The People's Hub organization based in the UK has joined efforts with the Eastfield Foundation school based in Ghana to empower women in their vicinity with skills that could help them to fight poverty and to develop them to be the "total woman".

"Adas Army advances in Ghana with Selasi and the Eastfield Foundation. Women helping women."

Susan Dolan

The Peoples Hub organization has a vision to help communities, help end homelessness, hunger, poverty and ignorance by empowering youths with skills, education and provision of fundamental human needs. They know that making a difference in someone's life is far superior to making a living.

Help and Train Women

On the execution side to help and train women is Selasi Nyakpo from Ghana, who had the vision to support women through the Eastfield Foundation school's program. The foundation believes the people in the society can live a good and better life if given opportunities and resources, and can further help those who don't have any of these in their wider community.

Recently, the Eastfield Foundation school was sponsored by The People's Hub to organize training in cake baking and pastry making. The training was targeted at women and youths especially in rural areas.

Eastfield Foundation, Ghana, women baking a cake, women with bowl
Getting Started

Women and youths in various rural areas were available at the training center. The creativity, passion and love for learning displayed by those available absolutely pointed to the fact that there are potentials. There are unique abilities within so many people. They only needed opportunities and support to harness these abilities for their individual usefulness. 

Eastfield Foundation, Ghana, demonstrating how to make a cake with ingredients
Ingredients

Summary of work

- Organised 8 vocational training programs for 800 girls and women in 15 communities across 6 districts in Ghana.

- Conducted management and entrepreneurial skills training sessions for 400 women at 5 districts in Ghana.

- Distributed 300 pair of crutches to 4 disability groups in the Central Region.

- Planted about 350 trees in 23 communities in 4 districts of Ghana.

- Organised 7 awareness and sensitization programs on rights of less-abled persons in 15 communities across 3 districts namely Awutu Senya East Municipal, Ga South, and Amasaman district all in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana.

Eastfield Foundation, Ghana, women baking cakes
Preparation

Observations

During the training, it was observed that the attitude to learning, ability to organize oneself and understanding the processes and procedures in achieving tangible results was exhibited by those available at the training center. Questions were raised during and after the training, however, these questions indicated that the ideas on cake baking and pastry making have been received and understood but the lack of source and support for further practice is a threat to these individuals. The People's Hub wish to help Eastfield Foundation train more women in their communities.

You can donate to this project via Paypal CLICK HERE and please indicate that you wish the money to be sent to the 'Eastfield Foundation in Ghana'. We will personally keep you updated with progress if you wish, and also a chance to speak with these women whose lives you have helped.

Eastfield Foundation, Ghana, team photo with the cakes and women
Team Photo
Eastfield Foundation, Ghana. woman with a tray of cakes
Tray of Cakes

"Continuity is a key that makes Development, speciality, effectiveness and excellence possible. Therefore, In order for these people to be able to serve the community and improve their quality of living, support from those who can help is needed". 

Peter Lawal, The People's Hub Global Volunteers Director
Eastfield Foundation, Ghana, women watching a women decorate a cake
Decoration

Trainees appreciated the Peoples Hub and Eastfield Foundation school for their kindness in reaching out to them with quality skills and sponsorship of the training with a desire to have another training set up for them, said one of the trainees. 

Eastfield Foundation, Ghana, women being presented with a certificate
Certification

Call to Action

The Peoples Hub and the Eastfield Foundation school call upon everyone with the passion to help. To make a difference in people's lives. To kindly donate so we can sponsor more of their plans. They aim to help the less privileged in their communities in Ghana. With various needs and skills to help them live a more fulfilled and happy life.

Please join our Global Gatherings Network to become part of our collective. Or you can donate specifically to this project via Paypal CLICK HERE. Please indicate that you wish the money to be sent to the 'Eastfield Foundation in Ghana'.

Community Planning Alliance

1. Considering a Judicial Review?

5.30pm 2 March.  Click here to book.
This webinar will give an overview of considerations if you, or your campaign group, is considering a Judicial Review (JR)

2. Developer viability - how to challenge

5.30pm 21 March.  Click here to book.
Developer claims about what affordable housing & infrastructure they can and can't provide need to be scrutinised. Join us to learn how!

