Dear Supporters,

September has passed so Hello autumn, and early indications suggest it’s going to be a cold one (so wrap up warm Prospex Street Team).

We are currently actively looking at new ways of raising money for Prospex. One idea that continually comes to the forefront is to enlist the help of volunteers and the local community, along with the Prospex team and our young people, to raise money through high profile events such as sky diving, the London to Brighton Bike Ride and marathons These by no means cover all the types of events that people could do, they merely illustrate the general idea of where we are coming from.

To convey an idea of targets that could be achieved, we currently have just over 250 subscribers to our monthly newsletter. If each reader could raise even just £100 per year that would give Prospex an amazing £25,000 of unrestricted funding towards our core costs. Not a huge amount to raise individually, but collectively a substantial amount, we are sure you would agree.

If you are a UK taxpayer, you could donate £105 p.a. to Prospex by making a regular monthly donation of £7 through Gift Aid.  Your annual donation of £84 p.a. would be made up to £105 by the Government.  Indeed from now until April 2011, the Government will add a further 3 per cent to charitable donations, making your donation worth £108.15.  Higher rate taxpayers could then also claim back £21 in tax from the government on their tax returns so their donation, worth £108.15 to Prospex, would only cost them £63.

A regular monthly donation of £10 would be worth £153.60 to Prospex, and would cost higher rate taxpayers £90 p.a.

So, come on everybody, what can you do for your charity, Prospex?  If you can make a regular or one-off donation, please do so through the Support Us section of our website.  If you can help with a fundraising event, please let us know at Happy-2-Help

Prospex Street Team

Our Street Team is now regularly out on the streets and estates every Monday evening and alternate Fridays.

We have just received some further funding for this work (see acknowledgement below) which will enable us to employ two sessional workers for the Street Team project every Friday night for six months, starting in the New Year.

Prospex Life

The scheduled Prospex Life course for Holloway School has had to be postponed due to funding issues at the school. It is our intention now to run this course in early 2009 and we will keep you up to date on its progress.

However, we do have sufficient funding to run one of our own courses, and will probably do so early in the New Year. 

Prospex Works

Due to lack of funding no work-placements have been filled this month and we currently only have funding to place one more young person through a four week placement.

Each placement involves a 6 - 8 week work experience programme in one of a number of workplaces, and costs £450. Can you or an organisation you may know help to fund a young person for a work placement, or indeed could you offer a work placement and also cover the young persons costs and expenses?

The end of current funding seems a convenient time to review and overhaul this work stream and we plan to do this now and then, hopefully, to re-launch Prospex Works in the New Year with, hopefully, new secured funding and a new direction. Watch this space in early 2009.

Prospex Families

We are all extremely excited at the thought of our new Prospex Family Support Worker starting on Monday 3^rd November. These are very exciting times both for us and for this work stream, and we will have more to report on in November’s newsletter.

Prospex Xtra

Our cookery project has well and truly started. Week one saw some wonderful burgers created. This was followed by delicious flapjacks in week two (which were also enjoyed by the Wednesday night Boston & Nailour bingo club), and week three produced spaghetti bolognaise and carbonara. We will be taking a break at the end of October and will then finish the project in the last two weeks of November.    

Our first volunteers open evening took place on Tuesday 28^th October and was a huge success. 12 individuals attended, offering a wide variety of skills for Prospex to draw from. Thank you to all who attended and signed up to committing time to Prospex.

If you have time to spare or skills to share then please contact us.

 ”Thank You”

Without the generous support of organisations and members of our local community Prospex would not be here.

This month we would like to thank the following: The Sir John Beckwith Charitable Trust for his generous contribution towards our Street Team project; Waitrose Barbican and their customers for nominating Prospex as their charity in September. The money raised helped to support Prospex Xtra. This month our thanks also goes to Liz Vos from United House who kindly supplied two electricians to relocate our office lights, so as to allow other community groups to make better use of our Drop In Centre.

Finally we most not forget all the contributions from our personal givers. You are our unsung heroes who generously give and support us throughout the years.

Once again a big “THANK YOU” from all the team & young people.

  ”Who Am I”

 This month “Who Am” I features Amol Rajan, one of our invaluable volunteers.

 I am 25 years old and a journalist who lives locally.  I work for The Independent as a news reporter, covering everything from the London 2012 Olympics to showbiz stories and politics and crime.

I worked with young people a lot when I was growing up in South London, mentoring and coaching cricket both in my school and in places like Brixton.   But I was forced to give that up when I went to university, and since coming back to London in 2005 I’ve just not been able to make the time to get back into it. That’s partly because when I was working on The Wright Stuff on Channel 5, which I did for two years, I had to get up before 5 every morning!

But now things have changed.  I’m actually working longer hours but my schedule is clearer in the evenings.  I just walked past Prospex one day, looked inside, and said to myself: ‘I want to be part of that’. 

Why do I volunteer with Prospex?  There are lots of answers.  Anger: at the lack of opportunities given to many young people in Islington, and the fact that so little is being done to help them.  Duty: a sense that everyone should help those less fortunate than themselves, and that fraternity within communities can heal wounds better than government.  And enjoyment: because working with young people is just great fun.

But two other things most of all are, first, my dad.  He grew up in rural India half a century ago in the kind of poverty most people can’t imagine.  He taught me the virtues of hard work and ambition, and that if you aim high you can escape difficult circumstances.  If it worked for him, it can work for others.  He is a hero of mine and I want to pass that conviction on to other people.

And second, optimism. I am fundamentally a positive, forward-looking person. Young people are our future.  By helping them to aim high and achieve great things, I think Prospex and I can do our own tiny little bit to make the future fairer, stronger, and happier for all.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter and we hope you have found it informative.    

The Prospex Team & Young People.

 

Prospex Drop -in-Centre 

Opening Hours - November 2008

Monday	AM: Individual Support Sessions & Drop-in PM: Somali Human Hope -  Street Team 7.30pm 9.30pm
Tuesday	AM: Individual Support Sessions & Drop-in PM: Drop-In 3pm - 5pm
Wednesday	AM: Somali Human Hope & Drop-in PM: Somali Human Hope Job Club 12pm 3pm -  Drop-in 3pm - 5pm
Thursday	AM: Individual Support Sessions & Drop-in PM: Boston Club Nailour Hall 7pm 8.30pm
Friday	AM: Individual Support Sessions & Drop-in PM: Street Team  7pm - 9pm
Saturday	AM: Somali Human Hope  PM: Somali Human Hope