Caritas Westminster 2018 Annual Review
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7 Development hubs 204 Attended Caritas 27
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252 People signed up to Volunteer Service
Caritas Westminster 2018 Annual Review
A year in review John Coleby, Director
Dear Friends and Supporters, It is good to look back on a year and see the successes. The projects that were launched and the events held. It is important, though, to remember the hard work that went into everything. None of this was achieved by accident. A lot of hard work and dedication from staff and supporters has allowed Caritas to strengthen its roots and offer direct help to more people.
collections, charity cake sales, and social groups for the isolated. As an extension of our Love in Action work in schools we have started to introduce a Caritas Ambassadors programme for secondary schools. The programme connects the schools with the local parishes and encourages the ambassadors to take a practical interest in social action and their local communities alongside their studies.
Throughout the report you will see some examples of the amazing work done by Caritas and its supporters. However, the projects featured here only cover a fraction of the work done in the diocese.
More broadly, we have had great success working with the Jewish community for World Day of the Poor and Mitzvah Day, collecting backpacks for Mary’s Meals. In an increasingly divided world it is important we increase the works we do with our neighbours of all faiths and none.
We are supporting parishes to sponsor refugee families, we continue to help run night shelters, and expand our work with people with intellectual disabilities, Deaf people, trafficking victims and the isolated. All of this is the work of accompaniment that Pope Francis recognises as a vital practice of our faith. Mentioned briefly are the Deaf Service, St Joseph’s pastoral centre and Bakhita House. All three are vital parts of Caritas, and you can find out more about each and read their individual reports on our website. They continue to offer the highest level of care and support to those they work with and are an excellent example of what it truly means to respect the dignity of every person. Love in Action is thriving with more parishes and pupils learning about Catholic Social Teaching and putting their understanding to use with food bank
Particularly pertinent this year is the development of Copenhagen Street Foodbank, set up by the parish for the people of Kings Cross. In 2019, one of our focuses will be food poverty, working on building resilience, addressing immediate need and advocating for change. We hope this project will deliver a tangible response to food poverty and insecurity experienced across the diocese. My sincere gratitude goes to everyone who has helped Caritas Westminster over the past year. May God bless you.
John Coleby Director, Caritas Westminster
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Caritas Westminster 2018 Annual Review
Syria Summer Camp Attendees in 2018:
61
Volunteers:
20- 25
Paid Staff:
1 (+ some ex-gratia)
Funding:
Caritas grants, other grants, fundraising
Location:
Newman Catholic College, Brent
Since 2016, Newman Catholic College in Harlesden has responded to the recognition that many of its newly-arrived Syrian pupils – and their younger siblings - have not only missed a significant part of their education, but are incredibly aspirational and determined to make a success of their education. This led to Syria Summer Camp, which has received a grant from Caritas Westminster since 2017. It provides four weeks of learning, plus creative, therapeutic and fun activities for children from Syrian and other refugee families, organised and hosted by Newman Catholic College. The organisers understand, however, the importance of supporting the whole family, with many parents attending with their children. Many families wanted to support the project too. Mothers put themselves forward to be trained as Registration Security Officers and doubled as cleaners at the days’ end, and a father with catering experience became the resident chef. It is a ‘Love in Action’ project supported both practically and financially by Caritas Westminster.
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Priority for a place at Syria Summer Camp (there are 70 places available) is given to refugee children, primarily from the Middle East, who have fled their homeland due to war or persecution. This summer, four of the families who attended had only been in the UK for a matter of weeks, all arrived from Syria. Some of the children were introduced by other relatives already established locally, and some were referred by Brent Council. Access to visiting counsellors and other therapeutic and wellbeing support was prioritised. This year, the theme was ‘An Act of Kindness’. Every child was given a wellbeing journal entitled ‘I’m happy, I’m healthy, I’m hope-filled’, with time set aside at the start and close of the day for reflections and evidence around the theme of kindness. As well as funds, Caritas Westminster provided support via the time and experience of Development Worker Sr Silvana Dallanegra, who was part of SSC’s Steering and Monitoring Groups. Ages of Children at Syria Summer Camp
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11
17
21
4 - 5 yrs
6 - 7 yrs
8 - 10 yrs
11 - 14 yrs
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Caritas Westminster 2018 Annual Review
Copenhagen Street Neighbourhood Foodbank
Attendees in 2018:
176
Volunteers:
20 – 23
Paid Staff:
0
Funding:
Caritas grant, donations
Location:
Blessed Sacrament Church, Copenhagen Street
In March 2018, Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Copenhagen Street started a food bank to respond to the growing issue of food poverty in the local area. A parishioner who had worked on a similar project in her previous parish encouraged people to get together to see what they could do to help local families who were going hungry. They got in touch with Caritas and we helped them to set up and run the food bank, trained the volunteers, and gave them a grant to get started. After just 9 months, the food bank is already supporting over 200 people with a large group of dedicated volunteers keeping it running. The food bank is open to all and offers tea, coffee, biscuits and a warm welcome to those who visit. Although people come because they are in need of food, it offers much more than that to people, greeting them with dignity and acceptance as well as offering community and a place to socialise.