NPPF consultation & webinar

Please don't forget the Community Planning Alliance also have an NPPF webinar on 7 February at 5.30pm to discuss the proposed changes.   

Click here to book tickets. 

They have created a blank template with all of the consultation questions so that you can save it & share with your own groups for ease of creating your submission.   

(You will then have to copy the questions over to the Government portal unless you are choosing to submit an email).

You can find the Government description of changes here, and the NPPF with tracked changes here.

Judicial Review Webinar Details

5.30pm 2 March.  Click here to book.

Karen Phull, a partner in the Farrer & Co Planning and Environment team, will give us an overview of a Judicial Review (JR) of a Council’s decision to grant planning permission.

The webinar will include:

• Grounds for JR including case law

• Minimising cost exposure

• Time limits, pre-action letters and the process in the High Court

• How objectors can engage effectively in the planning application process

• What happens if your JR succeeds

About Karen

Karen's expertise in planning and environment sees her acting for developers, landowners and objectors. Her experience working for a local planning authority gives her a unique perspective. She works closely with most practice areas across the firm and has experience of contentious matters including judicial review and public inquiries. She is dual qualified in New York.

She has extensive experience of acting for third parties concerned by the impact of a proposed development, including judicial review proceedings. She is accustomed to quickly interpreting development proposals and submitting objections to planning and listed building applications. Her contentious experience also includes public inquiry work such as planning appeals and traffic order schemes.

Karen has acted for third parties affected by compulsory purchase orders, including HS2 and TfL schemes. She works closely with specialist counsel and CPO surveyors.

Karen also acts for a number of developers and has advised on the community infrastructure levy, local plans, section 106 agreements and related infrastructure, development and promotion agreements.

Having worked for a local planning authority Karen is familiar with the approach of authorities to planning enforcement action, including listed buildings. She regularly acts for clients affected by breaches of planning control and co-ordinates effectively with planning and heritage consultants to achieve a resolution.

Developer Viability - How To Challenge Webinar Details

Developer claims about what affordable housing & infrastructure they can and can't provide need to be scrutinised. Join the event to learn how!

Viability in development proposals – let’s level the playing field!

We are all familiar with stories of developers claiming that their development is not able to provide promised infrastructure or affordable housing, using 'viability' as the excuse. Communities lose out: the housing is built, but without the benefits promised at the outset. Please join us to find out about one of the least understood areas of planning: viability appraisals.

This is one of the most important webinars to attend to if we are to redress the balance in the system between developers (who deliberately ensure the system is complex), and communities/councils (who need to scrutinize proposals to ensure best outcomes are delivered.)

We are delighted that viability expert Murray Lloyd has agreed to talk to us and to answer your questions. He will tell us how developers game the system (and they most definitely do) and what the tricks of the trade are. Murray will demystify viability appraisals and tell us what we can challenge and how best to do it.

About Murray

Murray is an experienced property professional with a 30-year track record of successfully helping to deliver development projects of all types across the UK, ranging from housing, leisure, and logistic parks, through to major commercial and residential mixed-use developments, to complex regeneration schemes and transformational integrated development ventures.

Murray focuses on providing bespoke development management and viability advice to Local Authorities. He is a leading practitioner in viability and is currently undertaking a PhD specialising in this subject matter and regularly acts as an expert witness in planning appeal cases. He is a Director with property consultancy Continuum DM.

As always, the events are free, however donations are appreciated to help with the running costs of the Community Planning Alliance. Thank you


Report from Bamunaanika Youth Development Group

It is great pressure to represent to you our report about Bamunaanika Youth Development Group, led by Kimbowa Ivan. This group is located in Bamunaanika Village in the Mityana district which is 2 km from Mityana-Mubende high way.

The report am sharing is about the good work being done by friends from The People's Hub and Socially Homes International, and other volunteers team in Africa and Europe who are working well hard to help the people in our communities.

