FOCUS NOWInspiring people, Changing communities

ISSUE 4Winter 2014www.focus-charity.co.ukScan this QR code and head straight to our website. FR

EE

Celebrating 25 years Read all about our event that marked

25 years of FOCUS being a charity.

We do more than you think“It all started with a fashion show.”Find out from some of our young people how FOCUS does more than you think.

JustTextGiving Focu25 to 70070 and donate £10 to Focus Charity on their 25th anniversary.

Get in touch

Find us at:Focus Charity73 Church GateLeicesterLE1 3AN

Phone us:0116 251 0369

Email us:admin@focus-charity.co.uk

Visit our website:www.focus-charity.co.uk

Registered Charity No. 1068467

Like us on Facebook: Focus Charity

Follow us on Twitter @FocusCharity

Editors:Joe Roughton and Matt Lilley

Thank you to:EmilyRayBexIshMinnie

Join FOCUS Charity’s Alumni Association today!If you have been a part of FOCUS (or Bridge as it was formerly known) during the past 25 years you are eligible to join the Alumni Association.

We welcome all our past volunteers, trustees, participants and staff to become part of our active and rapidly growing alumni community.

As an Alumnus you will receive:

Our quarterly news letter by e-bulletin covering FOCUS’ latest news and future activitiesInvitations to alumni eventsSupport with organizing your own reunionsEmail forwardingInvitations to celebration eventsUpdates on FOCUS activitiesAccess to the alumni social and professional online networks

Go to our website www.focus-charity.co.uk and send us your info.

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CONTRIBUTORS

Welcome to the winter edition of FocusNow.2014 has flown by for FOCUS. We have celebrated our 25th year as a charity, continued to run our exciting programmes that inspire and motivate young people and begun working with other young people, organisations and communities.

FOCUS continues to thrive on the dedication of it’s staff, volunteers and young people to make a difference in ourselves and the community and will continue to do so in 2015 and onwards. Joe Roughton

Senior Projects Manager

From the Director’s

chair

My 13 year old son was set RE homework recently that required him to produce a collage of “images of evil”. Once I’d recovered from the rant this caused me to have about how irresponsible it was to ask kids to google “evil”, I became quite excited at the prospect of sharing with him my own views (not that he was in the least bit interested in them) of who or what is evil. I should point out that I don’t believe any people are irredeemibly evil, but some of their actions are. My list comprised the usual suspects of Nazi Germany, Rupert Murdoch, Coca Cola, Nestle, Tony Blair, Margaret Thatcher, Simon Cowell, etc… you know the list; and it probably tells you all you need to know about me.

The process of compiling my ‘desert island discs’ of evil (now there’s a fun radio show idea!) was cathartic to an extent. It felt good to share the short-comings of a few deeply flawed individuals and organisations, albeit only with my disinterested son and his irresponsible teacher, neither of whom will give them a second thought. However, I was also left with a gnawing anxiety, a fist-clenching frustration, a jaw-aching scowl… it was hate. I felt a genuine sense of antipathy towards these wealthy, self-serving power-mongers (Rupert Murdoch etc, not my son and his teacher!) and it was not a feeling I enjoyed. I wished them a great deal of ill, but I felt powerless to affect any sort of change. My hatred and anger were bouncing back off nothing and eating away at me.

Hate is a fruitless activity. Just look at ISIS for a graphic illustration of mass destruction and fear achieving bugger all. But it’s one in which many of us frequently engage. Just read the letters page of any newspaper for examples of mass hysteria and loathing achieving even less.

On my next commute to work I shared my irritation at my ineffectual rage with ‘Train-

buddy’ Dave - he is one a several fellow commuters with whom I share regular passing pleasantries and occasional 30 minute debates about trains - I’m living the dream.

Anyway, Dave and I discussed the things we hate all the way to East Midlands Parkway and we discovered that we shared many mutual loathings. But Dave’s list also included anyone who had ever even dared contemplate voting for those Tory B*******s, at which point he began to visibly steam with fury and his expletives we’re upsetting our fellow quiet coach occupants.

We agreed: Hate is a self-destructive force.

So, we many a pact: We will focus our hatred on less important things. We will attempt to use the power of our feelings to affect change that will be for the betterment of society. We will choose objects of our loathing that are closer to home, more readily accessible to us and that might be more susceptible our limited influence.

