The Grassroots Channel is here to provoke and inspire anyone who thinks they might just want to change the world around them. We share stories and ideas from people taking practical steps to build stronger neighbourhoods and happier communities.
Posted on 20th October 2009 by hrwaldram
Maud Grainger and Keith Budden
Four years ago, after running an Islam and the Environment Week, Maud Grainger decided looking at climate change with faith communities would be a great way to take action. The group Faith and Climate Change was set up by Maud Grainger with help from Keith Budden, who has nominated the group for Birmingham’s Local Hearts Award, in the community group category.
Birmingham has over one million of the population belonging to a faith, and this was too big a group not to help with combating climate change, said Maud. The programme has now been replicated across the UK – looking at climate change in terms of values regardless of faith. Why else would a group a young muslim men from Small Heath meet some old Quakers in Bournville? To look at how they installed solar water heater in the Friends Meeting House. Looking at climate change has brought these communities together. Here, they tell their story.
Posted on 20th October 2009 by hrwaldram
Tags: Birmingham UK, environment, gcpodcast, Local Hearts Award, Voluntary Sector
Posted in Podcasts | 2 Comments »
Posted on 20th October 2009 by hrwaldram
Joanne Proudler and John Barron
John Barron is 90 years old and has spent a lifetime working for his community. He has volunteered at St Mary’s Hospice in Sellypark since it opened, and also introduced the Annual Flag Day – a street collection day for the hospice – which he has been running for over 25 years and raised nearly £300,000. He said when you see a need in the community you want to fill it – and once you have a acceptance it is a good idea – you have the determination to see it through.
In 1950 John started taking patients to Lourdes in France, arranged through Birmingham Diocese. He remembers transporting them in old coaches which were previously used for soldiers. He said his motivation is always the patients. He is cherished in his community and for his work, has been nominated by St Mary’s Hospice worker Joanne Proudler for the lifetime achievement award of the Birmingham’s Local Hearts Award. Here’s his story.
Posted on 20th October 2009 by hrwaldram
Tags: gcpodcast, Local Hearts Award
Posted in Podcasts | No Comments »
Posted on 20th October 2009 by hrwaldram
Steven Barratt and Matthew Ebo
Here’s the story of Matthew Ebo, the Handsworth minister whose work for the community until now, has gone unnoticed. Now Matthew has been shortlisted for the active citizen category of Birmingham’s Local Hearts award, nominated by his friend and co-worker, Steven Barratt.
A lot of his work centres around the National Black Boys Can Association, a group for 9-16-year-olds which meets every fornight to help them with schoolwork and teach them good citizenship. Previously a Special Constable, he also works for the Central and West Victim Support Scheme – helping victims rebuild their lives.
Matthew was inspired by his baptist minister and mother, and he is now the pastor of the Church of God and Prophesy – he said his religious upbringing helped him and without his wife’s support now he could not spend so much time doing voluntary work. Here’s his story.
Posted on 20th October 2009 by hrwaldram
Tags: Birmingham UK, gcpodcast, Leadership, Local Hearts Award, Voluntary Sector
Posted in Leadership, Local Government, Neighbourhoods, Podcasts | No Comments »
Posted on 20th October 2009 by hrwaldram
Jenni Rowley, isn’t your average 20-something woman. She spends her evenings out on the streets in Northfield, trying to prevent Anti Social Behaviour and crime in the area and getting young people involved in a number of projects. One of these projects is the Beyond Midnight Bus, which parks up in Northfield, kitted out with DVD players, stereo, internet and recording studio and has become a place for young people to hang out and talk about what they want to see in their area.
As a support worker for INVOLVE (while she is not in her day job in property management), a community group in the Northfield area which aims to help get funding for local projects young people want to do. Jenni says working on the streets with young people and local authorities has opened her eyes and given her confidence. She tells us how excited she is to be nominated for the Young Person’s Birmingham’s Local Hearts Award, in the young people category.
Posted on 20th October 2009 by hrwaldram
Tags: Birmingham UK, gcpodcast, Local Hearts Award, Northfield, Voluntary Sector, young people
Posted in Neighbourhoods, Podcasts | 2 Comments »
Posted on 19th October 2009 by Nick Booth
Involve Northfield (well some of them!)
Involve is Northfield’s Young Peoples Forum – it was set up in 2005 for 12-19-year-olds to meet monthly.
Involve are given money by local government, which they can then distribute to young people to help them run various activities or projects which they would not otherwise have been able to do. Through this they help young people develop a number of skills such as organisation, teamwork and communication skills. INVOLVE believe they are giving a voice to young people – to get their opinions across to people with power in Northfield and to further that they recently launched their own website: www.involvenorthfield.com.
In the last three years the group have distributed £75,000 of community chest money and £20,000 of youth opportunity fund to individual young people and groups and projects. They recently started their own radio show and videocasting channel – getting young people to comment and debate on prominent issues such as abuse in a relationship. This podcast was recorded in October 2009, just after they had been shortlisted for Local Hearts Award. It has Nick Booth talking to Karen Cheney, Luke Bowles, Sophie Lynch, Jo – spoz – Esposito and Lauren Synott.
Posted on 19th October 2009 by Nick Booth
Tags: gcpodcast, Local Hearts Award, Northfield, Voluntary Sector, young people
Posted in Podcasts | No Comments »
Posted on 19th October 2009 by Nick Booth
Shirley Malone, Gemma O'Neill and Aimee Coakley of the Hawkesley Young Volunteers in Kings Norton - Birmingham.
