5 Community Groups Making Brighton a Better Place

 

At MakerClub we’ve been gearing up for our exciting O2 Think Big Workshops which will give young people £300 funding and expert advice to kickstart a community project of their own. To mark the occasion of the free workshops this weekend, we’ve put together a list of 5 community groups who have caught our eye around Brighton – big respect to these guys for all the great work they’re doing! Maybe this might give some of our O2 Think Big participants some food for thought…

 

Adventure Unlimited        

A company that commits itself to transforming the lives of disadvantaged children and young people through outdoor education and adventure, Adventure Unlimited works with over 6000 young people every year. They place a real emphasis on subsidised rates for the less well-off, as well as one to one assistance for people with special needs.

 

New Heights is a scheme run weekly at Phoenix by Adventure Unlimited, giving young people the opportunity to try out activities like archery, climbing and bushcraft, all free of charge! Once again the group welcomes young people with disabilities and special needs to all these activities

Albion in the Community    

 

Albion in the Community is the charitable arm of Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club. They aim to bring the community together through their variety of programmes – from football and sports to health and wellbeing, from education and qualifications, to disability and social inclusion.

 

A key principle of the group is making sport accessible to everyone, no matter their age or ability. To achieve this, for example,  they run a huge range of disabled football clubs across Sussex, including those for deaf and PowerChair football, as well initiatives focused on reintroducing sport and exercise into the lives of the elderly.

Amaze Brighton             

 

Amaze Brighton is a charity that offers information, advice and support to families of children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities in Brighton and Hove, as well as parent carers. Since their beginnings in 1997, Amaze have been fundraising and putting on fantastic free events for young people, alongside their everyday support.

 

The next few months alone will see autism friendly film screenings at Duke of York’s cinema, and free archery and kayaking courses for 11-24s, to name but a few things this fantastic group have planned!

 

LGBT Switchboard           

There is no group that embodies the diversity and openness of Brighton more perfectly than the LGBT Switchboard. Switchboard proactively reaches out to excluded and marginalised sections of the LGBT communities, ensuring that they have support and someone to talk to in times of difficulty.

 

A company and charity that recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, the Switchboard has lost none of its passion for the Brighton community. To mark the landmark the group have challenged 40 business to each raise £400 for their charity – going towards providing emotional support and other services for Brighton’s LGBT community. On April 30th, a firewalking event raised £7000 for the Switchboard.

 

 

YMCA Downslink Group       

 

A registered charity that runs several different groups around Sussex and Surrey, YMCA Downslink provides a variety of services to communities, with a focus on the needs of children, young people and families that find themselves on the fringes of society.

 

In Brighton, through supported accommodation they house 79 young people each night across 6 houses. Each young person is allocated a support worker who will help them to identify targets and to work towards achieving goals that lead to independence. In addition to this, the group runs a range of workshops, such as Creative Arts For Building Confidence, Keep Calm and Carry On (Anger Management) and Walk and Talk (group walk and counselling session.

 

RYP (Reach Your Potential) is another initiative run by YMCA Downslink in Brighton and Hove. Working with Youth Offending Services, Probation and prisons, they help young peoples’ reintegration into society and support them in realising their ambitions.

If you’re 13-25 and want to follow in the footsteps of these great groups, simply sign up to our O2 Think Big workshops at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/o2-think-big-300-for-your-idea-tickets-17761125003 

By Miles Rowland