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This month we have started mapping out a few small projects which will allow us to provide some first step work opportunities for young people. We have also brought together some of Cre8’s long history within social enterprise. Below is a quote we came across from our first ever client in 2006:
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“The most singular achievement is not the garden but the engagement of a group of young people who were very lost and very bored”. [Mark Gaffney, Poolswood Centre Manager].
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Research already shows that young people will be one of the hardest hit groups in terms or employment and pay, due to Covid-19 and the very likely economic recession. The effect within hard to reach young people will be even more acute: ‘…the current crisis may reduce the employment chances of lower-skilled young adults leaving education by more than a third, even years down the line when the direct economic effects of the crisis will (hopefully) have abated’
Note, the term ‘lower-skilled’ is limited to measuring educational achievement and does not account for the many skills we know that young people have that cannot be measured through an exam. However, it is clear that we are likely to see more ‘lost and very bored’ young people due to Covid-19. Our aim of developing work opportunities is ever more important.
If you’re a business and would like to provide opportunities for work please do get in touch. Or, if you would simply like to contribute to our first steps work projects please also get in touch.
jonathan.aiken@cre8macclesfield.org
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After two months of trying to change our grocery to work in the current circumstances, we were finally able to open our doors again last week. We have adapted our grocery to adhere to social distancing and keep people safe, and we've had a great turnout since opening back up. On our first day of reopening, we managed to feed 40 households and deliver to 30 others, which is fantastic.
We'd like to give a big thank you to Fareshare Greater Manchester for providing us with so much lovely produce, as well as everyone else who has donated food to us and volunteered over the past few months. Without your help we wouldn't be able to do this!
Our Grocery is now open, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1pm to 4pm at Saint Barnabas Church, Lyme Avenue, SK11 7RS. Times may vary based on demand.
We are now encouraging those who can, to come down to our grocery rather than use the delivery services. This way we are able to prioritise deliveries for those who are shielding at home or self isolating with COVID-19 symptoms, and are therefore unable to attend. We ask that only one person per household attends where possible, and that people queue down the road at a safe distance. However please take residents of the street into consideration during this. Cones will be placed to mark out 2 meters. Our grocery volunteers will be pre-packing food into containers. We ask people to please bring their own carrier bags and take everything in these containers to avoid-cross contamination (However we encourage people to share unwanted produce with their neighbours in a safe manner.) A donation of £3-£5 is requested to cover costs. This can be paid into a bucket in cash on the day, or by bank transfer or PayPal (details will be given on the day.)
For more information on the grocery, visit our Facebook page @Cre8Grocery or contact us on emma.thomas@cre8macclesfield.org.
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This VE Day we asked our young people to create some posters and decorations which we could use to decorate the front of the Cre8 House on Belgrave Road to celebrate. We were able to collect lots of great decorations which were used to dress up the house for the occasion! We also got involved with the Belgrave Road street party! All from a safe distance of course. We'd like to thank all of our young people who helped us decorate the house by providing us with these drawings, and to any who came down to have a nice, socially-distant chat!
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Our Music project has been working to adapt to these strange circumstances but is still going strong! Lessons are continuing remotely in piano, guitar, ukulele, drums, and singing, with many of our young people working hard towards achieving grades in their respective instruments. Alongside this, we also have around 11 group sessions a week online which give our young people opportunities to continue writing songs, producing music, chatting together, developing their leadership skills, and testing their general musical knowledge!
To listen to some of the tracks which have been produced during these online sessions, check our website.
http://www.cre8macclesfield.org/music-recordings.html
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Here at Cre8 we'd like to give a huge thank you to everyone who has donated to us and helped us over the past few months. We have been working hard to deliver services to help as many people as we can during this pandemic, and without the support we have received many of that wouldn't have been possible.
We will continue to do our best to help as many people as we can over the coming weeks and months, and will keep shaping our projects to whatever comes our way!
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It has been a really busy month for us, adjusting to the new restrictions mean we are trying out new and innovative ways of delivery. As a community project we have taken care to speak and contact as many of our service users as possible. We are overwhelmed by the generosity of spirit, and the help we continue to receive from funding bodies and individual supporters - we love to hear your comments regarding what we are doing, it helps us carry on and helps us make things better if we can.
June and July will prove to be a time to think about and plan our return to a new normal, and we are working this out along with the rest of our community, slowly, safely and secure in the knowledge that we are enough just as we are and we can make a difference. Being able to work from St Barnabas Church to expand our food offering through Project Grow has been great, seeing young people participate in the Cre8 Challenge reminds us of the resilience of our young people, each day we understand more and live through individual struggles, and together we are doing the best that we can - small but mighty.
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