peckham within the wider community. 

TEAM: Theatre Peckham staff with students from the Faculty of Natural & Mathematical Sciences, the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy and The Dickson Poon School of Law.