Celebrating 25 years We do more than you think

F O CUS NOW
Inspiring people, Changing communities
We do more than you think
“It all started with a fashion show.”
Find out from some of our young people
how FOCUS does more than you think.
Celebrating 25 years
ISSUE 4
Winter 2014
www.focus-charity.co.uk
FREE
Read all about our event that marked
25 years of FOCUS being a charity.
Scan this QR code and head straight to our website.
Welcome to the wint
er edition of FocusNow
.
2014 has flown by fo
r FOCUS. We have ce
lebrated
our 25th year as a ch
arity, continued to
run our
exciting programme
s that inspire and
motivate
young people and be
gun working with othe
r young
people, organisations
and communities.
CONTRIBUTORS
Editors:
Joe Roughton and Matt Lilley
FOCUS continues to
thrive on the dedicati
on of it’s
staff, volunteers and
young people to ma
ke a
difference in ourselve
s and the community
and
will continue to do so
in 2015 and onwards.
Thank you to:
Emily
Ray
Bex
Ish
Minnie
Joe Roughton
Senior Projects Manag
er
Get in touch
Find us at:
Focus Charity
73 Church Gate
Leicester
LE1 3AN
Phone us:
0116 251 0369
Email us:
[email protected]
Visit our website:
www.focus-charity.co.uk
Registered Charity No. 1068467
Like us on Facebook: Focus Charity
Follow us on Twitter @FocusCharity
JustTextGiving Focu25 to 70070
and donate £10 to Focus Charity
on their 25th anniversary.
Join FOCUS Charity’s
Association today!
Alumni
If you have been a part of FOCUS (or Bridge as it was formerly
known) during the past 25 years you are eligible to join the Alumni
Association.
We welcome all our past volunteers, trustees, participants and
staff to become part of our active and rapidly growing alumni
community.
As an Alumnus you will receive:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Our quarterly news letter by e-bulletin covering FOCUS’ latest
news and future activities
Invitations to alumni events
Support with organizing your own reunions
Email forwarding
Invitations to celebration events
Updates on FOCUS activities
Access to the alumni social and professional online networks
Go to our website www.focus-charity.co.uk and send us your info.
From the
Director’s
chair
My 13 year old son was set RE homework
recently that required him to produce
a collage of “images of evil”. Once I’d
recovered from the rant this caused me
to have about how irresponsible it was to
ask kids to google “evil”, I became quite
excited at the prospect of sharing with him
my own views (not that he was in the least
bit interested in them) of who or what is
evil. I should point out that I don’t believe
any people are irredeemibly evil, but some
of their actions are. My list comprised the
usual suspects of Nazi Germany, Rupert
Murdoch, Coca Cola, Nestle, Tony Blair,
Margaret Thatcher, Simon Cowell, etc…
you know the list; and it probably tells you
all you need to know about me.
The process of compiling my ‘desert island
discs’ of evil (now there’s a fun radio show
idea!) was cathartic to an extent. It felt
good to share the short-comings of a few
deeply flawed individuals and organisations,
albeit only with my disinterested son and
his irresponsible teacher, neither of whom
will give them a second thought. However,
I was also left with a gnawing anxiety, a
fist-clenching frustration, a jaw-aching
scowl… it was hate. I felt a genuine sense
of antipathy towards these wealthy, selfserving power-mongers (Rupert Murdoch
etc, not my son and his teacher!) and it
was not a feeling I enjoyed. I wished them
a great deal of ill, but I felt powerless to
affect any sort of change. My hatred and
anger were bouncing back off nothing and
eating away at me.
Hate is a fruitless activity. Just look at ISIS
for a graphic illustration of mass destruction
and fear achieving bugger all. But it’s one in
which many of us frequently engage. Just
read the letters page of any newspaper
for examples of mass hysteria and loathing
achieving even less.
buddy’ Dave - he is one a several fellow
commuters with whom I share regular
passing pleasantries and occasional 30
minute debates about trains - I’m living the
dream.
Anyway, Dave and I discussed the things
we hate all the way to East Midlands
Parkway and we discovered that we shared
many mutual loathings. But Dave’s list also
included anyone who had ever even dared
contemplate voting for those Tory B*******s,
at which point he began to visibly steam
with fury and his expletives we’re upsetting
our fellow quiet coach occupants.
