THE VINCE HINES FOUNDATION

           Community Education and Training Services

UK Registered Charity No.: 269681. Established 1975.

UK Registered Education & Training Provider. Department for Education and Skills Registration No.:10006844

E-mail: cmass@ubol.com

‘Responding to the challenges’

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Last up-dated  March 2010

Home Page: Welcome !

Delano Evans

Voices of Young Grassroots

Anti-Gun and Knife Workshops

at the Priory Community Centre

Acton Lane, Acton, London W3 8NY

3-5pm

Wednesdays

The Vince Hines Foundation

In Association with

The Federation of Self-Help Partnerships

Anti-gun and knife summer workshops are made possible in part by The Ealing & Brentford Consolidated Charity, the London Borough of Ealing and the many volunteers who are committing their time and efforts in helping others. ‘The voices of the grassroots must be heard. They hold part of the jigsaw to the solution. Work in Progress’.

Are we

doing enough?

Preliminary Report 

The Vince Hines Foundation and the Federation of Self-Help Partnerships series of summer 2009 Community Safety workshops ended on Wednesday 26 August 2009.

 An average of 30 participants attended each workshop. The programme has been a success, far beyond the organisers’ expectations, in respect of attendance, quality of contributions, age, gender and ethnic mixed.

Workshop Format was ‘solution orientated’ and based on speaker and audience interactive participations. An attempt at finding innovative approach to sharing individual knowledge and experiences, for information and edutainment – some participants read relevant poems and others did rap performances. Participants were non-judgemental and of various ages and backgrounds.

There was  a recognition that those who were perpetrators and victims of anti-social activities, including gun and knife attacks, were products of the wider society, and so, any solution to the problems, must be generated by the same. The consensus was that prevention as opposed to punishment must be important priority considerations.

At the end of each session, participants would have been better informed about the motives of those who choose to use guns and knives to settle disputes and what potential solutions were likely to divert gun and knife users. Resolutions were agreed. (Copies are available on request).

Participants from a wide cross-section of our local communities attended, and in discussions, they shared heart-felt and thought provoking ideas, based on their individual experiences, living in their local communities.

According to registration forms completed by each participant on the day, representatives were African, Asian, White, African-Caribbean, Irish and Mixed. There was a good gender and age balance.

Those between the ages of 16-20 years old, some of whom with hard experiences on the streets and the Criminal Justice System, echoed real and authentic voices, normally of the voiceless. Voices which we would not otherwise heard so clearly, intelligently, passionately and dignifiedly. They were vocal on expressing their current needs and frustrations, including the need for taking responsibility for their own short-comings. Young participants appealed for help, and at the same time, indicated that all were not lost. And it was not too late for positive change where that was needed.   

Workshop participants completed standard after event evaluation forms, and 98% stated that they were very satisfied and 2% fairly satisfied.

Ian Ross, FRSA, CEO of Outside Chance, a Voluntary Group based in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham said: “Just a quick note to thank you for a HUGELY enjoyable workshop today, particularly with your young people.  I will go to all and every length to engage with young people since, with all of the negative press they suffer, wrongly, they are our country's future… I would welcome the opportunity to explore closer working with The Vince Hines Foundation in the coming weeks.  Regardless of our individual agendas, we have one common cause in our drive - the welfare of a deserted, unheard and disillusioned generation…Thank you again for the very enjoyable, interesting and informative afternoon.”

Jo Ann MacMenamin, from Hammersmith and Fulham Urban Studies Centre, said “Just wanted to say that I found the 2 workshops I attended really useful and interesting and it was particularly encouraging to see so many interested young people involved who do want to make a difference.  I do hope we can work together in the future.”

Participants and others should be able to re-live the events of all four anti-gun and knife workshops as DVD is currently in production. All the workshops were recorded. Over eight hours of professional audio and video recording are available, which will act as the official record of the workshops.

Those who would wish to associate with this positive community safety event might want to consider contributing to the production and distribution of the DVD, including their having copies available as a permanent and essential resource for their own Community Safety events.

The organisers record their thanks to the Ealing & Brentford Consolidated Charity, the London Borough of Ealing and the many volunteers and groups. This includes ‘Unity Thru Music’ group, who is committing time and efforts in helping others.

 ‘The voices of the grassroots must be heard. They hold part of the jigsaw to the solution.’

This series of summer 2009 workshops are part of a four year Community Link Education and Training Programme, focusing on community safety and comparisons in the UK, the Caribbean and Africa, which are expected to last until 2012. “Self-Help is the Key.”

The following list shows Common Link Project progression over four phases, starting from May 2009.

Phase One: Children, Young People and Community Safety   - Summer Workshops 2009

Phase Two: Children, Young People and Law Enforcement Agencies – Summer Workshops 2010

Phase Three: Children, Young People and the Criminal Justice System – Summer Workshops 2011

Phase Four: Children, Young People and Young Offenders’ Institutions – Summer workshops 2012.

31 August 2009.

Ezinne Ukala

Marcus’ Cry Eyes

Two Interim Reports  are produced yearly, which give up-to-date summaries of the Vince Hines Foundation and Associates current work.  Attach is No.2.2009/10, the last for 2009. Transparency and Partnerships are key policies of the Foundation and its relationships with  members, associates, beneficiaries, sponsors and funders. The Foundation is going from strength to strength once more following a period of extensive restructuring. 

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