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Although it has been difficult to meet the demand, parishioners and other local church groups have come together and worked hard to keep providing for those in need in their community. The food bank recently featured in The Guardian, and this coverage brought forth thousands of pounds of donations, offers of volunteering and support from the local community, helping the food bank continue to grow. Number of visits to Copehagen St Foodbank: Between 1 and 10 times: 29
Between 11 and 20 times: 30
Between 21 and 32 times: 17
FOOD BANK
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Caritas Westminster 2018 Annual Review
Social Enterprise Ideas Development, SEIDs The first part of SEIDs is the hub in Wembley which will offer facilities and support for individuals to develop their own social enterprise concepts, businesses which trade for a social purpose. The second part is the creation of social enterprises run by SEIDs to employ and train people who are at a disadvantage in the traditional job market. Decent and dignified work means a sustainable living wage in London, a supportive quality work environment, support and encouragement to get the very best out of work opportunities and progression pathways from apprentice through to manager. The hub contains everything a social enterprise entrepreneur needs in terms of facilities, including: Peer-to-peer support Mentors Expert advice Workshops and training Free Wi-Fi Printer Kitchen Lockers Space hire
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The hub offers extremely flexible membership options at reasonable rates, and bursaries are available. Without the burden of overheads, members can concentrate on developing and launching their social enterprises. The aim is not to make a profit but to encourage and grow social enterprise businesses in communities in London and Hertfordshire. The service invites anyone with a credible social enterprise idea to get involved. The name SEIDs, in addition to being a useful acronym which describes what we do (social enterprise, ideas, innovation, design, development), evokes the idea of organic growth. The Catholic faith is rich in metaphors of growing. SEIDs is an environment created for growth and development, where we invite people to plant their own seeds. This environment is rooted in Catholic social teaching which is the foundation of the concept of the dignity of work. SEIDs Property Services Launched in 2017, this service is the first step towards offering work and training, through SEIDsrun businesses. Providing painting, decorating and maintenance services in London and Hertfordshire, SEIDs is a straightforward idea. Apprentices, once taken on, are trained while they work and earn a decent wage. After their training is complete, SEIDs Property Services will hopefully become a stepping stone to a fulfilling and dignified career.
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Caritas Westminster 2018 Annual Review
Bakhita House, Deaf Service, St Joseph’s Caritas St Joseph’s: the Story of a Young Man In 2014 we took over a small carpentry firm. With it came a young man.
Caritas Deaf Service also helped with the interpreting at Adoremus, so Deaf people were included both here in the diocese and nationally at this event.
He had basic woodwork skills and was very enthusiastic, but because of his needs he was not very confident. We were able to change the design of the planters and the chairs he was making, to make the construction easier and better fit his skills. His confidence grew as he realised he could make a quality product.
A previous student on one of our BSL (British Sign Language) taster courses has let us know that she achieved her Level 3 BSL in 2018.
We soon saw his potential, and he joined our gardening enterprise on a Thursday where he volunteered whilst still attending the carpentry session on Saturdays, giving him well-rounded training and a huge confidence boost. Eventually, he felt confident enough to apply for an apprenticeship with Mencap and was accepted. This was a major achievement for this shy young man. Caritas Deaf Service: Faith and Sacraments Through signed and interpreted Masses, Caritas Deaf Service has provided access to the sacraments for Deaf people, facilitating their involvement in the full life of the Church. In May, two Deaf parents were able to fully join in the celebration of their daughter’s First Holy Communion. During the year, at the Bible study, the group followed the preparation series for the Eucharistic Congress. A Deaf CCRS graduate used the knowledge she had gained from her studies to lead the Bible studies and share her faith with other Deaf people.
