In May 2017 we went to the beautiful Two Temple Place for an evening of live crowdfunding
First to pitch was You Make It, who raised over £8,000 to develop a holistic, self-empowerment programme for young, marginalised women from Hackney and Tower Hamlets
They were able to trial a pastoral care programme, recruiting 3 pastoral care workers to address needs around mental health, housing, benefits and domestic violence for 27 women. With the extra funds raised, they were also able to offer 1-to-1 counselling for women in crisis who need access to immediate support. This has filled a gap where mainstream services have a long waiting list
All the women who have received support have cited it as invaluable in their progress, and You Make It have improved their retention rates through these services. 96% of women graduated their last programme, while dealing with issues of grief, sexual and domestic abuse and mental health conditions
Mariah from Hackney joined You Make It with an interest in pursuing a creative career. She was dealing with grief and participated in pastoral care workshops as well as counselling, which she says helped her stay afloat at the time. She used the pastoral workshops to focus on her professional development, and has recently completed a placement at Grazia magazine.
Next to pitch was Tea Leaf Trust, who raised over £12,000 to support young people from Sri Lankan tea plantations, helping them to access employment away from estate labour
With our funding, Tea Leaf Trust was able to develop a more robust management system, training 12 teachers who have recently sat their teaching exams and training 2 teachers in a counselling programme
They ran emotional health and gender awareness courses at both centres, strengthening students' coping mechanisms. There have been no reports of suicide or self-harm, in an area that is a hotspot within Sri Lanka, ranked number 1 in the world by WHO for suicide rates
77% of last year's students are in full-time employment, training or further education. Tea Leaf Trust's alumni over 50% more than their counterparts
Tea Leaf Trust was funded at our Strategic Funding Group in May to start a teacher training programme and to establish 3 social enterprises to offer employment. They plan to open a third school in 2019
Next to pitch was Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain, raising over £7,000 to provide access to advice and the justice system to London's low-paid, vulnerable workers
They hired two people for 6 months, both with law degrees and legal training. In 2017 IWGB opened 259 cases, closing 72% of them successfully. The cases were related to unfair dismissal, unlawful deduction of wages, status of employment and discrimination/harassment
Recruiting new staff members has meant that IWGB has dramatically expanded the scope of their operations in terms of fields of expertise and geographical location. They've been able to take on cases for 'gig-economy' workers and have worked across the country, from Glasgow to Hampshire
TFN funding also enabled IWGB to access further grants, most significantly £100,500 from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, which has helped them to grow. You've probably seen them in the news recently too!
The final pitch was from Viswa Bharati Vidyodaya Trust, raising £12,000 to expand and extend a foundation course for indigenous tribal young people in the Nilgiri Hills, south India
TFN funding meant VBVT was able to increase the number of students from 10 to 16 and recruit a new staff member
The children's confidence has improved in terms of meeting new people, overcoming challenges and managing difficult emotional situations
One student, Manikandan, had dropped out of school and had become involved in substance abuse, exhibiting anger and impatience at the beginning of the course. Gradually, through making friends and having patient teachers, he began to show an interest in learning and is continuing his studies. His parents are proud of him and he has started to guide his younger siblings on how to use money responsibly
Thanks for helping us raise over £40,000!
