#7days4stow

1. #7days4stow • Actions to help relieve the pressures people living in Walthamstow will face in 2013 • Co ordination of action as important as identifying the actions themselves • Tonight just the start- as much about identifying what we don’t know as what we do • Microvolunteering is about small tasks adding up to big change- so don’t plan to do too much!

2. How tonight will work..... • Getting to know each other to be able to work together • What are the pressures we face? • Identifying the projects that could address these in our local community- and the gaps! • Identifying how to help these projects and planning bitesize actions to make these happen • Assigning responsibilities for next steps • Getting out there and doing it!

3. The pressures we face...and some projects that could help! • Debt and destitution • Rising cost of living especially food, housing and transport • A lack of career opportunities • A lack of local jobs • Isolation and emotional distress • Eat or Heat Foodbank • Sharkstoppers • The Forest Nightshelter • The E17 Pop Up Kitchen • Supporting and growing our local economy • Befriending vulnerable residents • Work experience for young people And what else...?

4. Planning an action • All actions have to be clearly defined- if you can’t explain it in a single sentence it has to be broken into two! • If an organisation to support this action this happen doesn’t exist it is unlikely this action will happen- could you plan an action to find one to fill this role? • All actions need to be quick to set up • All actions need to be low liability • All actions need a co-ordinator

5. Example: Eat or Heat • Project: tackles hunger caused through poverty • Need: help them get more referrals • Action: identify contacts for organisations in local community who can make referrals • Action: contact those organisations to make sure they have referral forms • Action: provide referral forms via email or on paper to organisations • Action: identify people to perform the above and coordinate between them to achieve these actions • Impact: more people referred to foodbank for help in Walthamstow

6. Example: Sharkstoppers • Project: Help local people avoid legal loan sharks by borrowing from our credit union instead • Need: To raise awareness of Credit Union and how to join • Action: To map out Walthamstow's legal loan sharks • Action: To recruit leafleters for credit union and arrange a day to do this • Action: to remind leafleters of day of action • Action: identify people to perform the above and coordinate between them to achieve these actions • Impact: more people access the credit union to be able to secure affordable credit and financial advice

7. Example: Befriending • Project: to offer informal telephone support to vulnerable people in Walthamstow • Need: to set up a befriending scheme • Action: identify if any organisations provide this service within Walthamstow who could support this project • Action: produce database of individuals for whom this support could be beneficial • Action: produce contact list of people willing to call individuals during year • Action: allocate individuals to call and their contact details to volunteers • Action: identify people to perform the above and coordinate between them to achieve these actions • Impact: more vulnerable people in Walthamstow given emotional support to manage the pressures they experience during 2013

8. What else do we need to do? • Action: Update our facebook group = 3 people to take action • Action:Produce a list of all the skills, experiences, interests and contact details for volunteers = 5 people to take action • Action: Produce a contact list for local organisations who may be of interest to the projects identified= 2 people to take action • Action: Tell the world about what we are doing and how to be involved = 2 people to take action • Action: Blog about who is involved in this and their experiences = 3 people to take action • Action: Coordinate all of the above = 2 people to take action

9. 7days4stow... Thank you Bill for the biscuits, Mary, Fiona & Martin for the teabags and cups, Rebecca for the volunteer management help, Simon for tweeting- and you for coming! The next meeting will be 21 February 2012 to review our progress....see you then! ...Walthamstow : worth working for in 2013!