Our new combined list will include the train announcer’s misuse of the word ‘myself’, when ‘me’ is both correct and quicker to say; people who put a cone in the road to save themselves a parking space, as if they own that bit of the public highway; and people with pull-along suitcases who stop immediately after getting off an escalator to pull up the stupid little handle, with scant regard for the multi-person pile-up they’ve caused behind them. We’ll deal with these evils one at a time and will have made the world a better place within a few short months.

Item 1: Grown-ups wearing bobble hats.

Brace yourselves, we’re coming for you!

Blast from the past

This edition’s Blast From The Past comes from the Cambridge Evening News back in 1989.

This was one of the first grants given to FOCUS (formally known as Bridge).

Here is Sir Hans Kornberg, a former trustee, receiving a cheque from the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Trust.

10 miles, 4 parks, 1 rainy dayOn Sunday 16th November,

Harsh Patel, one of our

young leaders, organised

a sponsored walk to raise

money for FOCUS Charity.

He recruited a large team

of volunteers who were

sponsored to walk over 10

miles, covering 4 parks across

Leicester City.

Despite the rainy weather

the team stayed enthusiastic

and motivated to not only

complete their challenge

but to come back with a

huge smile on their faces

knowing their efforts raised

much needed funds for

FOCUS.

Here is Harsh’s leadership

project in pictures.

Harsh raised £141

On Friday 21st November 2014 we marked a major milestone in our history; the culmination of our 25th anniversary year. And to celebrate this momentous occasion, what better than a fantastic party!

At the Grand Hotel in Leicester 104 guests took their seats for a celebratory meal, followed by presentations, live entertainment and the launch of our new campaign video ‘We Do More Than You Think’; with the dancing, chatting, reminiscing and laughing taking a few hardy souls through until around 2am!

The guests were well looked after from the moment they arrived as members of our Youth Action Team greeted them and showed them through to the fantastically ornate Kings Room, or at least to the bar just outside it, where past and present volunteers, staff, beneficiaries, trustees, funders and other supporters gathered to discuss how little we’d all changed and how kind time had been to us over the years, before we were ushered through to eat.

Once seated the evening formally kicked off with a few words from the hosts of the event; Amina and Yasin proved to be funny and entertaining, yet professional and thorough. They set the tone for the evening and represented our Youth Action Team brilliantly. They also introduced the first speaker of the event; Lee Sears was not only representing the Bridge Partnership, who were the main sponsors of the event, but was also one of FOCUS’ founders. It was a great reminder of our roots as an organisation to hear Lee talk about his first discussions with our co-founder, Jerry about what they wanted to achieve, their motivation as students to support local young

people and their vision of an organisation that would provide inspiration and an escape from everyday life.

And then we ate. No sooner had we dispatched some pretty impressive profiteroles than the presentations started again. First a few words from our Director, Matt who introduced his predecessor, Denise Barrows to cut our anniversary cake. Then, following some memories from our Chair of Trustees, Mark Bennett about what has inspired him to remain so actively involved since 1992, the focus turned to today’s young people.

Our Project Manager, Joe was joined by Mark to present certificates to 10 Young Leaders who have recently completed our Explore Leadership Project. Two of them, Kalpesh and Harsh also spoke impressively about the community projects they have delivered and the skills and confidence they’ve developed as a result.

We were then introduced to the first showing of our new campaign video, ‘We Do More Than You Think’. It tells the stories of the impact of FOCUS’ support on the lives to two

Celebrating our 25th anniversary

very different young people, Ray and Bex. Both have overcome significant challenges in their young lives as a result of respectively abuse and homelessness, and serious mental and physical health conditions. And both acknowledge the life-changing support that FOCUS provided to them. Following the video, Bex then spoke, with razor-sharp insight and great passion about the importance of FOCUS’ work.

With no little skill and perfect timing Yasin and Amina then took us from the profound emotion of Bex’s words to the drawing of the raffle. For a while it looked as though there was some form of conspiracy as first Lee and then Matt won the first two prizes. But things quickly evened themselves out and more worthy winners were announced!

The formal part of the evening culminated in an outstanding singing performance by Leicester’s Got Talent winner, Lydia Unsudimi who kicked off with a James Brown track that really got the evening’s party started. Any reluctant dancers were soon flushed out as ‘Love Train’ got almost every one on their feet.

