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Together for Change

Together for Change

A JOINT VENTURE BETWEEN THE DIOCESE OF AND CUF

TOGETHER FOR CHANGE LET’S TACKLE POVERTY TOGETHER IN COVENTRY AND A WORD FROM REVEREND JET JONES - DIRECTOR OF REGENERATION AND COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION WELCOME!

REVD. WHO WE ARE... JET JONES We are passionate about working together with multiple agencies to tackle issues of systemic poverty, seeking new and innovative The ’s mission strategy is: ways of raising aspirations and creating opportunities for a better future for all. “WORSHIPPING GOD, MAKING NEW DISCIPLES AND TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES”. Whether you are a church seeking to reach your community and raise funds, or an agency looking for potential partnership With this in mind, ‘Together For Change’ was formed – a opportunities, we would like to hear from you! charitable joint venture between the Diocese of Coventry and CUF (a national network that supports local charities) to resource and equip churches to transform their communities and tackle issues of systematic poverty. The charity is directed by a board of trustees who oversee the ongoing projects that Together For ENDORSEMENTS Change is involved in. THE RIGHT REVD. CHRISTOPHER COCKSWORTH THE OF COVENTRY Poverty can only be tackled together: Christians together, THERE ARE CURRENTLY 1 IN 2 CHILDREN LIVING IN POVERTY IN Churches working together with other agencies, councils and SOME AREAS OF COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE. government. Together For Change brings us together, locally, in an alliance with God and his promise to bring ‘good news to the poor’. Some of our partners include:

HIGH SHERIFF OF WARWICKSHIRE MARK DAVIES I am extremely happy to be able to endorse Together For Change. The work they do at grass roots level has proven to affect positive change in Coventry and Warwickshire. MEET SOME OF WOMEN OF THE PROJECTS WE WILLENHALL HAVE FUNDED St John the Divine have been awarded £2,500 to focus on supporting women through issues of domestic abuse and empowering women from all walks of life, whether single parent families, or vulnerable adults, to make positive steps toward emotional, financial Together For Change offers small grants of up to £2,500 for projects looking and physical freedom. to make a difference in the community. We do also have access to further funding, but for more information on any funding we can offer, please Reverend Pam Howell – WOW Leader: contact John Scouller on [email protected] Lady from the WOW group: When I first moved to Willenhall, I spoke to WOW has really helped from a social point the police and found that 50% of all crimes of view. It’s very calming, relaxing and we in Willenhall were domestic abuse. I knew just have a lot of fun together. There is no that something had to be done about this, so judgement in the group when we talk about we teamed up with Ignite; a group that looks our issues and since going I have realised that to tackle crime through early intervention. I do have a voice! When I first heard about We then decided to set up this group to help the group, the very thought of walking into a women build up their self-esteem, to grow in group with a bunch of strangers frightened confidence and independence and to let the me, but I did go and I don’t regret it. It has MOUNTAIN LIFE people of Willenhall know that they are not really boosted my confidence and, as I said alone and there is more to life. earlier, helped me to find my voice. It has Lower Ford Street Baptist Church were also helped me to make friend with other in awarded £1,000 to deliver an adventure camp the community that I wouldn’t have spoken for 8-11 year olds who would otherwise not be to. If there is anyone out there who is going through domestic abuse, or even just feeling given the opportunity to experience the great Linda Farmer – WOW Leader: lonely, come along and give it ago because I outdoors and go mountaineering. When we were looking in to setting up WOW, promise you it will change your life. we realised that there is support out there for when women hit absolute crises, but we want to reach them before it gets to that point! If we are successful in this then they won’t need public services at all. I would say that we are doing this really well right now and we have a DOMESTIC ABUSE AND YOU CAN wonderful group of women who have all really grown in their own self-confidence over the VIOLENCE IS 29% OF FLOURISH past six months. ALL VIOLENCE IN THE CITY OF COVENTRY OF This is a relatively new charity which seeks to We didn’t market this as a group for domestic WHICH WILLENHALL improve life-chances among disadvantaged violence because we knew that not all women IS THE NUMBER ONE girls, who left unsupported are at risk of believe they are in an abusive relationship, AREA OF COVENTRY reaching a crisis point. The initiative is about instead we wanted to meet with the people TO BE AFFECTED. IN building self-esteem, relationships, and who maybe thought their relationships were COVENTRY 3,000- resilience through courses and mentoring. ok, but in reality they may not be. People assume domestic violence is a punch or a 4,000 CHILDREN The charity was awarded £1,500, and works slap, but actually there are other forms of it ARE AFFECTED BY in partnership with St Mary’s Leamington, such as emotional abuse and coercive control, DOMESTIC ABUSE. Campion School and District Council. so we didn’t just want to target physical (SAFETALK) domestic abuse. STACEY’S WORK TFC IN IN WARWICK

