Communities for change

tackling child poverty from the beginning of life // inspiration //

// contact information // E | [email protected] P | 07545 264 492

Communities for Change is a community hub which extends the hand of Christ to the most vulnerable in society. // An expression of Catholic Social Teaching // In an authentic expression of Catholic Social Teaching (CST), Communities for Change exists to support children from the moment of conception, to help provide for families who have fallen on hard times and to be a sanctuary for the excluded and lonely. It is to be underpinned by the Catholic faith, supporting and involving the whole community without discrimination, following the example of Christ with the woman at the well.  In today’s society, the Church’s beautiful teaching on the innate dignity of every human person has been forgotten. Yet, it is only when the dignity of each individual is respected and protected, that society can truly flourish. Communities for Change is a radical, yet real, response to this challenge. By establishing a relationship of trust with local communities, we hope to bring them into an encounter with Jesus through the Church; for He is the only solution to sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. Communities for Change aims to be an initiative that will unite parish life, support local communities and restore a culture of life to a society which has lost its purpose.   // Inspiration for the project: tackling poverty in all its forms // In the words of St Teresa of Calcutta, “the poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty”.  This is especially true of abortion and euthanasia. These social wounds cut to the heart of our Catholic faith and attack all aspects of Catholic Social Teaching.  Poverty, in all its forms, is at the core of abortion in the UK. Whether there is not enough money in a family’s pockets, or space in their hearts, the unborn are at risk through poverty.   Equally, euthanasia discriminates against the poor and marginalised, whose health care costs are seen by some as burdensome, compared to the “cost-effective” alternative of physician- assisted suicide. We see in countries such as the Netherlands, that loneliness and social isolation are a key motivation for the majority of people euthanised for psychiatric reasons. Communities for Change, therefore, will aim to tackle poverty at its root. In the child’s first 1,001 days and throughout the remaining years of one’s life. The intention is to create true community which will reflect the divine life in whose image we are made. // How do we achieve this? // From the very beginning, parents will be supported through pregnancy, birth and beyond. Toddler groups will take place alongside gardening groups for the elderly.    The charity super-store (the financial force behind the project) will provide an opportunity for the vulnerable and isolated to volunteer, creating a family atmosphere whilst bridging the age-gap. By evening, the store, with its community rooms and dedicated chapel, can act as a space to facilitate training, catechesis and evening prayer. 

// Prayer and formation // Communities for Change will be grounded in the prayer of the local parish community. At its heart, it will be a group of Christians living an authentic Christian life, who will become to each other, and the people they encounter, an icon of Christ through their words and actions.  Formation in evangelisation and Catholic Social Teaching will be central to Communities for Change. In particular, the teaching of St John-Paul II’s Theology of the Body will deepen participants’ understanding of the innate dignity of the human person.  It is proposed that a core group of supporters will be encouraged to embrace a life based on the Gospels, regular prayer through the Divine Office, attendance at Mass and the sacrament of confession. A sense of community could be established through Morning and Evening Prayer, regular shared meals, etc.   // The solution // The Catholic Church has the answer to the challenges faced in today’s world. The question is what do we do with this deposit of faith? Communities for Change aims to pour the overflowing love of the trinity into the heart of communities across the UK. inclusive sustainable resilient caring 1. EvG 1

tackling child poverty from the very beginning of life // foreward and proposal //

Foreward // Child poverty // The government predicted that last year, over four million children were living in relative poverty in the UK. The Resolution Foundation warned that by the end of 2019, the majority of children in single parent families or in larger families (with more than two children) could also be living in relative poverty. Despite a promising social mobility strategy from the government, the situation looks bleak.  // Communities for Change: a hub for the community // The 1,001 Critical Days manifesto highlights the importance of intervening early, from conception to age two, to enhance the outcomes for children across society. Communities for Change will strive to better the lives of children and families living within the areas they are based. In keeping with the 1,001 Critical Days, Communities for Change would focus on early age intervention. This will help limit and prevent the long-term consequences that can result from lack of care, resources and support in these crucial years. The project’s services would provide children and their families with the input needed to ensure they are aided on the journey toward adult life with a real chance to fulfill their potential. The hub would also act as a place of sanctuary for the marginalised and excluded.   These hubs would be self-financing and non-reliant on government funding. They would “plug the gap” by offering services currently unavailable in certain areas and signposting to services that are already on offer elsewhere.    An integral part of the work we will undertake will be to attract, train and actively involve local individuals in the development of the project. Encouraging the engagement of the community is a tried and proven way to ensure the local “ownership” of the project, which in turn will lead to more positive and effective results for stakeholders. // Charity superstore: a retail model // The financial force behind the project would be a Communities for Change superstore. The charity superstore model aims to turn the perceptions of charity shopping as outdated on its head. This can be most recently seen with Oxfam’s new superstore in Oxford, following in the vein of other major charities, such as Cancer Research UK. A superstore is typically five to ten times larger than a usual high street charity shop with a huge selection of pre-loved goods. In the case of Oxfam, it can include a drive through donation point, an on-site cafe and function as an active community space.  // Environment // The superstore would be an ethical response to our disposable culture, and be in keeping with a growing trend towards sustainable living and slowing down fast fashion. In 2018 alone, 327,000 tonnes of textiles were kept out of the landfill as a result of charity retail in the UK and it is estimated that we reduce our carbon footprint by 20-30% by extending the life of a garment by 9 months. Therefore, the superstore would play a key role in protecting our planet. 