Aimee Coakley first came across the Hawksley “young vols” as a small child. She watched them working in her neighbourhood in Kings Norton in Birmingham and wanted to be one.
Thanks to that experience she has traveled as far afield as France and India, cleaned streets, helped people keep their gardens tidy and supporting friends and neighbours. Now she has a job because of her volunteer experience. Hers is just one of dozens of stories which explain why the Hawksley Young Volunteers were shortlisted for a Local Hearts Awards in October 2009. For more, listen to the podcast below.
Posted on 19th October 2009 by Nick Booth
Tags: Birmingham UK, gcpodcast, Hawkesley Young Volunteers, Hawksley, Kings Norton, Leadership, Local Hearts Award, Snnprofit, Third Sector, Voluntary Sector, young people
Posted in Leadership, Neighbourhoods, Podcasts, Third Sector | No Comments »
Posted on 19th October 2009 by Nick Booth
Nicole White and Rourke Holmes of Erdington Constituency Children's Forum
Nicole White and Rourke Holmes have been training adults. They volunteer with different organisations in the Erdington Constituency of the City of Birmingham to help they appreciate how young people view the world.
The aim is very simple, to improve the relationship between government services and the young people who use them in Erdington.
The Forum began in 2005 when the Erdington Constituency asked a group of young people to set up a consultation in the form of a questionnaire which asked about issues which affect them and their peers. One of the questions was, “Who would you prefer to ask you questions – children, or adults” – and all the children said adults. But it became clear adults lacked knowledge and how to engage with kids in the decision making process.
So the Children’s Forum made a training package for the adults looking at the benefits and barriers of involving children. The Children’s forum then tracked the progress made following the training every six months. They also ran a second training session. Over four years ECCF have reached over 258 adults and 486 children. This podcast, with Tom Sandars, was recorded just before the Local Hearts Awards October 2009 – where the group was shortlisted for the award for Young People’s Group.
Posted on 19th October 2009 by Nick Booth
Tags: Birmingham UK, Erdington, gcpodcast, Local Hearts Award, Third Sector, Voluntary Sector, young people
Posted in Local Government, Neighbourhoods, Podcasts, Third Sector | No Comments »
Posted on 14th October 2009 by hrwaldram
Indu Daji and Electra Soudy
Electra Soudy and Indu Daji have been nominated for the Community Group Local Hearts Award for the work they have done with BETI, which they set up 10 years ago to empower women and give them training and support.
Indu focuses on muslim and hindu women and Electra with single women and voluntary groups – helping those coming to Britain who may be abused by their relatives and in-laws, assisting their learning of English and giving them the advice and guidance they need to get on the job ladder.
The group aim to liberate women in Birmingham who suffer under their families, feel estranged, or are being forced into arranged marriages. Both women have a background which has led them to this work – Electra ran away from her Greek home because her father was setting up an arranged marriage, and Indu also suffered when she moved to the city, but was given confidence by Electra.
The two women also inspire and motivate each other, and are well-known in the community as people other women can come to for help, shelter and advice. Here’s their story.
Posted on 14th October 2009 by hrwaldram
Tags: Birmingham UK, empowerment, gcpodcast, Local Hearts Award, Third Sector, women
Posted in Local Government, Neighbourhoods, Podcasts, Third Sector | No Comments »
Posted on 14th October 2009 by hrwaldram
Maureen Murphy and Gary Ladbrooke
Maureen Murphy is not one to sit quietly and wait for things to happen – after loudly campaigning for a new crossing in Minworth, she was approached by the Walmley Residents Association and has been their chairperson for the last 20 years.
Now, she says, she still gets quiet satisfaction when she sees people crossing the road safely, and is encouraged to continue giving a voice to people who don’t know where to go. Senior Constituency Manager for Sutton Coldfield – Gary Ladbrooke – has nominated Maureen for Birmingham’s Local Hearts Award for the lifetime achievement award – a recognition of her tireless work in the community. Here she talks to us about what keeps her going, and why she thinks making a stand is so important.
Posted on 14th October 2009 by hrwaldram
Tags: Birmingham UK, gcpodcast, Local Hearts Award, Sutton Coldfield, Third Sector, Voluntary Sector, Walmley
Posted in Local Government, Neighbourhoods, Podcasts, Third Sector | No Comments »
Posted on 13th October 2009 by hrwaldram
Ray Brookes, John McGill, Adam Noon and Sonya Williams
Friends of Jasmin Fields campaigned for a piece of land in their neighbourhood which had been left to rot and attracted fly-tipping. It was full of rubbish, but a group of local people organised a clearing up day, and then gained funding to fence off the area and renovate it and start looking after this small piece of parkland in Brandwood End – now the Jasmin Fields Nature Reserve.
The group have engaged the local school, have had young people volunteering to be a park ranger, and now the area is full of wildlife and is a place for families come to play, walk their dogs and enjoy the area they live in. The group hope they have empowered the local community. For their work, they have now been nominated for the Community Group category of Birmingham’s Local Hearts Award.
Posted on 13th October 2009 by hrwaldram
Tags: Birmingham UK, Brandwood End, environment, gcpodcast, Jasmin Fields Nature Reserve, Local Hearts Award, Voluntary Sector
Posted in Neighbourhoods, Podcasts | No Comments »
