The Community Engagement team works to ensure that Londoners can play an active role in decisions that affect their lives. We also work with voluntary organisations and community groups to support their work to improve the lives of Londoners.
Every few months we'll be sharing our latest news, so do keep checking City Hall blogs to find out what we're up to!
Here are some of our highlights:
'Arrival'
The ‘Arrival’ programme recognises and celebrates the 70th anniversary of Windrush. City Hall will host a free public event on 30 June to mark this significant moment, with music, talks and workshops.
The Arrival event will tell the stories of the Windrush generation and celebrate their contribution to life in London. It will also be a platform for the many people and communities from Europe and the rest the world who have embarked on similar journeys. Through events and broadcast, it invites discussion and offers advice for those wanting to know more. It will also shine a spotlight on the recent immigration and visa issues affecting so many Commonwealth citizens.
Gypsy Roma and Traveller History Month
Come and join us at 2pm, 22 June, in London’s Living Room in City Hall, to celebrate and discuss the rich culture and heritage of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in London.
For more than a thousand years, Roma people have been an integral part of European civilisation. Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month began in Brent in 2001 and went national in 2008 but it remains a missed opportunity to tell the stories of these communities and celebrate their cultural achievements.
The event will be a mixture of screenings, music and dance, and an opportunity to explore how we can work together to raise the profile of Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month.
Stephen Lawrence - 25 Years On
This year marks the 25th anniversary since the death of Stephen Lawrence. At the memorial service, Theresa May announced a national, annual commemoration of Stephen’s life and legacy to take place on 22 April each year: Stephen Lawrence Day.
The Community Engagement Team worked with the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, filmmakers Blackcurrent and the GLA’s Peer Outreach team, to produce a short film ‘25 Years On’. It offers young Londoners perspectives on our built environment, reflecting Stephen Lawrence’s passion for architecture. It opens with reflections from poet Benjamin Zephaniah.
The film was screened at the City Hall reception following the service.
Apply for the Young Londoners Fund
Applications are now open for the Young Londoners Fund and the Sport Unites Small Grants Fund.
Application deadline: 12-noon, Monday 9 July 2018.
£15m from the Young Londoners Fund and £500,000 from the Sport Unites Small Grants Fund are now available for projects that support children and young people (aged 10-21) across London, who are either at risk of exclusion or involvement in criminal activity, or have been involved in criminal activity.
Projects must be embedded in their local communities and will be delivered through a range of innovative and proven delivery models.
Young London Inspired Multi Year Grants
Team London are offering grants of £10,000 - £30,000 per year, for up to three years, to community groups, small charities and voluntary sector organisations to run projects which encourage young Londoners to volunteer or take part in social action.
Funded projects will work with 10 – 20 year olds on volunteering and/or social action projects which promote wellbeing and emotional resilience, demonstrate how volunteering positively impacts on young people’s wellbeing, and works with groups that are disproportionately affected by mental health issues such as those within the criminal justice system or young refugees or asylum seekers.
For more information please visit the webpage.
Working with London’s Civil Society
Civil Society is the term used to describe the voluntary and community organisations, as well as informal groups of people, who come together to make the community a better place to live.
The Mayor is committed to working with London’s Civil Society to support communities and deliver services to help the capital continue to be the thriving, vibrant place that we enjoy.
There are a number of projects that we are working together on. You can find out more about the work we do with Civil Society, funding opportunities and resources on our new dedicated website.
Citizen Led Engagement Event
Last autumn, the Community Engagement Team launched the Mayor’s Citizen Led Engagement Programme. Six community-based engagement projects explored themes of social integration, gathered insight and developed civic leadership within their communities: young Black men, older BAME groups, Somali communities and Bulgarian communities.
These organisations presented their end of project findings at City Hall on Friday 4 May to family, friends and GLA staff, including Matthew Ryder, Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement.
It was an afternoon filled with creative performances which provided interesting insights into identified communities, as well as celebrating the hard work and achievements of the organisations.
Community Meeting on Serious Youth Violence
On 18 April, Mayor Sadiq Khan, Deputy Mayors Sophie Linden (Policing and Crime) and Matthew Ryder, welcomed over 150 individuals and organisations to City Hall. The aim of this meeting was to hear first-hand how to best tackle the root causes of serious youth violence.
The event was a chance for City Hall teams to find out more about the vital community work taking place for young people. It also provided the opportunity for attendees to hear how the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), and City Hall, are working to address this serious issue.