We agreed:
force.
Hate
is
a
self-destructive
So, we many a pact: We will focus our hatred
on less important things. We will attempt
to use the power of our feelings to affect
change that will be for the betterment
of society. We will choose objects of our
loathing that are closer to home, more
readily accessible to us and that might be
more susceptible our limited influence.
Our new combined list will include the train
announcer’s misuse of the word ‘myself’,
when ‘me’ is both correct and quicker to
say; people who put a cone in the road to
save themselves a parking space, as if they
own that bit of the public highway; and
people with pull-along suitcases who stop
immediately after getting off an escalator
to pull up the stupid little handle, with scant
regard for the multi-person pile-up they’ve
caused behind them. We’ll deal with these
evils one at a time and will have made
the world a better place within a few short
months.
Item 1: Grown-ups wearing bobble hats.
Brace yourselves, we’re coming for you!
On my next commute to work I shared my
irritation at my ineffectual rage with ‘Train-
Blast from the past
This edition’s Blast From The Past comes
from the Cambridge Evening News back in
1989.
This was one of the first grants given to
FOCUS (formally known as Bridge).
Here is Sir Hans Kornberg, a former trustee,
receiving a cheque from the Queen’s Silver
Jubilee Trust.
10 miles, 4 parks, 1 rainy day
On Sunday 16th November,
Harsh Patel, one of our
young
leaders,
organised
a sponsored walk to raise
money for FOCUS Charity.
He recruited a large team
of
volunteers
who
were
sponsored to walk over 10
miles, covering 4 parks across
Leicester City.
Despite the rainy weather
the team stayed enthusiastic
and motivated to not only
complete their challenge
but to come back with a
huge smile on their faces
knowing their efforts raised
much
needed
funds
for
FOCUS.
Here is Harsh’s leadership
project in pictures.
Har
1
is
a
r
sh
14
£
d
e
Celebrating our
25th anniversary
On Friday 21st November 2014 we marked a
major milestone in our history; the culmination
of our 25th anniversary year. And to celebrate
this momentous occasion, what better than a
fantastic party!
people and their vision of an organisation that
would provide inspiration and an escape from
everyday life.
At the Grand Hotel in Leicester 104 guests took
their seats for a celebratory meal, followed
by presentations, live entertainment and
the launch of our new campaign video ‘We
Do More Than You Think’; with the dancing,
chatting, reminiscing and laughing taking a
few hardy souls through until around 2am!
The guests were well looked after from the
moment they arrived as members of our Youth
Action Team greeted them and showed them
through to the fantastically ornate Kings Room,
or at least to the bar just outside it, where past
and present volunteers, staff, beneficiaries,
trustees, funders and other supporters gathered
to discuss how little we’d all changed and
how kind time had been to us over the years,
before we were ushered through to eat.
Once seated the evening formally kicked off
with a few words from the hosts of the event;
Amina and Yasin proved to be funny and
entertaining, yet professional and thorough.
They set the tone for the evening and
represented our Youth Action Team brilliantly.
They also introduced the first speaker of the
event; Lee Sears was not only representing
the Bridge Partnership, who were the main
sponsors of the event, but was also one of
FOCUS’ founders. It was a great reminder of
our roots as an organisation to hear Lee talk
about his first discussions with our co-founder,
Jerry about what they wanted to achieve, their
motivation as students to support local young
And then we ate.
No sooner had we
dispatched some pretty impressive profiteroles
than the presentations started again. First
a few words from our Director, Matt who
introduced his predecessor, Denise Barrows
to cut our anniversary cake. Then, following
some memories from our Chair of Trustees,
Mark Bennett about what has inspired him to
remain so actively involved since 1992, the
focus turned to today’s young people.
Our Project Manager, Joe was joined by Mark
to present certificates to 10 Young Leaders
who have recently completed our Explore
Leadership Project. Two of them, Kalpesh
and Harsh also spoke impressively about the
community projects they have delivered and
the skills and confidence they’ve developed
as a result.
We were then introduced to the first showing
of our new campaign video, ‘We Do More
Than You Think’. It tells the stories of the
impact of FOCUS’ support on the lives to two
very different young people, Ray and Bex.