Throughout the evening JC and Ellie, our volunteer photographers kept everyone smiling as they snapped away and they even captured an age-old FOCUS tradition as a large crowd hit the dance floor for Shake Your Tail feather, which nobody does quite like FOCUS volunteers do!!

A great evening and a fitting end to our 25th anniversary celebrations.

A huge thank you to the following people for their amazing support for the 25th anniversary event.

Ellie & JC - The amazing photographers at the event.Mike & Dan - For producing the ‘We do more than you think’ campaign video.Yasin & Amina - Our great hosts.The Youth Action Team - For their hard work preparing for and during the event.Bex & Ray - For their inspirational stories that capture the heart of what FOCUS is about.Jess & Debbie (The Fruity Chocolatier) - For making a scrumptious cake.Lydia Unsudimi - Our amazing singer.

A special thanks to the following people for their event sponsorship.

Lee - Bridge Partnership.Dan - Westleton Drake.Harsh - Explore Young Leader.All the people who made one-off donations, bought their event ticket or have now signed up to be regular donors.

A huge thank you to the following businesses that donated prizes for our raffle.In total we raised £147.

Edward Hands & LewisJeaneryChurchgate MusicPink & White NailsGame WorldThe EntertainerButterfly CosmeticsThe SourceCosmopolitan Cosmetics

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At FOCUS we understand that the transition from childhood to adulthood is rarely a smooth and easy process as peer pressure, exams, hormonal changes, relationships and moving towards independence all present significant challenges.

But for many young people these challenges become seemingly insurmountable, especially for those dealing with issues such

as poverty, disability, mental ill-health, bullying, leaving the care system, or family breakdown.

We believe that we have a duty to support young people in facing such challenges, regardless of the project they are involved in with us or the other priorities we may have.

We do more than you think.

To see the campaign video, please click here

“As described in my video, I became

involved with FOCUS to enhance my

employability skills and create the ‘stand

out’ University application that many past

and present volunteers can empathise

with.

I got much more from FOCUS, I got support

and freedom to be a teenager, making

mistakes and meeting challenges is

something very human and very normal yet

very daunting at this pivotal age.

For some young people like Ray and I, the

challenges we met as teenagers were too

great to fight on our own but rather than

looking elsewhere we knew we could count

of FOCUS for support and advice.

We have all got our own story and our own

reasons to thank people for helping us

throughout life, but I can say first hand that

impartial friendly support is hard to come

by and especially hard to find when you

are already in the depths of a challenge.

Young people can join FOCUS and enjoy

volunteering with the safety and security

that if one day they need a friendly face to

turn to they shall find one free from prejudice

and discrimination and someone who shall

facilitate that young person’s personal

journey into a becoming a contributing

and successful member of society.

As my working practices have taken me

further into the voluntary sector, my eyes

have been opened to the way in which

funding, politics and social stigma dictates

the ‘box ticking’ culture required by

organisations to serve specific groups and

demographics.

FOCUS won’t play that game. If you are a

young person FOCUS will help you, even if

that support is not funded through a project.

Volunteering is a great vehicle for social

change and FOCUS does that very well, but

the quality of their volunteers is due to the

investment of time and support they give

young people when they need it most.

It is through these working practices that our

young people become truly empowered

and true community cohesion can take

place. I consider Ray and my fellow

volunteers as friends and that is because

FOCUS is a place where anyone in society

can come to make a difference, to

themselves and their community; free from

prejudice and with trust.”

Recently, during the celebration of our 25th anniversary as a charity, we introduced our new campaign ‘We Do More Than You Think’. Part of this campaign provides an insight in to two of the many young people that FOCUS has supported over the years and continues to do as I write this.

Rebecca, one of our ambassadors for the campaign, spoke at the event. Her speech was so moving we thought we’d print it.

FOCUS Bespoke Training Packages

FOCUS can provide a wide range of bespoke training packages, designed and adapted to suit organisational and individual learners’ needs.

Anyone from students and volunteers to senior managers can benefit greatly from our training that is transferable back to the workplace, classroom and the wider community.

Our packages are unique and engaging, using a blend of discussion and experiential activities to suit a variety of learning styles.Such packages include:

LeadershipTeambuildingCommunicationInfluencing and NegotiatingVolunteering and CitizenshipYouth-led Community ProjectsAnd more…

For more information or to discuss training requirements and costs, please contact our Director Matt Lilley – 0116 251 0369.

