Can't read this email properly?













































































































































































Linking Up                                                                           April 2009

Dear Friend,

Thank you for the great feedback we received after our first quarterly newsletter. The following issue illustrates Community Links' unique commitment to responding to local needs and using that experience for wider social change, involving our unique network of supporters in the process. Enjoy, be informed and inspired!
Children's and Young People's Work

Play Rangers Empower Each Other

Community Links is recognised for its Grow Our Own Programme which transforms lives and provides role models for others, as our people progress from Service User → Trainee → Practitioner → Manager → Mentor.  Our new Play Rangers scheme is now starting this programme from an even earlier age.  By encouraging children to take a peer leadership role at their project we are developing their confidence, self-esteem and responsibility from an early age.  The Play Rangers scheme was developed at our Playhut Centre and has been rated as Outstanding by Ofsted. As a result of this successful pilot we are now introducing it across our children’s projects. Look out for our new t-shirts with the Play Rangers motif: The Play Ranger will help you with anything and play with you when you need a friend.

Winning Employment Programme for Young People
Community Links' New Deal programmes help young people into employment.  Employment Minister Tony McNulty made a recent visit, supporting the case for back-to-work initiatives. He said, "The one thing we should learn from previous recessions is that if you leave people alone like this [...] when you do eventually get back to them, it will be harder to help."  Jonny Boux, our New Deal Coordinator, explains, "It’s no good finding someone work if they are ill-equipped to cope with it and end up out of work again. Our programme seeks to establish people in long term employment."  Our programmes work with over 1,000 young people each year and ranked top in the South East and second in the UK, for the sixth year running.

 

Eurovision Star from Community Links
Congratulations and good luck to Jade Ewen, one of our New Deal Gateway to Work clients (our 2 week course). Jade has been selected to represent the UK in this year's Eurovision song contest. Reflecting on this lighter moment, New Deal's Coordinator, Jonny Boux, comments, "This is one of the more unusual job outcomes we have come across on our programmes!" Jade’s father is also one of our advice work volunteers.
Adult, Family and Community Work

Advice Team Secures Top Rating
Our Advice Team recently received a rating of A1 by the Legal Services Commission in a fixed fee control compliance audit.  An A1 rating is the highest rating achievable, 95% quality compliance or above.  The audit is carried out to ensure that the work we do fits the purpose for which we have been funded and that the work is conducted in accordance with the contract rules set out by the Legal Services Commission.
LinksUK - National Work for Wider Change

Children Knock on the Door at Number 10
To mark the 10th anniversary of Government's promise to end child poverty in the UK, on March 18th Courtney, David and Daniel from the Community Links Arc in the Park Centre went to Number 10 Downing Street - representing all children in the UK - to ask Gordon Brown to keep the promise to end child poverty.  [more]

Campaign Launch at the House of Commons
The current economic climate provides an ideal time to explore innovative solutions to tackling poverty and unemployment. On February, 24th, we succesfully launched the Need NOT Greed campaign at the House of Commons in Westminster. The campaign's vision is to end the reliance on cash-in-hand, informal paid work and help people to move off benefits and into formal work. The launch event provided MPs and members of the House of Lords with the opportunity to engage with people who have in the past, or still currently, work informally - out of Need NOT Greed.  [more]

Looking Ahead: New Leadership, Aims and Impact

New Leadership at Community Links
Gavin Rennie, Chairman of the Board of Trustees writes, "The Trustee Board is delighted to have appointed Geraldine Blake as interim Chief Executive from 6th April 2009. I am sure all our supporters will join us and our Senior Management Team in enthusiastically supporting and working with her."  Geraldine Blake has led Links UK, our national team, from its start to the leading force it is today in social regeneration in the UK, with international links. She now brings the same passsion, collaboration and strategic action to the full mission of Community Links. [more]

Our Aims

To tackle the causes and consequences of exclusion and inequality, we will focus our work on four key aims:

  • Raise aspirations for a better life
  • Extend opportunities in education and employment
  • Reduce poverty
  • Build stronger communities  

Our Impact

We have launched a new programme, which adds to our existing measures, to monitor the true impact of our work and enhance our ability to report our successes to our supporters. 

For a handy summary on all our work download our Sixty Second Guide.

Raising Support for Community Links

As an independent charity Community Links depends entirely on the generosity and efforts of all our supporters. We would love to hear from you

Without your support, nothing you have read about here would be possible. Thank you, as ever, for the part you are playing in enabling it all to happen. Do please contact us on info@community-links.org to follow up anything or if there is support that you can give.

We look forward to hearing from you during the course of the year.

~ The Community Links Team  

 
Inspired to make a difference?  Donate online to Community Links!

Forward this email |  Sign up to receive our newsletter
Want to change your details?  |  Unsubscribe

Community Links, 105 Barking Road, Canning Town London E16 4HQ
Charity number 1018517 l t: 020 7473 2270 | e: info@community-links.org
http://www.community-links.org