Both have overcome significant challenges
in their young lives as a result of respectively
abuse and homelessness, and serious mental
and physical health conditions. And both
acknowledge the life-changing support that
FOCUS provided to them. Following the video,
Bex then spoke, with razor-sharp insight and
great passion about the importance of FOCUS’
work.
With no little skill and perfect timing Yasin and
Amina then took us from the profound emotion
of Bex’s words to the drawing of the raffle. For a
while it looked as though there was some form
of conspiracy as first Lee and then Matt won
the first two prizes. But things quickly evened
themselves out and more worthy winners were
announced!
The formal part of the evening culminated
in an outstanding singing performance by
Leicester’s Got Talent winner, Lydia Unsudimi
who kicked off with a James Brown track that
really got the evening’s party started. Any
reluctant dancers were soon flushed out as
‘Love Train’ got almost every one on their
feet.
Throughout the evening JC and Ellie, our
volunteer photographers kept everyone
smiling as they snapped away and they even
captured an age-old FOCUS tradition as a
large crowd hit the dance floor for Shake Your
Tail feather, which nobody does quite like
FOCUS volunteers do!!
A great evening and a fitting end to our 25th
anniversary celebrations.
A huge thank you to the
following people for their
amazing support for the 25th
anniversary event.
• Ellie & JC - The amazing
photographers at the event.
• Mike & Dan - For producing the ‘We
do more than you think’ campaign
video.
• Yasin & Amina - Our great hosts.
• The Youth Action Team - For their
hard work preparing for and during
the event.
• Bex & Ray - For their inspirational
stories that capture the heart of
what FOCUS is about.
• Jess & Debbie (The Fruity
Chocolatier) - For making a
scrumptious cake.
• Lydia Unsudimi - Our amazing singer.
A special thanks to the
following people for their event
sponsorship.
•
•
•
•
Lee - Bridge Partnership.
Dan - Westleton Drake.
Harsh - Explore Young Leader.
All the people who made oneoff donations, bought their event
ticket or have now signed up to be
regular donors.
A huge thank you to the
following businesses that
donated prizes for our raffle.
In total we raised £147.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Edward Hands & Lewis
Jeanery
Churchgate Music
Pink & White Nails
Game World
The Entertainer
Butterfly Cosmetics
The Source
Cosmopolitan Cosmetics
At FOCUS we understand that
the transition from childhood to
adulthood is rarely a smooth
and easy process as peer pressure,
exams,
hormonal
changes,
relationships and moving towards
independence
all
present
significant challenges.
But for many young people these
challenges become seemingly
insurmountable, especially for
those dealing with issues such
as poverty, disability, mental illhealth, bullying, leaving the care
system, or family breakdown.
We believe that we have a duty
to support young people in facing
such challenges, regardless of the
project they are involved in with
us or the other priorities we may
have.
We do more than you think.
Recently, during the celebration of our 25th anniversary as a charity, we introduced
our new campaign ‘We Do More Than You Think’. Part of this campaign provides an
insight in to two of the many young people that FOCUS has supported over the years
and continues to do as I write this.
Rebecca, one of our ambassadors for the campaign, spoke at the event. Her speech
was so moving we thought we’d print it.
“As described in my video, I became
involved with FOCUS to enhance my
employability skills and create the ‘stand
out’ University application that many past
and present volunteers can empathise
with.
I got much more from FOCUS, I got support
and freedom to be a teenager, making
mistakes and meeting challenges is
something very human and very normal yet
very daunting at this pivotal age.
For some young people like Ray and I, the
challenges we met as teenagers were too
great to fight on our own but rather than
looking elsewhere we knew we could count
of FOCUS for support and advice.
We have all got our own story and our own
reasons to thank people for helping us
throughout life, but I can say first hand that
impartial friendly support is hard to come
by and especially hard to find when you
are already in the depths of a challenge.
Young people can join FOCUS and enjoy
volunteering with the safety and security
that if one day they need a friendly face to
turn to they shall find one free from prejudice
and discrimination and someone who shall
facilitate that young person’s personal
journey into a becoming a contributing
and successful member of society.