Our group has more than 30 members and we are so happy for the help. The Peoples Hub have been helping the Bamunaanika youth and the children especially the orphans. They have helped to fund us and got us support for food. With the funds we also managed to also get some fertilizer for the agricultural projects and now have some land, and we will start growing our own food to feed the children.

We thank the hub for their time and love that they have for the people of Mityana in Uganda. We are grateful for the money as we used it to get items for the children such as art and craft making materials, food and also items for our agricultural project.

Bamunaanika Youth Group projects are doing well. Projects include Book making, Vaseline and soap making. We have started by making books from local materials like cassava flour and we see that our aim of lifting the poor from poverty is being solved by employing local farmers of cassava.

Our Social Uganda: Book Binding Project

We have made some creative books but we now have a problem. We were taking our work into town and using an old cutting machine but the machine is not in good condition anymore.

We are asking the hub and friends if there is anyway they can help, maybe could help us source a new one through donations or alternatively someone if the region may have a second hand machine. We hope by sharing this information someone somewhere can help us.

A new cutting machine costs 6,000,000 UGX which is equal to £1,328.64 which we can't afford to get ourselves so we are looking at buying a 2nd hand one or if anybody has a used machine they no longer need we would be very grateful.

Our Social Uganda: Book Binding Project

If you wish to donate to this project, please donate via PayPal [top of the page on the right] and just add a note that the money is for Kimbowa and the children in Mityana and we will send them the money direct straight away. Or alternatively if you have an old machine get in contact and we will ask one of our friends in Uganda to arrange the necessary transport to pick up so there is no inconvenience to yourself.

Photo Credit: Pure Greens Container Farms, Arizona

"Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals & happiness."

Jefferson

Homelessness is a huge problem in the United States, but farming helps reduce it!

This was the opening statement in a recent article published in ‘Pure Green Blogs’, and it certainly caught the attention of the Socially Homes team, here at The Peoples Hub.

They share the same ambition and that is to tackle homelessness by any means possible.

While homelessness is a global issue, the reasons why people face homelessness is a global problem, and whilst homelessness presents differently country to country, the despair, hopelessness, and desperation associated with homelessness is often a common thread throughout.

The Socially Homes team are always exploring different avenues, searching for solutions such as Housing First, one we know for sure will work. Farming has been new concept to our team with projects springing in Newcastle and London, so we are keen to discover if there something to be learned from some of the experts in the USA.

We are never beyond a teachable moment, we are never afraid to replicate what is working well, admit what is not working well and more importantly we are never afraid to try what has never been done. Above all that we want to put individuals at the heart of all we do.

Nature or Nurture?

Reading further into the article farming is used to upskill people, offering skills and training that can be transferred to various other industries, so in tackling inequality, and discrimination of marginalised individuals, farming is used as tool to invite people in and nurture life- long skills that create a sense of belonging.

It could be argued this is the mission of every charity tackling homelessness, so what is it about farming that stands above the rest?

Is it nurture in that each individual can just be while working? They are not forced into the public eye under the umbrella of homelessness. They are not working from an establishment identifiable ‘for the homeless’, or is it down to the benefits of nature, we can never underestimate the power of nature.

The question we also want to ask is what can we do in UK to replicate the benefits and the success of this this programme. Who reports inspiring findings:

One farming rehabilitation program in Santa Cruz, California, has had so much success that 100% of its graduates in 2019 got jobs and 78% found housing.

Many homeless charities offer training and development as a means to long term employment, and hopefully housing, but how can we go a step further, think out-with the generic approach that already exist.

What can we do here in the UK and globally to increase nurture, tap into nature and offer a therapeutic approach to tackle unemployment and homelessness?

How can we support people in such a way that promotes inclusion and doesn’t leave people feeling even more polarised?

Can farming offer something unique as previously mentioned, in that it is not a café, shop, community establishment that’s sole purpose is tackle homelessness.

Is the success of the programme embedded in the fact people can join the workforce, without being seen and identified as homeless?

Is it that this project has many benefits to community, and they can foresee the difference they make, and this in turn allows them to reap intrinsic rewards along with making a difference?