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COMING SOONROOTS ‘N’ SHOOTSIntergenerational Gardening Project

Welcome to our intergenerational gardening project.

Roots ‘n’ Shoots is a gardening project that will bring both older people and young people together to learn from each other, whilst improving the environment around us through gardening.

This includes tackling unused and overgrown communal green spaces, improving gardens around older people’s communities and creating better habitats for wildlife in Leicester’s parks.

The project is due to launch in the summer and we are looking for volunteers aged 13 - 25 years to come and get involved.

For more information on how to get involved, please contact Joe Roughton - Senior Projects Manager at joe.roughton@focus-charity.co.uk.

OPPORTUNITY

OPPORTUNITY

COMING SOON

Dance is not what I do, it’s who I am and I believe it’s a passion that is the very essence of my existence. I believe doing what I love to do best, and to pursue it as a career will be a huge achievement for me.

Attending broad ranging dance classes from the strong dynamics of Indian classical to the gracefulness and fluidity of Ballet, gave me the opportunity to explore different dance styles. Since then, the drive to be successful in the world of performance began.

Being a university student can take its toll, with the mounds of assignments coursework, deadlines and practical classes. Planning, organising and time management is the key to success. Leaving assignments and deadlines

Life as a Dancerby Ishwary Joshi

to the last minute can cause a lot of stress and panic. The exploration and incorporation of a variety of dance styles in class creates an exciting and thrilling experience.

Dancing is the release valve for the world’s stresses and being able to express myself through the art of movement encourages me to attempt challenging movements and take bigger risks in decisions outside of my dance training.

Believing in yourself is crucial as a dancer and future aspirations in this profession. Along with hard work, discipline, self-motivation, determination and commitment anything and everything is possible.

‘When you dance your

purpose is not to get to a certain

place on the floor. It’s to

enjoy each step along the way’

Wayne Dyer

Ishwary Joshi is a dedicated young volunteer and peer mentor with our Youth Action team here at FOCUS. She is also passionate and committed to the study of dance at De Montfort University. Here is an insight in to the pursuit of her dreams.

A huge well done to our 6th cohort of young leaders for completing our recent EXPLORE Leadership Programme. Back in the summer of 2014, 10 young participants joined us on another week-long adventure of personal discovery, friendship building and skills development.This set the scene for their individual community projects that each young leader looked forward to planning, recruiting and running throughout and after the summer holidays in the community.

During this time, each young leader spent time recruiting a team of young volunteers so they could find, plan and run a project that had a purpose and impact to them and the community.

We are so proud of our newly trained young leaders and what they have achieved so far. This was acknowledged and celebrated during our 25th anniversary event where some of them gave fantastic presentation of what they have achieved, overcame and the impact it has had in their lives.

EXPLORE Leadership is currently recruiting new participants for our programme starting in April. If you know any young people aged between 13 - 16 years for this current group, please contact Joe Roughton at joe.roughton@focus-charity.co.uk for more information.

Since 2011, we have trained

78 young

people to become young

leaders, who have gone on to

recruit

545 other

young people, to

run

49 community

projects in Leicester

City.

Our Youth Action team shares Christmas cheer with food parcels for young people.

In December 2014, our Youth Action Team wanted to do something to spread the spirit of giving and cheer at Christmas.

Our young volunteers decided on putting together food parcels for young people who currently reside in Park Lodge, a registered charity that promises to provide supported accommodation for twenty four young homeless people between the ages of sixteen and twenty five.

Using some money the Youth Action team raised and food donations, they put together lots of packages with a variety of foods and Christmassy items, neatly wrapped up and ready for santa (Joe and Emily) to deliver to Park Lodge.

There was a fantastic response from residents and staff at Park Lodge, who got stuck in to opening their presents (after a little nudge from us).

Our Youth Action Team were so happy and proud to have the opportunity to do this and want to find other ways they can support this fantastic charity in 2015.

If you want to find out more about the Park Lodge Project please visit www.parklodgeproject.org

First question: How many times today have you said “How are you?” Second question: On how many of those occasions did you really want an honest answer?

Too often this is just a throw-away pleasantry. The last thing we want is for anyone to actually tell us. But all too often the person we ask is internally screaming out for help. One in ten children each year will suffer some form of mental ill-health and by the time we reach the age of 16, this increases to around one in four. So, the likelihood is that if you’re in a room right now with three or more other people, one of you needs support.