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Bakhita House: Case Study 2 Police from Norfolk brought a Brazilian female to CBH in August 2018. She had been found working in a brothel. Although she was in breach of her visa, it was a joint decision between the Police and Immigration that she should be treated as a victim of trafficking. Police took her to hospital where scans showed she had been pregnant but had recently lost the baby. Bakhita House was the safest place for her to come and recover whilst receiving continued medical attention. Throughout all her hospital appointments and procedures, she was accompanied by staff from CBH. It was a very difficult time, as she had wanted the baby and became extremely fearful that she may not be able to conceive in the future. It was then discovered she had a half-brother in London. He was living legally, yet could neither support her financially nor emotionally and so the guest decided that she wanted to travel home to Brazil as soon as she was medically fit. She continued her recovery at CBH until this was possible.
Origin of Bakhita House residents 2015-18 Students trained in beginner BSL 2015: 2016: 2017: 2018:
27 15 24 29
Europe: 45 Africa: 25 Asia: 21 North America: 2 South America: 3 Australasia: 1
Parishes with a disability support group 2015: 2016: 2017: 2018:
10 13 17 18
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Caritas Westminster 2018 Annual Review
World Day of the Poor
Location:
North London and Hertfordshire
When:
November 2018
Funding:
Donation
Organisations involved:
Mitzvah Day, Mary’s Meals, Caritas Westminster
charity and social action. Both days are about putting faith into action for the benefit of others, and doing something together not only cements our connections with the organisations but improves interfaith cooperation in our communities. This project has led to us being nominated for the Outstanding Interfaith Partnership award at the Mitzvah Day Awards.
World Day of the Poor and Mitzvah Day fall on the same Sunday, and to mark the occasion Caritas Westminster and the organisers of Mitzvah Day engaged six schools in North London in a social action project. The schools, three Jewish (Noam Primary, Tiferes Boys’ School and Sacks Morasha Primary School) and three Catholic (St Anthony’s School for Girls, St Joseph’s Primary and Pope Paul Primary School), collected and donated 350 backpacks filled with schools supplies to Mary’s Meals. Nearly 1000 pupils from Catholic schools took part in this interfaith project.
2017 was the first World Day of the Poor, and to mark it we invited Fr James Hanvey SJ to speak.
One head teacher said his pupils had ‘spent the week thinking what it would be like not to have school supplies, not even a pencil or pen. It made them really think how difficult it is not to have basic school equipment and to appreciate how much we all have of everything!’
On the day itself many parishes around the diocese held special food bank collections and collections of toiletries for the homeless. In Perivale the SVP invited people to join them for a few hours and put together Vinnie Packs with winter essentials to be distributed to the homeless.
World Day of the Poor is the day when Pope Francis asks us to pray especially for the poorest in our society and to try and do something practical to alleviate poverty. On Mitzvah Day, members of the Jewish community are encouraged to give their time to
Cardinal Vincent joined the Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mervis and the Jewish community in Swiss Cottage on World Day of the Poor, as they celebrated Mitzvah Day.
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On the theme of ‘Say it with Your Life’ he addressed what he feels to be some of the important points of CST, telling listeners that it is not ‘abstract thinking or theological reflection’ but about ‘the issues of the day’. He asked the audience to think about the idea that CST is actually ‘the life and witness of the Spirit and is therefore deeply embedded in the mission of the Church and every Christian life’.
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Caritas Westminster 2018 Annual Review
Our Supporters
Justice and Peace
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Caritas Westminster 2018 Annual Review
Grants awarded in 2018 £170,529.21 Grants awarded 2018: 81 (£170,529.21)
81 66
32 13 2015
2016
2017
2018
Breakdown of type: 12 Project grants:
£76,452.41
27 Crisis grants:
£32,672.80
42 42Funeral Funeralgrants: grants:
£61,404.00
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Contact us: twitter.com/CaritasWestm facebook.com/CaritasWestminster www.caritaswestminster.org.uk
Caritas Westminster seeks to bring about a world where everyone lives a life of dignity and worth. Thank you for your support.
With thanks for the contribution and support of the Caritas Advisory Board Bhp Paul McAleenan (Chair), Andrew Ndoca, Fr Mark Woodruff, Sarah Macken, Siobhan Garibaldi, Daniel Belloso, Mick McAteer and Paolo Camoletto
Registered Charity No. 233699