WARWICK We are delighted to welcome Stacey Bains to our team as the Transforming Communities Development Officer in Warwick. Stacey currently worships at New Life Church in Warwick and is part of the leadership team whilst serving as Youth Pastor. Her past experience of working for the Herbert Art Gallery, focusing on bringing the arts, culture and history to life adds a dynamic aspect to the team.

Her primary focus of this role is to support and help resource the mission of the Anglican churches of Warwick and Budbrooke in reaching out to their communities. She is keen to channel the energies and abilities of local volunteers and we are certain she will do with energy and passion!

We are pleased to announce we are planning a series of exciting inter-agency projects to engage Children and Young people who are facing many challenges at a time when there are cuts to their local services. These include a detached team for youth outreach, a kids club and outreach events for families and young people. We are also looking to support the wellbeing of our older adults through, dementia “THE WARWICK TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING work, friendship groups and bereavement WITH TFC OVER THE PAST 18 MONTHS SETTING support which we aim to do working with UP A TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES PROJECT wider agencies. You can keep up to date FOR WARWICK AND BUDBROOKE. THEY HAVE with all these innovative projects and small BEEN GREAT TO WORK WITH AND WE’RE grants available through our website. BEGINNING TO SEE SOME EXCITING IDEAS AND www.tctwarwick.co.uk INITIATIVES RESULTING FROM OUR ENERGISING COLLABORATION.” DR. VAUGHAN S. ROBERTS STACEY BAINS (TEAM RECTOR OF WARWICK) OUR WORK WITH REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS

“Fresh Start” is a new initiative pioneered support here, the thing which they often by Together for Change, seeking to mobilise lack is companionship. This initiative will churches in the Coventry Diocese to both seek to meet this need, and both help to ENGLISH SPEAKING befriend and provide practical support to reduce isolation and provide newly-arrived CONVERSATIONAL CLASSES people from different cultural backgrounds, individuals with a warm welcome. If you We are working in partnership with the Up to 20 volunteers meet to run the paying particular attention to refugees and would like to contact our Fresh Start Belgrade Theatre who have opened their conversational classes over a “cuppa”, migrants. Although refugees, asylum seekers Coordinator about anything, please do not doors of hospitality to allow us to run building relationships and supporting and migrants receive excellent professional hesitate to email [email protected] conversational classes on Tuesday and immigrants with integration techniques. Friday afternoons.