These are just some of the questions we have when exploring new ways of working.

When you compare the results from farming to that of Homeboy Industries, the results speak the same language, but the setting is completely different.

Homeboy is identifiable as working with gang members, who often present with multiple issues, so what do they do tackle such issues, led by Father Gregory Boyle who promotes “no kinship, no peace” their mission is simple:

Homeboy Industries provides hope, training, and support to formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated people, allowing them to redirect their lives and become contributing members of our community.

"Behind the Tattoos" - Episode 3: Homeboy Bakery

How do they achieve this?

Through storytelling, recovery, mentorship programmes, employment but more importantly through inclusion and humanising.

A native Angeleno and priest, from 1986 to 1992 Father Boyle served as pastor of Dolores Mission Church in Boyle Heights, then the poorest Catholic parish in Los Angeles that also had the highest concentration of gang activity in the city.

Father Boyle witnessed the devastating impact of gang violence on his community during the so-called “decade of death” that began in the late 1980s and peaked at 1,000 gang-related killings in 1992.  In the face of law enforcement tactics and criminal justice policies of suppression and mass incarceration as the means to end gang violence, he and parish and community members adopted what was a radical approach at the time: treat gang members as human beings.

Moral of the story: “Always look beyond what you can see”

Cooper, Mark A.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4NHwFSeoDo
"Let's End Homelessness With Homes" Amy Varle

At the Global Gatherings event in October this year the energy was high. We have been facilitating the Global Gatherings all year and we honestly thought last month’s could not top it!

As in, September 2022, the government of Kansas / Missouri in the US joined us, alongside The Big Issue in the UK. Homelessness solutions at grassroots to governmental level. It was great to finally meet the amazing, Josh who helps people who are homeless in Kansas City.

Social Gatherings Online

This month, we met people from the Gambia, Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria who own or work at orphanages who home, feed and educate the most vulnerable in our society, and property developers from Liverpool, UK who have many housing solutions.

Amy works with investors and people with money whereas we work with people who have nothing, completely nothing. Amy’s favourite month was September as her dream is that nobody on this earth should be without a safe home which of course, we at The Peoples Hub fully support. So Kansas government reaching out to get involved and kick start the whole thing in the United States of America is a massive life-changing moment after all of Amy's hard work.

"Homelessness ends in homes."

Amy Varle

In October, the Global Gatherings had a similar type of 'Action Energy' however it came via attendees from extremely poor nations. People in countries such as Uganda and the Gambia who have nothing but still found the time to join us and share their stories. We already know through collective action and shared resources that we can make the change now, rather than sitting around waiting for 'somebody else' to action. Between us we have the knowledge, the means, the way and the hope, to drive real change where it matters,

From the people who attended, Simon Murungi from Kenya, SOFAfrica who has shared his life's work with The Peoples Hub. Think Vincent van Gogh in the world of agriculture. In regards to regenerative agriculture, Simon has created and facilitated school community gardening projects, bee keeping courses, etc. in Kenya for many years. The Peoples Hub will be publishing these soon for SOFAfrica and agricultural learners across the globe. Let's Get Growing!

SOFAfrica

These courses and workshops will help Muwanika, Kimbowa, Christine and Kisembo who were at the event. They run orphanages in the Gambia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda. On this particular event, many of the attendees came from Uganda. This is because The Peoples Hub have been particularly trying to help the people of Mityana. They are on the main road, A109 to the capital of Uganda, Kampala.

Other things that came off the back of the event:

Simon is also working on a bamboo project for the whole of Kenya. This project is led by the wonderful, Dr LeeAnn Teal and Impact Fashion Hub. Bamboo being the connector here!

Do join our Social Enterprising Network and Let's Get Social Solving in 2023!

Lets Get Social

We are SO excited to welcome friends old and new as we now begin the roll-out of Socially Homes, our highly anticipated learning and networking programs.

Pack your bags for a road-trip guys!

We're off on tour of BEST practice social innovation:

Enterprise, Impact, Housing, Support, Campaigning, Investment, Development, Policy, Practice, Funding, Strategy, Solutions & More!

