We are very pleased to announce that eleven projects were awarded funding in Round 3 of EF’s grant giving programme. A warm congratulations to those projects! We look forward to following their development over the coming year.
See below for a list of the projects that were funded:
Yoga and Mindfulness for Children and Young People
Well Balanced Kids – Dominique DeLight
Working under the umbrella of Well-Balanced Kids, this is both a continuation and expansion of their Round 1 funded project, providing yoga and mindfulness meditation to children in the five poorest Boroughs of Brighton. The project aims to improve the health and wellbeing of children, especially those with special educational needs and from deprived backgrounds, who have limited opportunities to access traditional yoga and mindfulness. The scope of this project will expand on Round 1 to include young disadvantaged adults, aged up to 25.
Beneficiaries: 140+ participants, aged 5-25, provided with 240 sessions of yoga & mindfulness across 10 locations in the Borough (an increase of 70 more sessions than R1).
Creative Self-Development: Taking The First & Next Steps
Creative Future – Matt Freidson
Following on from their Round 1 funded project, ‘Who am I, Who could I be?’, Creative Future aims to enrich and develop people on society’s margins to use creativity to unlock their personal, professional and artistic potential through a series of workshops using creative art, creative writing and peer group coaching. By unlocking creativity, they hope to inspire, impart confidence, decrease isolation and improve mental health. This year they will expand the reach and scope of their first project, incorporating suggestions from R1 participants, to include 3 x large group sessions on work/life/creative balance, finding purpose and passion, and reducing overwhelm.
Beneficiaries: up from 75 to 130 people (55 more than in R1) in Brighton & Hove area; largely long-term unemployed and those who are marginalised
A Zero Carbon Cumbria – by the People, for the People
Cumbria Action for Sustainability – Hazel Graham
This project aims to work with community groups who have asked for their support in turning feelings of helplessness and fear about the climate crisis into positive action. The project will develop, recruit and train a brand-new network of twenty community trainers to run a widespread programme of events on climate science and solutions, and fully-certified carbon literacy training courses across Cumbria. These new trainers will then be equipped to deliver training to those they wish to influence, such as businesses, councils, schools and other local organisations, which will help drive the positive environmental changes they want to see.
Beneficiaries: 20 new trainers, skilled to train 20 environmental groups across Cumbria, with the potential to expand new understanding right across the county.
Nature Enquiries: expanding, strengthening and diversifying our community of practise
Jessie Teggin
Based on the hypothesis that disconnection from nature is at the root of many of our biggest challenges, such as climate change, biodiversity loss and the mental health crisis, Nature Enquiries successfully provides weekend workshops in Shoreham, Kent, for people to explore their personal, cultural and political relationship with nature, and learn a more ethical and intimate relationship with the natural world, connecting deeply with both nature outside and nature within us. This project now seeks funding to sponsor participants of limited means whose voices are little heard in nature and sustainability discussions and help provide ongoing support and resources to help them apply new insights to their work in their communities.
Beneficiaries: training of 8 new grass roots leaders, 20 bursary places and 28 concessionary places on Nature Enquiry Weekends.
Harmony in Living, Dying and (HILDA) Approach
Eleni Tsiompanou
This is a pilot project to develop the Harmony in Living, Dying and (HILDA) Approach. HILDA aims to prepare people better by addressing assumptions, fears, misunderstanding and uncertainties about the end of life. They will provide practical information about the physical process of dying, as well as explore the emotional, psycho-spiritual, cultural and social aspects of end-of-life care, helping to develop understanding, compassion, hope, trust, courage and a sense of peace. A series of events will tackle questions about living, dying, death and bereavement and will pilot different approaches to find out what works well.
Beneficiaries: any adult interested in end of life care. Workshops in Dorset and Scotland, open to those who are well, those living with a life-limiting illness, their family, carers or friends, bereaved people, and healthcare professionals.
