We’ve worked with our boroughs to identify where local needs could best be supported by King’s strengths and expertise. King’s Civic Challenge exemplifies all of this. It recognises that by working together we can do even more to address local challenges and opportunities.
Baroness Deborah Bull, Vice President & Vice Principal (London)
16 March 2020
Arts & Humanities students win King's Civic Challenge funding
Three local projects co-created by students from the Faculty of Arts & Humanities have received funding to make their ideas a reality at the final of King’s first ever Civic Challenge.
The event, which took place in the Chamber of City Hall, was officially supported by the Mayor of London and his volunteering programme, Team London.
Welcoming guests, Baroness Deborah Bull, Vice President & Vice Principal (London), emphasised the university’s commitment to working in partnership with London and our home boroughs.
At the event, finalists presented ideas developed in response to challenges identified by each team’s local charity to a panel that included representatives from Team London, Lambeth Council, Southwark Council and Westminster City Council.
Three teams with students from the Faculty of Arts & Humanities were awarded prizes for their civic contributions.
Mousetrap Theatre
Students from King’s and Westminster charity, Mousetrap Theatre Projects, have won the King’s Civic Challenge award for Education and Attainment. They will now work together to plan and launch an afterschool drama club at Gateway Academy in Westminster to improve children’s confidence and communication skills through ‘active play’.
The children will also be introduced to live theatre by going on trips to the West End to see shows such as Wicked and The Lion King, as well as experiencing backstage tours.
This idea has creativity at its core and will genuinely benefit young children while also supporting their parents and families.
Alison Duthie, Director of Programming (Culture & Strand Aldwych) and King’s Civic Challenge judge
Girls United
Girls United team won the student Community Action award, supported by Mayor of London, for #Findyourgame.
The group offers girls and young women who play football with Girls United the opportunity to improve their confidence, communication, leadership and determination through sport.
Their project, #Findyourgame, responds to the low number of girls aged 13-16 who meet recommended activity levels daily.
The Girls United group will now launch local workshops to empower young women to feel more confident and develop leadership skills, while realising the benefits of sport to their personal journeys.
Rathbone Community Action
The team behind Rathbone Community Outreach received the award for Community Resilience. Recognising that loneliness can impact people with disabilities disproportionally, the team will now use their King’s Civic Challenge grant to set up tailored volunteering opportunities with local charities in Lambeth to tackle social isolation among adults with learning disabilities.
In doing so they aim to reduce loneliness, improve mental health and establish stronger community ties among participants.
We hope Rathbone Community Outreach will create a lasting legacy, leading to an increase in volunteering opportunities for disabled individuals in Lambeth and resulting in improved health, friendships and, in some cases, employment.
Andrew Preston, Chief Executive Officer, Rathbone
The Civic Challenge was designed in collaboration with King’s staff, partners across our home boroughs and Team London.
The ten finalist teams were supported by King’s alumni mentors and co-developed their ideas with charities across Lambeth, Southwark and Westminster: Cardinal Hume Centre, Carers’ Hub Lambeth, Friends of Windmill Gardens, Girls United, GlobalGirl Media UK, London Youth, Mousetrap Theatre Projects, Rathbone Society, Southwark Pensioners’ Centre and Theatre Peckham.
Every team will now be supported by King’s to find their next step, through connections with relevant expertise or signposting to alternative funding.