And this is not a problem that’s going away in a hurry. The national press has recently picked up on a very worrying trend; there are an increasing number of young people requiring professional support with mental health issues.

Here in Leicester there has been a 25% increase in referrals to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) over the last few years. Of the 524 young people currently waiting for assessment, 336 will have to wait for over three months, and over 100 will wait for more than six months. Imagine that. At a time when you are likely to be at your most vulnerable, confused and scared, you are told to wait, and wait, and wait.

These are terrifying statistics, but Leicester is not unique. Young people across the country are being left in limbo as they wait to find out what has gone wrong inside their heads and what, if any, support they will receive. And it stands to reason that the stress this causes will exacerbate the situation.

Thankfully there is a general consensus within the political and medical worlds that mental well-being should be afforded the same weight as physical well-being. However, there is no new money to address the current imbalance and there is no likelihood of funds being diverted across, and nor should there be.

HOT TOPICBut there is a silver lining. In fact there are two. The first thing to note is that the increasing number of people seeking help suggests, not that the nation’s mental health has worsened, but that more people feel able to talk about this previously taboo subject. And that really is a big deal. But we must do more. Too often we lack the confidence to discuss our own mental health and we rarely try to address someone else’s.

And that leads us to the second silver lining. There is a plan, at least here in Leicester, to turn CAMHS services upside-down. Rather than allocate all the resources to dealing with the most acute cases, they are looking at ways of prioritising early interventions; addressing mental health issues before they become severe.

So what does this mean for FOCUS? For some time now we have been discussing the role of the voluntary sector with CAMHS commissioners. We have helped to develop a set of quality standards, so that voluntary sector organisations can demonstrate their ability to take referrals from CAMHS and be commissioned to deliver services on their behalf. We are also planning to launch a project through which young people will be trained to run workshops that further address the taboo of talking about mental health and that develop the emotional resilience and coping strategies of young people during times of stress.

Will this have a significant impact on the rising issue of young people’s mental ill-health? The simple answer is, we really don’t know. We believe it will and we will strive to ensure that it does, but unless we act now the situation will only get worse and we cannot let that happen.

If you’re thinking that this doesn’t affect you or that you’re powerless to help, think again. Next time you ask someone “How are you?” - mean it. Take a genuine interest in your friends’ well-being and listen to them. Don’t pry, don’t be nosy, just listen. You could just make a difference.

Dear friend,

Water Wipeout is the ultimate obstacle race and mud run. This awesome challenge will include: Water Slides, Tightropes, Tunnels, Hurdles, Giant Walls, Cargo Nets, Spider’s Webs, Balance Beams, Mud, Water and the Assault Course, are you tough enough, are you up for it, are you ready for the race of your life?

There are 5k and 10k options with over fifty challenging obstacles that will take you through mud and water, the race will have you climbing, crawling, swimming and running as you take part in this extreme experience, this is a awesome adventure run taking place at the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham.

FOCUS Charity is looking for team mates to join us on an amazing day, raising money for a great charity whilst having loads of fun.

I’ve created a team called Team Focus for Water Wipeout - 20th June 2015 - Wave 9 - 13:00hrs and registration is open now.

If you haven’t registered yet, you can register and join the team here: https://endurancecui.active.com/event-reg/select-race?e=9829454&i=58ed6f66-a3a5-4c24-b60f-4026bf795e48

The password for our team is focus.

If you’ve already registered, you can join the team here: https://myevents.active.com/

You can also find more information at the event website: http://www.active.com/nottingham-gb/running/races/water-wipeout-20th-june-2015

You can raise money online for FOCUS, just go to:https://www.justgiving.com/focuscharity/ and set up your event. Alternatively if you require a sponsorship form, you can download this at:http://www.focus-charity.co.uk/data/uploads/docs/everythingfundraising/sponsorship-form-2014.pdf

When you have joined our team, please email me at joe.roughton@focus-charity.co.uk. Although there is a cost to take part, if you raise over £250 there will be the opportunity to be refunded your entry by us. You will also receive a bespoke FOCUS t-shirt for your participation.

We look forward to seeing you on this great adventure and supporting a life-changing charity.

Joe Roughton - Senior Projects’ Manager73 Church Gate, Leicester, LE1 3AN

Tel: 07808 128803E: joe.roughton@focus-charity.co.uk

Web: www.focus-charity.co.uk

Being part of Gifted and Talented is a great opportunity for me. I get to do what I love and enjoy.

