Programme activity
Urban programmes for Real Change in the UK
The reasons why young people become involved in anti-social behaviour, violence and gangs are complex and deep-seated. Consequently they need long term commitment to unravel. The Foundation’s approach is to address the underlying causes of the problem. It is simply ineffective to only attempt to address the symptoms of the problems. It is a great injustice to pin the blame for all the problems onto young people. To find solutions means that we have to work with young people, but also their family members, many of whom face multiple problems, as well as other important groups and agencies.
The Foundation works by building the capacity of frontline community groups in some of the most seriously affected neighbourhoods in the UK who are seeking to address the problems in their streets and local estates.
The Foundation runs workshops and other events which
- enable local people (especially staff and volunteers involved in local projects and initiaitives) to understand the underlying causes of the problems being faced
- help local people to identify who the stakeholders are in mediating long term and lasting solutions
- empower and motivate local people to work together with agencies and other organisations so that the solutions are not simply those that attempt to apply sticking plasters to the problems, or are imposed on local areas by outside agencies
- help local people to design initiatives that will bring real change and transformation to the lives of young people and their families
- help to evidence the impact of the solutions local people create by getting everyone with a stake in transforming local situations involved in identifying how real change can be measured
The Foundation believes passionately in turning local people into architects of real change in their own local communities.
The Foundation is involved in the Merseyside Young Transformers programme (MYT) which is the the first of what promises to be a string of programmes around the UK. The Merseyside partnership is between the Community Foundation for Merseyside, the Merseyside Police and the Tutu Foundation UK. The programme in Merseyside is partly funded by the Home Office and trusts and we are hoping to be able to announce our first corporate donor in the very near future. As the programme develops we anticipate working with a growing number of voluntary and other agencies who share our vision and purpose.
The Foundation offers training on a bespoke basis for people working on the frontline in communities. The training is based on the values of ubuntu and includes training in listening and building self awareness and empathetic skills; facilitation skills and participative approaches to defining and measuring social change.
Improving the Reach programme
Over the period 2008 to 2011 the Foundation has been awarded funding to provide support and training to frontline community groups working with hard to reach young people in England's most deprived communities. The Foundation will work with staff and volunteers from groups of 5 frontline community projects from within local areas in order to encourage local linking and learning between groups facing similar challenges. There will be an emphasis on evidencing the impact of local groups' work and maximising the participation of young people in planning and evaluating work being undertaken. There will also be an emphasis on involving other significant people within the social networks of young people, for example, parents and other immediate relatives and community members. The capacity building inputs will be ubuntu-based.
Transformative mediation services
The Foundation offers mediation services within and between communities experiencing conflict. The Foundation's practice in mediation is guided by the view that conflict is at heart, a crisis of human relationships as opposed to a crisis of power, rights or needs and interests. This is a relatively new discipline within the mediation field. The approach is non-directive in nature and focuses on facilitating a conversation between parties in conflict. The approach has been pioneered by a number of practitioners and academics, principally linked to the Institute of the Study of Conflict Transformation (ISCT) . Initial findings suggest that the approach is highly effective and that agreements reached are more sustainable than approaches which more explicitly guide parties to an agreement.
Please contact the Tutu Foundation office for more details email: info@tutufoundationuk.org or call 0207 655 5883
Joint project in Bradford with Prince’s Trust and the Bradford YMCA
During the summer of 2008 we are working with the YMCA in Bradford (a local implementing partner of the Prince's Trust) to run a 12 week programme with young people from Bradford. The programme will work with the young people to address cross cultural issues, building tolerance and understanding in order to develop cohesion and a celebration of diversity. This programme also aims to boost volunteering by young people
The programme is funded thanks to a grant from the Allan & Nestor Ferguson Trust which has been matched with funding from V.
Joint Global Exchange project with VSO
In September 2008 the Tutu Foundation UK will be working with VSO in running a Global Exchange programme. The six month programme involves taking a group of young people from the UK and, in this case, a group of young people from South Africa and setting them to work on community projects for 3 months in each country. The focus of the programme will be working with issues around conflict transformation work and, in South Africa, HIV/AIDS. This programme also aims to boost volunteering by young people
The programme is funded thanks to a grant from the Allan & Nestor Ferguson Trust which has been matched with funding from V.