OSMAN IDRIS FROM SUDAN How long have you been in the UK? FRESH START FOOTBALL I have been in the UK around 9 months now since moving from Sudan. As part of this initiative we have begun and refugees. This fantastic initiative recently a football group which works with local caught the attention of the BBC, which lead How has Matt Robinson helped you churches, befriending and supporting to them putting together a news report since you moved here? He has really helped me with my migrants, and then inviting them for a focusing on the good work of the project. conversational skills and pointed me in the meal afterwards to seek to integrate them The football sessions run on a Saturday right direction for English speaking classes into church projects. 50 people attend this morning at Sydney Stringer School and are for my grammar. I feel these English skills will project and 16 of which are asylum seekers available to all. help me to be a plumber. MATT ROBINSON FRESH START Are you enjoying the social aspect of the groups? COORDINATOR Yes very much. I really enjoyed going to see the Wasps (Rugby Club) play at the Ricoh What’s your background? and I’m really looking forward to going to see Born in Chester, and studied politics at play at Wembley with Matthew. Durham University What experience do you have? Has meeting with Matthew made you I worked for Action Language giving free feel more at home in the UK? English classes to asylum seekers in Yes for sure, he has really helped me to feel at Newcastle, volunteered as an English teacher ease here and make friends. at the Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre Thank you Matthew! and I also worked as an intern at the Cathedral last September. TWO NEW FAMILY WE HAVE BENEFITED OUR OFSTED LINK WORKER POSTS HUGELY FROM HAVING COMING SOON TO INSPECTION AND FAMILY LINK WORKERS REPORT MINSTER! IN OUR PARISH. THEY HAVE REALLY HELPED The whole school community is TO STRENGTHEN supported when times are difficult THE RELATIONSHIP by two skilled Family Link Workers BETWEEN THE CHURCH funded jointly by the school and AND OUR CHURCH ‘Together For Change’, run jointly SCHOOL. THEY by the Diocese of Coventry and the HAVE SERVED AND Church Urban Fund. They work with SUPPORTED FAMILIES families, social workers, the Home IN REAL NEED, AND Office, the City Council and other HAVE CONTRIBUTED agencies to provide exceptionally IN MANY DIFFERENT effective support. This innovative WAYS TOWARDS project is helping many families and THE LOVING AND ultimately helping pupils feel more POSITIVE LEARNING secure – Ofsted Inspection Report: FA M I LY ENVIRONMENT IN THE St Bartholomew’s SCHOOL. Academy, 11-12 July 2017. LINK – REVD. JON TAYLOR WORKERS MEET ROB & HELEN - OUR FAMILY LINK WORKERS IN BINLEY

Rob and Helen are our Family Link The Family Link Worker initiative places take place. The aim is to strengthen links Workers in Binley. They run a wide variety workers in both a school and local church between the school and church in an of groups such as messy church, summer to support families in need. The aim is to attempt to gain learning on how best to lunch clubs and after school activities. They ‘parent the parents’ and work alongside support families in need. The project is now currently have over 70 people attending families providing practical support in well into its second year after gaining further their messy church group each session, areas such as healthy eating, budgeting, funding due to its overwhelming success in which speaks volumes for the work that food preparation, parenting classes, the first year. It has been so successful that they are doing. They also received high family routines and pastoral care. two new schools have requested for Family praise in the schools’ recent Ofsted Link Workers to be placed in their schools. inspection! Rob and Helen are doing a The Family Link Workers are based in fantastic job in the Binley area and if you Willenhall and Binley, and funding has We are proud to support Willenhall with would like to hear more about what they been provided by the Multi Academy Trust, a Family Link Worker who has enabled are doing or if you can get involved, please a ‘Summer Brunch Club’ and a ‘Cooking Together for Change and the contact them on: with Children’ course to happen. Mission Fund to enable the project to [email protected] ROB & HELEN OUR WORK WITH OLDER PEOPLE

The “Good Neighbours” scheme is opportunities and activities available for an exciting initiative developed by local older people within Coventry, as well as churches (via Hope Coventry and Together for significantly increasing reach to isolated Change) in partnership with Age UK Coventry and/or lonely older people to help them (AUKC) to improve health and wellbeing engage with their communities and maintain amongst older people. The aim of the their independence. project is to increase the range of friendship

160 elderly and isolated have been befriended through the Good Neighbours Scheme

CONTACT US

Jet Jones John Scouller Ryan Lapworth Transforming Together For Change Together For Change Communities Officer Development Worker Operations Administrator Phone: 02476 521 344 Mobile: 07722 504 590 Phone: 07949 792 210 Mobile: 07958 957 320 E: [email protected] E: [email protected] E: [email protected]

http://www.cuf.org.uk/together-change

Company Number: 08763866 | Charity Number: 1160133

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