I have been part of Gifted and Talented for two years now and is run at most secondary schools. Just speak to your teacher to find out if your school has this programme.

We do dance, drama, music and art.

I go to the dance sessions, I love to dance and I’ve met lots of new people. The experience has been great.

Normally, people at school would say to me “why do you waste your time on that when you could be educating yourself?”, well my reply to this is “I like doing what I

Gifted and TalentedBy Minnie

love and enjoy. Education and dance are both important to me. So while I’m learning I’m dancing too”.

When I dance I forget the world around me. I forget all my worries. It’s just me and the music.

Gifted and Talented lets you share your talents without feeling embarrassed or ridiculed.

I love being part of Gifted and Talented because I love meeting new people with the same interest. It also gives me the opportunity to share my talents and learn from others, it’s just amazing.

I now know I am one step closer to achieve my dancing dreams.

My advice for anyone wanted to pursue their dreams to always keep motivated, never give up and have no regrets because it can get you so far.

Minnie has been volunteering with the Youth Action Team since November 2014. She is a very bright and energetic volunteer who wants to get involved in everthing we do.Here is a little insight in to something Minnie enjoys doing.

Hi my name’s Emily and part of my job is to co-ordinate FOCUS’ Alumni association. I have been on the Staff team for the last 7 years and I love being part of the FOCUS family…

ALUMNI NEWS

Towards the end of 2014 FOCUS set up its Alumni association with the aim to keep in better contact with its former participants, volunteers, staff and trustees. It has gotten off to a great start with over 50 people joining up.

Thank you to those of you that have already completed the online registration form.

If you have not had chance to join yet, don’t despair as you still can and it couldn’t be more simple….

We welcome all our past volunteers, trustees, participants and staff to become part of our active and rapidly growing alumni community. If you have been a part of FOCUS (or Bridge as it was formerly known) during the past 25 years you are eligible to join the Alumni Association

As an Alumnus you will receive:Our quarterly news letter by e-bulletin covering FOCUS’ latest news and future activitiesInvitations to alumni eventsSupport with organizing your own reunionsEmail forwardingInvitations to celebration eventsUpdates on FOCUS activitiesAccess to the alumni social and professional online networks

All you need to do is complete the online registration form.

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25th Anniversary Dinner…

It was great to see so many of you at our 25th anniversary dinner it really was a fantastic night! The evening really highlighted for me the impact that FOCUS has on peoples lives and the legacy it leaves. For some people that’s lasting friendships, relationships or even children and for others its careers. There was a lot of love in the room for both each other and the charity.

During the evening we launched our ‘We Do More Than You Think Campaign’ which included a short video, For those of you that couldn’t make it. Our ‘we do more than you think’ website is up and running so please check this out and share our video http://www.wedomorethanyouthink.org/ by sending the link by email or sharing it on Facebook or twitter. There are photos from the evening available to view (here) on the FOCUS website and we can provide a print service on request.

It was great to get so many of our alumni together and we would really like to run an event every year offering people the chance to get together and raise money and awareness of FOCUS. If you would like to be part of organizing this or have any ideas for an evening/event, drop me an email to emily.taylor@focus-charity.co.uk.

XRunner 2015…

For those of you who like a challenge why not join FOCUS in taking part in this year’s Water Wipeout Challenge. For more information on this go to page 16.

Also just remember, if your ever in Leicester, you’re always welcome to pop in the office for a cuppa!

Emily Taylor - Office Co-ordinator

Sharing Your FOCUS Stories… If you would like to share any stories from your time at FOCUS we would love to hear them! You can do this through our website or by emailing me directly at emily.taylor@focus-charity.co.uk.

A day in the parkFrom April 2015, our Youth Action Team are venturing out to Victoia Park, Abbey Park, Knighton Park and Spinney Hills to capture stories and the positive things park users do when they access these parks.

Our Youth Action Team will photograph and interview people for the purpose of positively promoting Leicester’s parks and green spaces that will culminate in to an exhibition that will be open to the public.

Have you got any interesting stories about these parks or would like to get involved in this project? Contact FOCUS for more information.

What is Give as you Live?

Give as you Live is a shopping and price comparison website with a heart. You can shop for products

from thousands of leading online retailers; use the price comparison tool to ensure you get the best

price and even save money by using the exclusive offers and deals available on the website.