Young Women for Change
Ann-Mari Freebairn
The Young Women for Change programme is set up in recognition of a widening gap in confidence levels between young women aged 18-30 and their male counterparts. It will provide for 36 young women from disadvantaged backgrounds in the Islington area of London, who will be found with the help of local agencies and organisations. It is intended to develop in the participants an increase in confidence, sense of empowerment, ability to collaborate, and greater knowledge and skills. The programme will consist of 2 x 1-hour coaching sessions per participant and 24 x 3-hour workshops. The project includes a set-up phase, an assessment phase leading to a final report.
Beneficiaries: 36 young women aged 18-30.
Regenerative and Resilient Organising for Climate Justice
Transformative Education – Harry McKeown
This project takes developed sustainable activism tools and repurposes them for the challenges of a new and growing climate movement. It will draw on previous learning and adapt that work to the current context and produce resources to enable practices and tools to be integrated within new constituencies of climate activists. It aims to enable the current movement wave to be sustained, deepened and to remain effective for the long term. They will host a pan-European community of inquiry, prepare and design printable and online resources, produce a video and a podcast scripting and disseminating activities and awareness raising across the UK and various European countries.
Beneficiaries: individuals and groups and networks in UK, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.
Stories to Awaken: Holistic Education for the Young
Rod Sugden
This project is a continuation and development of work funded in the Pilot Round to Global Generation. It will engage primary school students from 5-7 schools in London to learn in a multi-disciplinary way, using a variety of methods and activities such as storytelling, discussion, visual and 3D art, role play, silence, stillness, free-fall writing, self-reflection. 30 workshops will be delivered and aim to open children and young people’s hearts and minds to the interconnectedness of nature and the wider universe. They will explore integral values, characteristics and qualities through facilitated education sessions that explore the spiritual dimension of life to inspire and support positive social and environmental action.
Beneficiaries: approx. 6 primary schools and 1 senior school based in London.
Language of Well-Being: Mindful Yoga for Learning English
Globe Community Project – Tessa Horvath
The Language of Well-Being: Mindful Yoga for Learning English project is a pioneering yoga, English language and community-building project for female migrants and refugees. The project offers inner enrichment and healing alongside the development of practical language skills, delivered at the premises of a specialist migrant charity. The course will be flexible and adaptive to attendees’ needs and levels of yoga and English. 30 weekly sessions are planned, to be divided into 10-week blocks, offered as an ongoing drop-in class to regular attendees and new participants.
Beneficiaries: women living in London who are migrants, asylum seekers and refugees; likely to include survivors of trafficking, domestic violence and sexual violence; 30-45 beneficiaries over the year.
Climate Emergency Intergenerational Leadership Programme
Change in Nature – Chloe Revill
The Climate Emergency Intergenerational Leadership Programme will bring together a diverse group of UK-based leaders (including civil society campaigners, cultural creatives, political advocates and diplomats, activists, communications professionals, XR rebels and youth climate strikers) to build personal connections, understanding and mutual trust to empower them to collectively tackle the climate and ecological emergency. Participants will work together through the year, sharing 3 x 2-day facilitated workshops over a 6-month period. The programme will be a practice of intergenerational leadership, as young and old(er) participants will mentor each other and collaborate around innovative, shared campaigns.
Beneficiaries: a group of 20 change makers, aged 18-70 (or older), gender balanced and including a representative number of BAME participants; ultimately multiple indirect beneficiaries.
This is Our Place
Spread the Word – Ruth Harrison
A creative writing programme designed to connect Londoners from diverse backgrounds to the natural world and to their local communities. In partnership with London Wildlife Trust (LWT), four writers will host a total of 8 x nature writing workshops (for up to 20 participants each time) at four LWT visitor centres and 2 x writing walks (capped at 30 writers attending) in LWT nature reserves. Participants will learn about nature writing, its history, development and associations with aspects ranging from eco activism through re-wilding to spiritual healing.
Beneficiaries: the aim is to involve 280 Londoners from diverse backgrounds.
