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| Overview
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We provide local resources and facilities in East London which are key influences on a neighbourhood’s store of Social Capital. Mediating institutions such as ours can help in developing supportive networks and relationships of trust and encouraging participation.
There are over 1,200 community, faith and voluntary sector groups in the London Borough of Newham where the main focus of our work lies. These groups frequently need a range of support and training. Many have been started by newcomer communities. We are one of the key agencies providing support to such groups.
East London has a higher than average level of poverty, ill health, poor educational achievement, unemployment and low skilled jobs. The 2004 Index of multiple deprivation (based on the 2001 census) states: “The north east quarter of London remains particularly deprived, with Newham, Hackney, Tower Hamlets and the eastern half of Haringey continuing to exhibit very high levels of deprivation.” However, East London is also an area of enormous potential given the diversity of language, religion and culture of the population. Newham now has over 60% of its population coming from ethnic minority communities.
Major economic regeneration efforts are under way. Hundreds of millions of pounds worth of capital investment has been made in recent years in the infrastructure of the area which means that new opportunities are coming on stream. Local and central government, in partnership with the private and not for profit sectors, are now working on strategies to develop the capacity of the people of the East London communities to take advantage of the new context. The Thames Gateway is a major focus of government regeneration.
Our community development, healthy living and lifelong learning programmes are an important contributor to the capacity of groups working in the area. The value of the voluntary sector is significant in the overall economy. The voluntary sector accounts for one in twenty-five full-time paid jobs in the UK and one in ten service jobs. More than half the population, an astonishing 26 million people, participate in some form of voluntary work with more than 11 million working on formal schemes. One million extra people sign up every year, and it has been estimated that volunteers are worth over £40 billion a year to the economy. |
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