London

Visit to London

Tue 4^th – Thu 6^th February 2014, UK

Visit in London was hosted by project partner St. Mungo’s Broadway. Particiapnts had a chance to know more closely the organization and their activities and many other interesting projects, organizations and companies, that cooperate with St. Mungo’s Broadway.

 

More about the visited places:

 

The Table Cafe

The table top Cafe is a local cafe that works closely with St Mungo‘s Broadway Horticulturel Project. The cafe provides paid placements for St Mungo’s Broadway Clients as well as buys fresh vegetables and herbs from the Gardening project to use in their meals.

 

Beyond Food a Social Enterprise and Vocational training project for homeless people.

Beyond Food is a Social Enterprise based in London with the aim of moving homeless people into employment and to break away from the cycle of homelessness. Clients will learn catering skills and gain vocaitonal qualifcication before working in a fully functioning high end kitchen.

 

The visit was followed by a talk from the School for Social Entrepreneurs.

Participants could learn more about social entrepreneurship in general and how it works and develops in UK.

 

Visits to St Mungo‘s Employment and Training projects including:

 

• Putting Down Roots. – A Social Enterprise run by St Mungos Broadway working with homeless people in the development of their employability. Clients gain horticultural qualifications while volunteering in gradens that are mainteined by Putting Down Roots. Putting Down Roots will be paid for this garden maintenance work 

 

• ReVive. -  A Social Enterprise run by St Mungos Broadway working with homeless people in the development of their employability. Clients gain construction quaifications while volunteering in a painting & decorating team.. ReVive wins contracts to paint London‘s Hostels as well as other work. 

 

• Bricks and Mortar. – A Social Enterprise run by St Mungos Broadway working with homeless people in the development of their employability. Clients gain construction qualifications while in a maintnenance team.

 

• Sound Studio. – A fully equipted soiund studio for homeless people of London to sue and devlop their music skills. Clients are able to record their own albums which are then sold via a website.

 

• Squeaky Chains . – A Social Enterprise run by an ex homeless person that aims to skill up homeless people in bike mechanics as well as offer volunteering oportunites for clients to develop their employability skills. The service then offeres the general public a service via a full bike mechanic repair shop.

 

 

Crisis Sky Light Cafe

Crisis is a charity that provides education and employment support to the homeless in London. They work with around 100 learners a year. Their course are accredited and no accredited and are aimed at getting clients into education as a mechanism to develop themselves.

 

After the visits participants had a discussion on Social Return On Investment (SROI).

The genral concept was presented and followed by discussion about possibilities to use it in parner‘s countries.