As my working practices have taken me
further into the voluntary sector, my eyes
have been opened to the way in which
funding, politics and social stigma dictates
the ‘box ticking’ culture required by
organisations to serve specific groups and
demographics.
FOCUS won’t play that game. If you are a
young person FOCUS will help you, even if
that support is not funded through a project.
Volunteering is a great vehicle for social
change and FOCUS does that very well, but
the quality of their volunteers is due to the
investment of time and support they give
young people when they need it most.
It is through these working practices that our
young people become truly empowered
and true community cohesion can take
place. I consider Ray and my fellow
volunteers as friends and that is because
FOCUS is a place where anyone in society
can come to make a difference, to
themselves and their community; free from
prejudice and with trust.”
To see the campaign video, please click here
OPPORTUNITY
COMING SOON
ROOTS ‘N’ SHOOTS
Intergenerational Gardening Project
FOCUS Bespoke Training Packages
FOCUS can provide a wide range of bespoke
training packages, designed and adapted
to suit organisational and individual learners’
needs.
Anyone from students and volunteers to
senior managers can benefit greatly from
our training that is transferable back to
the workplace, classroom and the wider
community.
Our packages are unique and engaging,
using a blend of discussion and experiential
activities to suit a variety of learning styles.
Such packages include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Leadership
Teambuilding
Communication
Influencing and Negotiating
Volunteering and Citizenship
Youth-led Community Projects
And more…
For more information or to discuss training
requirements and costs, please contact our
Director Matt Lilley – 0116 251 0369.
OPPORTUNITY
Welcome to our intergenerational
gardening project.
Roots ‘n’ Shoots is a gardening project
that will bring both older people and
young people together to learn
from each other, whilst improving
the environment around us through
gardening.
This includes tackling unused and
overgrown communal green spaces,
improving gardens around older
people’s communities and creating
better habitats for wildlife in Leicester’s
parks.
The project is due to launch in the
summer and we are looking for
volunteers aged 13 - 25 years to come
and get involved.
For more information on how to
get involved, please contact Joe
Roughton - Senior Projects Manager
at [email protected].
Life as a Dancer
by Ishwary Joshi
Ishwary Joshi is a dedicated young volunteer and peer mentor with
our Youth Action team here at FOCUS. She is also passionate and
committed to the study of dance at De Montfort University.
Here is an insight in to the pursuit of her dreams.
to the last minute can cause a lot of
stress and panic. The exploration and
incorporation of a variety of dance styles
in class creates an exciting and thrilling
experience.
Dancing is the release valve for the world’s
stresses and being able to express myself
through the art of movement encourages
me to attempt challenging movements
and take bigger risks in decisions outside
of my dance training.
Dance is not what I do, it’s who I am and
I believe it’s a passion that is the very
essence of my existence. I believe doing
what I love to do best, and to pursue it
as a career will be a huge achievement
for me.
Attending broad ranging dance classes
from the strong dynamics of Indian
classical to the gracefulness and fluidity
of Ballet, gave me the opportunity to
explore different dance styles. Since then,
the drive to be successful in the world of
performance began.
Being a university student can take its
toll, with the mounds of assignments
coursework, deadlines and practical
classes. Planning, organising and time
management is the key to success.
Leaving assignments and deadlines
Believing in yourself is crucial as a dancer
and future aspirations in this profession.
Along with hard work, discipline,
self-motivation,
determination
and
commitment anything and everything is
possible.
‘When you
dance your
purpose is not to
get to a certain
place on the
floor. It’s to
enjoy each step
along the way’
Wayne Dyer
A huge well done to our 6th cohort of young leaders for completing our recent EXPLORE
Leadership Programme. Back in the summer of 2014, 10 young participants joined us on another
week-long adventure of personal discovery, friendship building and skills development.
This set the scene for their individual community projects that each young leader looked
forward to planning, recruiting and running throughout and after the summer holidays in the
community.
During this time, each young leader spent time recruiting a team of young volunteers so
they could find, plan and run a project that had a purpose and impact to them and the
community.
