Current Projects
The ‘Sound of Music’ project (in collaboration with Daylight Academy)
The Sound of Music project is all about giving young people an opportunity to learn one musical instrument regardless of their background. Research shows that the benefits of music education include improved academic, physical & social skills. It also boosts self-esteem, cultivates discipline, patience, and can introduce children to other cultures. We believe these sessions will build the self-esteem and confidence of participants and enable them to develop their horizons.
Each young person will have the opportunity to choose from one of three musical instruments – Keyboard, Drum set or Electronic Guitar. Our aim is to help the young people to acquire their newly sought skills within 12 weeks.
Past Projects:
Life Skills 4 Teens project - his new project worked with 40 young people aged 12 to 17 in Thamesmead and surrounding areas, to help them identify and develop the skills they most need to progress more successful and contentedly in all spheres of their lives both now and as adults. The activities we carried out were Public Speaking workshops Street dance, Sports activities, Simple Citizenship, Enterprise, Fashion and Beauty workshops together with a group study support session.
Study Support project – This project will work with disadvantaged teenage girls and boys aged 11 to 16 years from Thamesmead and surrounding areas. The overall aim of the project is to help those falling behind at school to improve in core subjects; reading, writing, numeracy and maths. This will also help them gain confidence, have access to better opportunities in education and future work, make a healthier lifestyle decisions and help them achieve better training or employment.
This project was funded by BBC Children in Need Fund.
Current Workshops
This course will help parents to improve their communication skills and create a framework of discipline and respect in their families. They are useful in reducing tension, squabbling, tantrums and fighting, establishing clearer, more respectful parenting guidelines, and making children happier and more responsible.
The course covers:
• Children’s Misbehaviour – common reasons for misbehaviour; how to deal with misbehaviour; looking after yourself.
• Developing Responsibility – how to provide training, giving encouragement and explaining what discourages children.
• Communication - how to develop good listening and speaking skills, develop confidence and self-esteem.
• Discipline – setting boundaries, choices and consequences; how to cope as a lone parent
• Bringing it together – family meetings; signs of a healthy family; treating one another with respect; time with your children.
This course will reinforce the same parenting skills learnt in the Parenting Children course, while also dealing with the more difficult situations met in the teen years. Because it is so important to reinforce skills being learnt, it is recommended that parents of teenagers experience the Parenting Children sessions first (though this is not essential). The course will give parents of teenagers the skills to deal with the more difficult situations met in the teen years and help them to relate to their teenagers.
The course covers:
• Where do I start - connecting with your teenagers; understanding the adolescent changes; why teenagers misbehave; parenting styles
• When listening helps – learning to listen; stages of active listening
• What encourages teens – training to be responsible; self-esteem and raising confident teenagers.
• Managing conflict – stages of dealing with problems; steps for managing conflict; dealing with abuse and criticism
• Teenagers and discipline – do teenagers need boundaries; choices and consequences; dealing with serious problems; saying no