It has been a busy Autumn at Baraka.
On Saturday afternoons, the girls’ youth club has been offering Baraka members a range of activities. From outdoor adventures to cooking classes back at Canalside, Baraka offers a rare safe space for local girls to get together, learn new life skills, and have fun away from the stresses of school.
If you are interested in sending your daughter to join the activities, please email Baraka’s Youth Engagement Officer, Mo at [email protected].
Baraka has also provided plenty on activities and opportunities for local boys in North Kensington. This has included workshops addressing serious youth violence in partnership with west London local councils.
The boys enjoyed a bicycle repair course in Brixton, part of Baraka’s long-term cycling project being implemented in partnership with the Metropolitan Police.
To facilitate the project, Baraka is seeking donations of unwanted bikes. If you have a bike you no longer use, even if it requires a bit of TLC, you can donate it to Baraka. Get in touch with Mo at the email address above.
As you can see in the photos below, Baraka has been providing hot meals for the youths, even before the half-term free school meals crisis. As well as Thai and Malaysian takeaways, the boys have been able to get out of North Kensington and London for changes of scenery, using our minibus.
Like the girls, the boys have also been able to continue participating in Baraka’s sports and supplementary schooling activities as usual.
Met police cycling project; a trip in the minibus and some North Ken cuisine
Baraka’s outreach work with local youths has also continued three days a week. Led by our Youth Engagement Officer, Mo Senhaji, Baraka’s team signposts local young people to educational and vocational support, provides advice and support, addresses anti-social behaviour and works in partnership with PC Carlos Husbands and local authority children’s services in making referrals and securing apprenticeships and other work opportunities.
As the Covid pandemic has continued to disrupt life, Baraka has also been proactive in distributing PPE, including masks and hand sanitiser, and engaging with young people to encourage them to be safe and hygienic and to be careful, especially around elderly relatives.
The Baraka team continues to carry out weekly welfare checks of families and elderly individuals in the community to see what support they need.
We have also participated in the promotion of the NHS flu jab campaign to encourage families with children, the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions to get the jab.
In challenging times, Baraka has continued to develop what it offers to local families. For enquiries or to arrange for young person to join Baraka’s activities, you can contact our Director, Abdullahi Ali at [email protected] or Youth Engagement Officer, Mo Senhaji at [email protected]. You can also call the Baraka office on 02089640606.