We are so proud of our newly trained young leaders and what they have achieved so
far. This was acknowledged and celebrated during our 25th anniversary
event where some of them gave fantastic presentation of what they have Since 2011,
achieved, overcame and the impact it has had in their lives.
we have
EXPLORE Leadership is currently recruiting new participants for our
programme starting in April. If you know any young people aged between
13 - 16 years for this current group, please contact Joe Roughton at
[email protected] for more information.
trained
78
young
people to
become
young
leaders,
who have
gone on to
recruit
545
other
young
people, to
run
49
community
projects
in Leicester
City.
Our Youth Action team shares Christmas cheer
with food parcels for young people.
In December 2014, our Youth Action Team wanted
to do something to spread the spirit of giving and
cheer at Christmas.
Our young volunteers decided on putting together
food parcels for young people who currently reside
in Park Lodge, a registered charity that promises to
provide supported accommodation for twenty four
young homeless people between the ages of sixteen
and twenty five.
Using some money the Youth Action team raised and
food donations, they put together lots of packages
with a variety of foods and Christmassy items, neatly
wrapped up and ready for santa (Joe and Emily) to
deliver to Park Lodge.
There was a fantastic response from residents and
staff at Park Lodge, who got stuck in to opening their
presents (after a little nudge from us).
Our Youth Action Team were so happy and proud
to have the opportunity to do this and want to find
other ways they can support this fantastic charity in
2015.
If you want to find out more about the Park Lodge
Project please visit www.parklodgeproject.org
HOT TOPIC
First question: How many times today have you said
“How are you?” Second question: On how many
of those occasions did you really want an honest
answer?
Too often this is just a throw-away pleasantry. The
last thing we want is for anyone to actually tell
us. But all too often the person we ask is internally
screaming out for help. One in ten children each
year will suffer some form of mental ill-health and
by the time we reach the age of 16, this increases
to around one in four. So, the likelihood is that if
you’re in a room right now with three or more other
people, one of you needs support.
And this is not a problem that’s going away in a
hurry. The national press has recently picked up
on a very worrying trend; there are an increasing
number of young people requiring professional
support with mental health issues.
Here in Leicester there has been a 25% increase in
referrals to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental
Health Services) over the last few years. Of the 524
young people currently waiting for assessment, 336
will have to wait for over three months, and over
100 will wait for more than six months. Imagine that.
At a time when you are likely to be at your most
vulnerable, confused and scared, you are told to
wait, and wait, and wait.
These are terrifying statistics, but Leicester is not
unique. Young people across the country are being
left in limbo as they wait to find out what has gone
wrong inside their heads and what, if any, support
they will receive. And it stands to reason that the
stress this causes will exacerbate the situation.
Thankfully there is a general consensus within the
political and medical worlds that mental well-being
should be afforded the same weight as physical
well-being. However, there is no new money to
address the current imbalance and there is no
likelihood of funds being diverted across, and nor
should there be.
But there is a silver lining. In fact there are two. The
first thing to note is that the increasing number of
people seeking help suggests, not that the nation’s
mental health has worsened, but that more people
feel able to talk about this previously taboo subject.
And that really is a big deal. But we must do more.
Too often we lack the confidence to discuss our
own mental health and we rarely try to address
someone else’s.
And that leads us to the second silver lining. There
is a plan, at least here in Leicester, to turn CAMHS
services upside-down. Rather than allocate all
the resources to dealing with the most acute
cases, they are looking at ways of prioritising early
interventions; addressing mental health issues
before they become severe.
So what does this mean for FOCUS? For some
time now we have been discussing the role of
the voluntary sector with CAMHS commissioners.
We have helped to develop a set of quality
standards, so that voluntary sector organisations
can demonstrate their ability to take referrals from
CAMHS and be commissioned to deliver services
on their behalf. We are also planning to launch a
project through which young people will be trained
to run workshops that further address the taboo
of talking about mental health and that develop
the emotional resilience and coping strategies of
young people during times of stress.
Will this have a significant impact on the rising issue
of young people’s mental ill-health? The simple
answer is, we really don’t know. We believe it will
and we will strive to ensure that it does, but unless
we act now the situation will only get worse and we
cannot let that happen.
If you’re thinking that this doesn’t affect you or that
you’re powerless to help, think again. Next time
you ask someone “How are you?” - mean it. Take
a genuine interest in your friends’ well-being and
listen to them. Don’t pry, don’t be nosy, just listen.
