10 ORGANISATIONS THAT NEED YOUR SUPPORT

As the social media hype dies down, and issues facing our communities are no longer at the forefront of our news channels our drive and determination for change mustn’t dwindle.

In our last blog post, we highlighted the importance of economic development. Spending money within our community is paramount, and we must make this spending habitual and not reactionary.

Which is why we love what our friends at black pound day are doing, creating a group spending structure is a great way to start building a sustainable system of spending.

As well as spending on black-owned businesses, it is also paramount that we support our community-led initiatives.

With that in mind, below are 10 organisations we feel the community should be supporting.

Kwanda is a modern collection pot for black communities. Think of it as a modern-day village. By granting a monthly pledge (the minimum is £1), which is used to fund projects, you gain access to the village and are granted voting rights and an equal voice amongst fellow villagers. It is a village for those who want to build reliable and empowering systems for black communities.

The Sickle cell society aims to empower and assist people with sickle cell disorders to achieve their full economic and social potential. Their vision is to be the most successful sickle cell organisation nationally, with a wide network of well informed, committed and active supporters working at local, national and international levels.

Black Minds matter U.K aims to connect Black individuals and families with free professional mental health services across the U.K. With a growing collective of certified, professional, culturally competent, Black therapists, their fundraiser will be used in its entirety to cover the cost of the services.

The journey towards improved mental wellbeing is as simple as browsing our collective, choosing a therapist and arranging a consultation. Your therapist will then contact them to confirm your assessment has been finalised, and they will cover the cost. So there’s no extra admin for you, just a safe space for your journey to begin.

The Gentlemen’s Network is an organisation for the male community inspiring and supporting males through the transition from boy to man to gentleman.

They aim to challenge the stereotypes surrounding young black/ethnic minorities whilst raising aspirations and identifying those excelling beyond their potential.

Through their campaigns and initiatives, they hope to create a support network for those wanting to be successful in life, recognising their achievements and encouraging a ‘brotherly’ relationship between them especially those that may not have positive male influences within their immediate networks.

Father 2 Father in an award-winning Community Interest Company that provides support, training and development to fathers, men and adolescent boys. It aims to empower Father’s young men and youth to make informed decisions about their lifestyle and relationships

Their mission is to increase the proportion of children growing up with involved, responsible fathers and male role models.

They achieve this by supporting and providing adolescent boys, fathers and their families with mentorship, information, advice and guidance that will enhance their personal, social and economic well-being.

The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust was founded on the premise that inequality must be tackled in all its forms. This includes inequality of access, and opportunity, wherever it occurs.

They work with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds aged 13 to 30 to broaden their view of what’s possible, helping them to gain the knowledge, skills, and qualifications they need to pursue the career of their choice. They also work with community groups, companies and others to create a fairer society in which everyone can thrive.

The mission of the Aleto Foundation (previously Powerlist Foundation) is to:

1. Identify tomorrow’s leaders irrespective of their race, gender, faith or ethnicity.

2. Provide personalised opportunities and awards to accelerate the development of those leaders for whom such support is not ordinarily available.

By running their highly successful leadership programme they can help young people, up to the age of 25, to advance in life by providing support and resources which assist in developing their skills, capabilities, talents and achievements. This will enable them to fully participate in society as independent, mature and world-class professionals

The Amos Bursary is an organisation which helps academically able British young men of African and Caribbean heritage, from schools and colleges in London to achieve their ambitions. The evening and weekend professional and personal development programmes ensure that students are fully equipped to make informed and appropriate choices for their futures.

They work in partnership with volunteers and organisations to prepare students to tackle the challenges they will encounter. They focus on building self-confidence, self-belief and social skills to enhance employability.

2020 Change is a youth empowerment organisation renowned for helping young people realise their true potential and cultivate the right mind-set to engage with today’s changing society.

Their multi-award winning program “I Am Change” uses alternative education to help young people discover and fulfil their potential enabling them to live purposeful lives. They help develop self-confidence that empowers each of their candidates to become the best versions of themselves.

The Black Curriculum is a social enterprise founded in 2019 by young people to address the lack of Black British history in the UK Curriculum. By delivering arts-focused Black history programmes, providing teacher training and campaigning through mobilising young people, social change can be facilitated.

As a social enterprise committed to the teaching and support of Black history all year round, their aims include:

1. To provide a sense of belonging and identity to young people across the UK.

2. To teach an accessible educational Black British history curriculum that raises attainment for young people.

3. To improve social cohesion between young people in the UK.

Related posts:

The other day I was surfing around for a solution for this problem and came across Ray Grasso’s excellent post from April of 2015. I recommend reading his post for his solution; I’ve just modified it…

Every story you write starts in your head first. This one I am writing now, been in-writing for the last 12 years. I lost my baby brother 12 years ago, today. November the 14th. We put him down in…

But being good at doing a job doesn’t mean you’ll automatically be good at managing people doing it. That’s where our guest, Lara Hogan, comes in!