Ashok’s Vision Youth Engagement CIRCLES

2024 PROJECT COMPLETED

Update June 2024

We started our FG011X Project in January 2024 - Ahead of receiving the funding from Newham we commenced by using using our resources to continue outreach and engagement. We have had a great response from the local community and the young people interested in attending our project. Our project goals and priorities were: Mental Well Being, Community Safety and Youth Development. We were voted one of the top projects by residents , this meant we were able to gain a lot of interest as soon as we started.

To date we have :

Run consistent market every Saturdays with Youth Leaders.

Able to provide all the youth leaders with lunch at our sessions.

Recruited and trained 4 market officers so we can safely deliver the stall

Secured a years long contract for our market pitch

Sourced an in house gardener at a lower cost to oversee the project for the whole project duration.

Partnered with all our stakeholders - like Community Garden and youth zone and charities.

Connected with the local community hubs and schools and faith groups

We trained 10 of our team in Mental Health Youth First Aid training and also prepared DBS and other safety measures.

We have been consistent on the weekly market and continued with the maintenance and planting activities, every week. There has been a great response on Social media and we have new people following and more interest

We attended People Powered Programmes training and meeting - Our Youth Leaders were also able to give feedback in the meeting. They had training and practice on Public Speaking skills.

We did other additional training like Risk assessment, child safeguarding and also first aid.

We connect with Public Health Newham and are now in their directory - our FG011x is advertised in community spaces and online.

We did visits to Scotland Yard Metropolitan Police Headquarters and discussed our project and VAWG and Community Safety with the Metropolitan police.

We met with our Project Monitors and are in touch with them - they really support our project and they all plan to come and volunteer one day in June.

We have held various focus groups and consultations on our future work - in order to meet the rest of the outcomes. This included connecting with various organisations to plan our work for Summer , Autumn and Winter.

We have a temporary storage space in Forest Gate Community School, which we can access on Saturday.

We have also secured storage space for the rest of the year - that we can access everyday of the week.

We have created a QR Code and and easy sign up methods by online forms

We have secured dates in The Gate Library for our AVI Circle sessions with a Youth Special organisation.

We have managed to find a First Aid Training company, by the recommendation of Public Health Newham, and the courses hope to be hosted in Forest Gate Community School. 

We also have an event being planned for VAWG in the Forest Gate Community Garden for Summer. Looking for a facilitator / organisation to deliver sessions.

We have connected with an organisation to support us with the data and capturing our Youth leaders work, and setting the AVI Circle sessions. Planned to be delivered in Aston Mansfield as agreed.

Again - the response has been great and we are very popular and people are praising our project in the community. Our posters are visible in the community and online also.

Our popular platforms are Instagram, Linked in, Facebook and slowly starting Tiktok.

Since Jan 2024 - Young people aged 11-18 years old:

Saturday sessions : 18 sessions (hours : 54 hours )

Youth Engagement : Attendance on Saturdays : 275

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Additional meeting and focus sessions:

12 meetings - In our head office (Weekdays and weekends) 

48 Young people

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10 Virtual sessions - Focus groups and consultative

28 Young people

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3 meetings at Scotland Yard with Newham Young people

Key Milestones Pending for Summer period:

Secure Training dates for First Aid responder Courses

4 Sessions - 50 young people to be accredited - In person training

Set dates for the VAWG Workshops and find facilitator and arrange the event date

Purchase equipment and gardening resources

Finish remainder of training with Young people and Market officers

Any questions or queries, please email or call:

info@ashoksvisioninternational.org

07707247150

Also please come to see our presentation at The Gate Library

20th June 2024 6pm at the People Powered Programme event.

Thank you for reading.

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Ashok’s Vision International – We are a Youth Mental Wellbeing Charity based in Newham. Our Charity was set up in memory of a young man who lost his life due mental health and isolation. Since our Launch in 2019 we have been onsite at Woodgrange Market Place, Forest Gate during weekends engaging young people in planting, biodiversity and community engagement activities.

Our Mission and Vision: We are creating a world where the elements of Nature, Play and Spirituality support the mental wellbeing of our young people. Our mission is to nurture young people to reconnect with nature and biodiversity, by creating local opportunities to lead on greening and cleaning projects that impact globally.

Since our establishment we have been recipients of two Community Assembly Grants 2021 – 2023 (inclusive). Through these projects we have been able to support young people to engage with nature to support their mental wellbeing through Social Action.

Every Saturday on average 15 young people have access to sessional workshops related to planting, nature, and mental well-being. As part of the activity, we have access to local planters where we do litter picking, maintenance and planting new seeds and regular watering. To further develop our young people, we also provide opportunities for them to be trained in various areas of personal development and many have benefited from paid internships.

Ashok's Vision International Case Study - #PeoplePoweredPlaces - YouTube

Our new proposal for Newham PPP 2023 - 24

Ashok’s Vision Youth Engagement CIRCLES is an all Inclusive NEW project. This aims to deliver an innovative holistic and integrated model which has three main elements that will incorporate all three priorities for Forest Gate & Maryland. Based on the success of the last 2 projects we have delivered for Newham. We have consulted with our young people and developed a new model to deliver against the priorities they have highlighted.

The Unique Nature of Ashok’s Vision International is that we have 3 levels of Youth Engagement strands:

• 11 and Under (those who come with parents (may bring along younger siblings
• Teenage cohort – up to 18
• Elite Alumni – University & Work based who continue to remain engaged as peer Mentors Support and Role Models

We have a Strategy to engage the existing team and recruit new members via our new proposed project:

Ashok’s Vision Youth Engagement CIRCLES:

1. Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing CIRCLES
2. Youth Community Safety CIRCLES
3. Youth Development and Participation CIRCLES

As well as working with young people, we will also be working with parents and carers and our local key stakeholders. We hope to capture the key elements needed to keep young people reminded about the importance of looking after themselves and how can you overcome challenges in Newham. Plus how to keep involved and engaged and create some cases studies of the successes, we have seen in our own Youth Leaders journeys.

Ashok’s Vision Youth Engagement CIRCLES has been designed by and will be led by our Youth Leaders for the benefit of all young people in our community. The 3 CIRCLES are as follows:

1.      Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing CIRCLES- ( Priority area: Health & Wellbeing)

We will continue our ongoing Nature & Biodiversity activities in Forest Gate with the Youth Leaders and be visible in community outreach engagement and sign-posting with local residents. This will promote the activities we are developing for the local young people to access and participate in. This also fits in with our maintenance agreement with Newham Council’s Highways & Sustainable Team from the last two years.

2.      Youth Community Safety CIRCLES - (Priority area: Community Safety)

Working in collaboration with our established stakeholders and partners such as; Community Garden, Woodcraft Folk and Woodgrange Market Place. We will actively engage with young people to encourage their participation in the following areas:

·      Youth Mental Health First Aid Training

·      Violence against Women and Girls Awareness (VAWG)

·      First Aid responder training

·      Youth Personal Development workshops led by our Newham based Ashok’s Vision International Alumni Professionals

3.      Youth Development and Participation CIRCLES -

(Priority area: Community development & Participation)

Workshops relating to Health & Wellbeing, Community Safety and Development and Participation. Across a variety of Forest Gate & Maryland venues.

This will include a wide range of inclusive Community and Outreach events led by Youth Leaders. These events will raise awareness of volunteering, culture, interfaith and intercultural dialogue. The benefits will be how to adopt good habits and behaviours to make Newham a more pleasant place to live for young people, their families and the wider community.

Our Youth Leaders at Ashok's Vision International are proud to continue to deliver on the priorities for a Fairer Newham.