You could just make a difference.
Dear friend,
Water Wipeout is the ultimate obstacle race and mud run. This awesome challenge will include: Water
Slides, Tightropes, Tunnels, Hurdles, Giant Walls, Cargo Nets, Spider’s Webs, Balance Beams, Mud, Water
and the Assault Course, are you tough enough, are you up for it, are you ready for the race of your
life?
There are 5k and 10k options with over fifty challenging obstacles that will take you through mud
and water, the race will have you climbing, crawling, swimming and running as you take part in this
extreme experience, this is a awesome adventure run taking place at the National Watersports Centre
in Nottingham.
FOCUS Charity is looking for team mates to join us on an amazing day, raising money for a great charity
whilst having loads of fun.
I’ve created a team called Team Focus for Water Wipeout - 20th June 2015 - Wave 9 - 13:00hrs and
registration is open now.
If you haven’t registered yet, you can register and join the team here:
https://endurancecui.active.com/event-reg/select-race?e=9829454&i=58ed6f66-a3a5-4c24-b60f4026bf795e48
The password for our team is focus.
If you’ve already registered, you can join the team here:
https://myevents.active.com/
You can also find more information at the event website:
http://www.active.com/nottingham-gb/running/races/water-wipeout-20th-june-2015
You can raise money online for FOCUS, just go to:
https://www.justgiving.com/focuscharity/ and set up your event.
Alternatively if you require a sponsorship form, you can download this at:
http://www.focus-charity.co.uk/data/uploads/docs/everythingfundraising/sponsorship-form-2014.pdf
When you have joined our team, please email me at [email protected]. Although
there is a cost to take part, if you raise over £250 there will be the opportunity to be refunded your entry
by us. You will also receive a bespoke FOCUS t-shirt for your participation.
We look forward to seeing you on this great adventure and supporting a life-changing charity.
Joe Roughton - Senior Projects’ Manager
73 Church Gate, Leicester, LE1 3AN
Tel: 07808 128803
E: [email protected]
Web: www.focus-charity.co.uk
Gifted and Talented
By Minnie
Minnie has been volunteering with the Youth Action Team since November 2014.
She is a very bright and energetic volunteer who wants to get involved in everthing
we do.
Here is a little insight in to something Minnie enjoys doing.
Being part of Gifted and Talented is a
great opportunity for me. I get to do what
I love and enjoy.
love and enjoy. Education and dance are
both important to me. So while I’m learning
I’m dancing too”.
I have been part of Gifted and Talented
for two years now and is run at most
secondary schools. Just speak to your
teacher to find out if your school has this
programme.
When I dance I forget the world around
me. I forget all my worries. It’s just me and
the music.
We do dance, drama, music and art.
I go to the dance sessions, I love to dance
and I’ve met lots of new people. The
experience has been great.
Normally, people at school would say to
me “why do you waste your time on that
when you could be educating yourself?”,
well my reply to this is “I like doing what I
Gifted and Talented lets you share your
talents without feeling embarrassed or
ridiculed.
I love being part of Gifted and Talented
because I love meeting new people with
the same interest. It also gives me the
opportunity to share my talents and learn
from others, it’s
just amazing.
I now know I am
one step closer
to achieve my
dancing dreams.
My advice for
anyone wanted
to pursue their
dreams to always
keep motivated,
never give up and
have no regrets
because it can
get you so far.
ALUMNI NEWS
Hi my name’s Emily and part of my job is to co-ordinate
FOCUS’ Alumni association. I have been on the Staff team for
the last 7 years and I love being part of the FOCUS family…
Sharing Your
FOCUS
Stories…
Towards the end of 2014 FOCUS set up its
Alumni association with the aim to keep in better
contact with its former participants, volunteers,
staff and trustees. It has gotten off to a great start
with over 50 people joining up.
If you would lik
e to share any
stories from your
time at FOCUS
we would love to
hear them! You
can do this thro
ugh our website
or by emailing m
e directly at
emily.taylor@focu
s-charity.co.uk.
25th Anniversary Dinner…
Thank you to those of you that have already
completed the online registration form.
If you have not had chance to join yet, don’t
despair as you still can and it couldn’t be more
simple….