Don’t forget, a percentage of every purchase you make will be donated to FOCUS Charity.

Why you should join Give as you Live

Receive top offers and vouchers from more than 3,600 top retailers straight to your inbox.

Choose to support FOCUS Charity.

Keep track of how much you have raised for your favourite charity.

It takes a couple of minutes to sign up and make a difference, do it now!

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DON’T MISS OUT!!!

Please help us today by becoming a supporter of FOCUS

How you can make a difference

A monthly gift of:

£6 could pay for a young person to take part in our Challenge programme£10 could pay for a young person to be trained as a peer mentor£15 could pay for a young person to go on a life changing Explore Leadership residential£25 could provide one to one support sessions for a homeless young person

An annual or quarterly gift of:

£50 could run a training session with our Youth Action Team£150 could support 40 young people to become active volunteers£300 could provide a fully trained mentor or advocate to work with a young person for 6 months£500 could provide a place for a young person on an 8 week personal development programme

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In return for your support you will receive:

VIP Invitations to our celebration eventsSubscription to our e-magazine FocusNowAn annual thank you cardThe opportunity to be apart of our 73 club

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As a charity we rely on the generosity of our supports, donors and funders to ensure that we are able to deliver our work and to support the young people who need it most. Although we’ve secured funding from a number of trust funds, foundations, companies and government sources, we urgently need your support.

Over the next six months we need to increase the funding we receive, otherwise we will be forced to cut back, or even cease, the support we provide to young people. We are a small charity that has a big impact on people’s lives, but we have no reserve funding and we really need your help in order to continue.

Please support our vital and highly valued work by making a donation today.

To make a monthy donation, please see our Direct Debit form overleaf, alternatively if you would like to make a one off donation you can visit our JustGiving page. Just click on this link.

Are you a current regular giver? Yes ® No ® Are you a new applicant Yes ® No ®

Full Name: _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Address: _____________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________ Postcode: __________________________

Telephone: _________________________________ Email: _____________________________________________________

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Direct debit formPlease complete this

form and return to: Focus Charity, 73 Church Gate, Leicester, LE1 3AN

Application form

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Please pay to: CAF Bank Ltd, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, ME19 4JQ

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Make every £1 go 25p further...

Bonding Belt

Type of activity: Energiser Exercise Icebreaker

Participants: 6 - 60

Timing: 15 – 30 minutes

Key themes: Teamwork, Change, Communication, Leadership

Overview

A hilarious illustration of team bonding in which teams of six are literally bonded together by a cling film

waistband. They then have to race against the clock across the room with the intention of improving their

time with each attempt

Pre-Work

Assess the participants’ receptivity to fun, this exercise requires an open mind and a good sense of humour

Equipment and Layout

A large space, with a sufficiently clear area to allow the team/s to move between two distinct points. A roll of

cling film per team and a timer

Running the Activity

1. Introduce this as a very light hearted activity in which the team/s will have an opportunity to assess

and improve upon their performance

2. Tell the teams that they will have to move as one unit between point A and point B in as short a time

as possible

3. Tell them that to ensure they stay ‘bonded’ as one unit they will be held together by a cling film belt,

tightly wrapped around their waists

4. Give the teams 5 minutes to discuss their strategy, advising them that at the end of this time they

should be in position ready to be ‘bonded’

5. When applying the cling film do so at waist height of the mid-sized participant, make the belt

sufficiently tight so that it will not fall when the team starts to move. Make the belt several layers

thick

Let’s play a gameAnyone who’s ever attended a FOCUS project will almost certainly have found themselves playing games. But do you still enjoy games now?

Can you remember them? Or are you too sensible for that nonsense?

Here’s a game we have played with young people aged 13 - 18 years old and they loved it. So we thought we’d share it.

Go on, have a go. You never know, you might enjoy it!

We value any comments and suggestions about our magazine from our readers.

If you have any suggestions or would like to add an article in to our future editions, please contact:

Joe RoughtonSenior Projects’ Manager

Focus Charity73 Church Gate

LeicesterLE1 3AN

0116 251 0369joe.roughton@focus-charity.co.uk

www.focus-charity.co.uk

A huge thank you to our funders and supporters for enabling us to make a difference to the lives of young people and our communities. With your continued support, we are able to deliver a high quality service in Leicester/shire and benefit those who need our support.