// Catholic Social Teaching (CST) // Communities for Change’s groundwork is to be rooted in CST, building on the longstanding tradition of the Church in providing schools, hospitals and universities to cater for the community. Today, the Catholic Church is the largest non-governmental provider of education and medical services in the world, operating more than 140,000 schools, 10,000 orphanages, 5,000 hospitals and some 16,000 other health clinics. Through prioritising the dignity of the human person, providing options for the poor, promoting the common good as well as solidarity, subsidiarity and stewardship of creation, Communities for Change will be open to all and cater for all.

The Proposal To establish an organisation to support two key beneficiary groups: • Children and their parents; from conception through to childhood, teenage years and adult life by offering services, training, skills training and signposting to services. • Senior and vulnerable members of society; through establishing volunteering pathways providing a “safe” environment for them to contribute to the community in which they live.  All beneficiaries, volunteers and staff will be active members of the Communities for Change family and leaders in this new movement. The organisation needs to be self-financing and able to build “Communities for Change”, free from the unpredictable ebb and flow of government policy, funding, strategies and austerity measures. It will be inclusive, sustainable and resilient, reaching out to the general public to win hearts and minds, save lives and build loving and caring communities. We believe in building Communities for Change that take a long-term view to embedding Catholic culture within society, enabling people to live life to the full, by removing barriers for struggling mums and dads and those vulnerable and excluded in society.   Arising from this is the following proposition:  // The Task // To establish a new charity called “Communities for Change”. // The Vision // To tackle child poverty and social exclusion from the very beginning of life and to support individuals to the end.   // The Mission // • Virtual: To provide a support network, through digital platforms, for women, partners and children, offering help to parents from the point of conception, through pregnancy, birth and into childhood.  • Physical: To establish a combined destination charity retail superstore and community hub that: • Trades to generate profit to fund the charitable activities (self-financing). • Creates a community hub that unites, builds community and provides facilities, activities and community space. • Offers a range of practical advice and guidance on all aspects of child poverty with an emphasis on the first 1,001 days. • To provide personal development and training in the importance of self-esteem and personal well-being. // The Values // • Person-centred: who you are is at the heart of what we do. • Local: serving the good of the community around us. • Supportive: reaching out to those in need.  

• Empowering: exercising our rights with care and responsibility. • Open: welcoming everyone into our shared vision for the community.   • Innovative: offering smart solutions using local knowledge.  • Fair: modelling an economy that serves people, not profit.   • Engaged: caring for our shared home.   • Peaceful: forging relationships and dialogue.   • Active: empowering positive change.  // The End Result // • To design, build, commission and operate a portfolio of destination charity superstores, selling home, lifestyle, fashion items and incorporating upcycling and recycling depots. • To establish a social enterprise at the heart of the community and the family, creating opportunities for volunteering and employment. • To provide a multi-purpose community centre, delivering high quality and cost-effective services to the local community alongside inclusive recreational opportunities to improve health and well-being. • Set up funding secured from charitable and social investment funders. • To establish a strong “family” brand. // Success Criteria // • To establish its own identity - enabling families to live life to the full from the very beginning. • To be financially sustainable as a social enterprise and a community - self-funding within three years.  • Start-up funding secured from grant making trusts and social investment funds to establish the first superstore and community hub. // How are We Helping? // Child Poverty - Mums, Dads and their Children Providing a holistic package of support that concentrates on both the physical and mental health of the individual and family group. Provision of such a service would be via both internal and external providers.  • Counselling, skilled listening and befriending service around areas such as: • Pre-pregnancy, ante-natal and postnatal care; • Pregnancy loss; • Early parenting issues; • Fertility / Infertility • Self-esteem counselling - concentrating on building the individual’s confidence in one’s own worth, abilities and self-respect. • Fertility / Infertility: • Solving infertility in harmony with nature to restore normal fertility • Working with couples to identify and treat recurrent miscarriage • Natural family planning: Informative and research based natural fertility management • Womens health: For women who would like to understand their cyle better.

• Upskilling around: • Parenting skills - delivering a holistic package that develops the natural and necessary ability and skills to be an effective and loving parent; • Health and safety; • Protective behaviours; • Relationships; • Effective communication; • Early childhood interaction and education; • Healthy eating; • Budgeting. • Many of these areas will include achieving an accredited qualification which may play a part in the empowerment of moving the individual into further education. • To develop “the learner” education programs around such areas: • Life before birth/ euthanasia; • Relationships program - based around authentic freedom and the human person; • Befriending program - developing the active listener and instilling boundaries; • Listening skills programs - based around the effective listening skills that underpin all positive human relationships. • To support families in the community: • Toddler group - play and learn 0 to 3 years; • “Growing up” groups - with specific aims for age categories etc. Excluded and Vulnerable • To establish volunteer pathways for senior and vulnerable members of the local community: • The elderly; • Those with disabilities; • The marginalised; • Young people looking to establish themselves. • Counselling, skilled listening and befriending service around areas such as: • Anger Management • Relationships • Addiction Support (smoking, drug, alcohol etc.) Local Community • To create a community hub to host local services: • Mother and toddler groups; • Community nurses and midwives; • Community support groups, e.g. mental health, marriage support, employment support, child and adolescent education support; • Affordable events venue; • Cafe; • Cultural hub, e.g. host exhibitions, screenings, local talent. • Craft groups - such as knitting circles, quilt making etc; • Game groups - such as “learn to play bridge”, board games, chess etc; • Taste & learn days - cultural type days where specific ethnic/ religious groups “host” food and lead conversation around who they are etc. • Gardening group - allotment to produce fruit and vegetables that can be sold cheaply or given to users of the project.

inclusive sustainable resilient caring

// contact information // E | [email protected] P | 07545 264 492