We welcome all our past volunteers, trustees,
participants and staff to become part of our
active and rapidly growing alumni community. If
you have been a part of FOCUS (or Bridge as
it was formerly known) during the past 25 years
you are eligible to join the Alumni Association
As an Alumnus you will receive:
• Our quarterly news letter by e-bulletin covering
FOCUS’ latest news and future activities
• Invitations to alumni events
• Support with organizing your own reunions
• Email forwarding
• Invitations to celebration events
• Updates on FOCUS activities
• Access to the alumni social and professional
online networks
All you need to do is complete the online
registration form.
It was great to see so many of you at our 25th anniversary
dinner it really was a fantastic night! The evening really
highlighted for me the impact that FOCUS has on peoples
lives and the legacy it leaves. For some people that’s lasting
friendships, relationships or even children and for others its
careers. There was a lot of love in the room for both each other
and the charity.
During the evening we launched our ‘We Do More Than You
Think Campaign’ which included a short video, For those of you
that couldn’t make it. Our ‘we do more than you think’ website
is up and running so please check this out and share our video
http://www.wedomorethanyouthink.org/ by sending the link by
email or sharing it on Facebook or twitter.
There are photos from the evening available to view (here)
on the FOCUS website and we can provide a print service on
request.
It was great to get so many of our alumni together and we would
really like to run an event every year offering people the chance
to get together and raise money and awareness of FOCUS. If
you would like to be part of organizing this or have any ideas
for an evening/event, drop me an email to [email protected].
XRunner 2015…
For those of you who like a challenge why not join FOCUS in
taking part in this year’s Water Wipeout Challenge. For more
information on this go to page 16.
Also just remember, if your ever in Leicester, you’re always
welcome to pop in the office for a cuppa!
Emily Taylor - Office Co-ordinator
What is Give as you Live?
Give as you Live is a shopping and price comparison website with a heart. You can shop for products
from thousands of leading online retailers; use the price comparison tool to ensure you get the best
price and even save money by using the exclusive offers and deals available on the website.
Don’t forget, a percentage of every purchase you make will be donated to FOCUS Charity.
Why you should join Give as you Live
•
Receive top offers and vouchers from more than 3,600 top retailers straight to your inbox.
•
Choose to support FOCUS Charity.
•
Keep track of how much you have raised for your favourite charity.
It takes a couple of minutes to sign up and make a difference, do it now!
A day in the park
From April 2015, our Youth Action
Team are venturing out to Victoia
Park, Abbey Park, Knighton Park
and Spinney Hills to capture stories
and the positive things park users
do when they access these parks.
Our Youth Action Team will
photograph and interview people for
the purpose of positively promoting
Leicester’s parks and green spaces
that will culminate in to an exhibition
that will be open to the public.
Have you got any interesting stories
about these parks or would like to
get involved in this project? Contact
FOCUS for more information.
DON’T
MISS
!
OUT!!
Please help us today by becoming
a supporter of FOCUS
As a charity we rely on the generosity of our
supports, donors and funders to ensure that
we are able to deliver our work and to support
the young people who need it most. Although
we’ve secured funding from a number of trust
funds, foundations, companies and government
sources, we urgently need your support.
Over the next six months we need to increase
the funding we receive, otherwise we will be
forced to cut back, or even cease, the support
we provide to young people. We are a small
charity that has a big impact on people’s lives,
but we have no reserve funding and we really
need your help in order to continue.
Please support our vital and highly valued work
by making a donation today.
How you can make a difference
A monthly gift of:
•
•
•
•
£6 could pay for a young person to take part in our Challenge programme
£10 could pay for a young person to be trained as a peer mentor
£15 could pay for a young person to go on a life changing Explore Leadership residential
£25 could provide one to one support sessions for a homeless young person
An annual or quarterly gift of:
•
•
•
•
£50 could run a training session with our Youth Action Team
£150 could support 40 young people to become active volunteers
£300 could provide a fully trained mentor or advocate to work with a young person for 6 months
£500 could provide a place for a young person on an 8 week personal development programme
In return for your support you will receive:
•
•
•
•
VIP Invitations to our celebration events
Subscription to our e-magazine FocusNow
An annual thank you card
The opportunity to be apart of our 73 club
To make a monthy donation, please see our Direct Debit
form overleaf, alternatively if you would like to make a
one off donation you can visit our JustGiving page.
Just click on this link.
Application form
Are you a current regular giver?
Full Name:
Address:
Telephone:
Yes ® No ®
Are you a new applicant
Yes ® No ®
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________ Postcode: __________________________
_________________________________ Email: _____________________________________________________
Would you like to become a member of the Focus Alumni Association?
Would you like to receive priority invitations?
Yes ® No ®
Yes ® No ® Already joined ®
Direct debit form
Please complete this
form and return to:
Focus Charity, 73 Church
Gate, Leicester, LE1 3AN
Use current direct debit information: Yes ® No ® (for current regular givers only)
Your Bank:
Bank Address:
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Sort Code:
®®-®®-®®
®®®®®®®®
Account Number: Account Name:
Your Name:
Your Address:
Please pay to:
Sort Code:
For the account of:
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
CAF Bank Ltd, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, ME19 4JQ
40 - 52 - 40
Account Number:
00004927
FOCUS CHARITY
The sum of (please tick):
£5 ®
£10 ®
£15 ®
£25 ®
Starting today and until further instruction from me/us and on the same day of each:
Month ®
Quarter ®
Year ®
OR £______
Signature(s): ___________________________________________________ Date: _____________________________________
Your personal information may be used by Focus Charity to provide you with regular updates on its services and activities. If you do not wish to receive further information from Focus
Charity please tick this box
®
Make every £1 go 25p further...
Gift Aid Declaration: I confirm I have paid or will pay an amount of UK Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax for each year (6 April to 5 April) that is at least equal to the amount of tax
that all the charities that I donate to will reclaim on my gifts for the tax year. I understand that other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify.
I understand the charity will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I giv on or after 6 April 2014.
Please treat as Gift Aid donations all qualifying gifts of money made:
Today
/
In the past 4 years
/
In the future.
Signature(s): _____________________________________________________________________________
Please delete any that does not apply
Date: _____________________________________________________________________________
Let’s play a game
Anyone who’s ever attended a FOCUS project will almost certainly have found themselves
playing games. But do you still enjoy games now?
Can you remember them? Or are you too sensible for that nonsense?
Here’s a game we have played with young people aged 13 - 18 years old and they loved
it. So we thought we’d share it.
Go on, have a go. You never know, you might enjoy it!
Bonding Belt
Type of activity: Energiser Exercise Icebreaker
Participants:
6 - 60
Timing:
15 – 30 minutes
Key themes:
Teamwork, Change, Communication, Leadership
Overview
A hilarious illustration of team bonding in which teams of six are literally bonded together by a cling film
waistband. They then have to race against the clock across the room with the intention of improving their
time with each attempt
Pre-Work
Assess the participants’ receptivity to fun, this exercise requires an open mind and a good sense of humour
Equipment and Layout
A large space, with a sufficiently clear area to allow the team/s to move between two distinct points. A roll of
cling film per team and a timer
Running the Activity
1. Introduce this as a very light hearted activity in which the team/s will have an opportunity to assess
and improve upon their performance
2. Tell the teams that they will have to move as one unit between point A and point B in as short a time
as possible
3. Tell them that to ensure they stay ‘bonded’ as one unit they will be held together by a cling film belt,
tightly wrapped around their waists
4. Give the teams 5 minutes to discuss their strategy, advising them that at the end of this time they
should be in position ready to be ‘bonded’
5. When applying the cling film do so at waist height of the mid-sized participant, make the belt
sufficiently tight so that it will not fall when the team starts to move. Make the belt several layers
thick
A huge thank you to our funders and supporters for enabling us to make a
difference to the lives of young people and our communities.
With your continued support, we are able to deliver a high quality service in
Leicester/shire and benefit those who need our support.
We value any comments and suggestions about our
magazine from our readers.
If you have any suggestions or would like to add an
article in to our future editions, please contact:
Joe Roughton
Senior Projects’ Manager
Focus Charity
73 Church Gate
Leicester
LE1 3AN
0116 251 0369
[email protected]
www.focus-charity.co.uk