Over the next few years, as trusted Founding Members help us trial our pilot programs, we'll visit a diverse collective of leading impact investment initiatives, giving unique access to some of the most progressive social impact solutions operating in Britain - and across the rest of the world.

Social Homes Member Case Study image

Members will be immersed in a new topic as they join an intensive, interactive learning and networking experience EVERY month, with virtual knowledge exchange sessions providing real-time specialist guidance and on-going exposure to new professionals, their techniques, tips and tricks.

You'll interact with the very best operators in our field, meeting everybody involved in the process, from joining impact investors at local development sites, to visiting government officials in Whitehall.

You'll get a rare insight from local authority staff and housing association bosses

You'll observe the very best specialist support providers in action

You'll be hosted by charitable organisations making institutionalized change

You'll join grass root groups as they deliver crisis care services on the ground

And, of course, you'll meet MANY of the people we collectively work to serve along the way 💕

Creating Social Solutions of the Future

Person Centred Approaches to Homelessness Eradication: Outcomes, Impact, Sustainability & Growth

With Northumberland Three Tier Solution Showcase - 'Street to Home and Beyond' - inc. Entire Project Contributor Round-table, Accommodation Portfolio Tour, Resident Farm Visit and Live Q&A Session

🌈 Communities Creating Change

The Journey of Housing First Part 1: Collaboration, Innovation & Mass Action

With Manchester Street Outreach 'Walk & Talk'

VIP Hosts, Speakers & Special Guests

Followed by Private Dining & Storytelling at iconic Stock Exchange Hotel, where Amy was recruited to assist for a number of months during 2015, as 60+ rough sleepers made global headlines when they squatted the derelict building - and were allowed to stay for the wintertime.

🌈 The Socially Secret Supper Club

'Welcome to My Socially Home'

Fundraising for 'Socially Ho, Ho, Homes' Christmas Giving Pop Up & Corporate Social Responsibility Showcase

EXCLUSIVE Founder's House/Rainbow HQ Festive Philanthropy Dinner, Champagne Reception, Private Chef, VIP Speakers, Elite Roundtable Strategy Session

VERY Special Guests & Dancing til Dark

Plus! Optional Volunteering Experience Opportunities with Member Charitable Partners

1-1 Consultation Sessions with Amy are included for All Guests

Socially Homes launch quote vision by Two Viz Think image

Calendar Ahead

JANUARY 2023

Impact Investment Global Gathering

Best Practice Showcase: Strategies, Solutions, Leaders & Creators

Remote & Digital UK Property Impact Investment (from Malaysia)

Maximising a Digital Media Reach of Millions (from Los Angeles)

Compassionate Street Policing (from Florida)

Social Enterprise Funding Models (from Africa)

Housing First (from New York)

Community Built Recovery Village (from Las Vegas)

All Dates: TBC

FEBRUARY 2023

National Approaches to Tackling Global Homelessness Crisis

Aligning Cities, Cultures, People & Practices to Create Unified Action for Ethical Social Impact

Visiting Friends of Socially Homes in London

Including our Personal Introduction to Crisis HQ, with Crisis CEO Address & Housing Heads Session, Live Tour of Crisis Skylight Centre, Parliamentary Visit with VIP DLUHC/CHI Strategy Session, Member Private Dining & Knowledge Exchange Evening

All Dates: TBC

March 2023

In Loving Memory of John Chadwick and Kelly Walsh 😇

Becoming a Force for Good

Compassionate Campaigning, Practical Pilot Research & Positive Policy Change

Remembering John and Kelly in Kent with Dee Bonett Amy & Friends

Attend our Rainbow 'Pet Soup Kitchen' Pop Up & Street Well-being Clinic, Pilot Project Accommodation Tour & Social Strategy Session with LA Reps & Local Delivery Partners

All Dates: TBC

APRIL 2023

Media, Marketing & Movement Building:

The Journey of Housing First

Part 2: 'Social Media for Social Good'

Becoming a 'Social' Influencer and the Secret Art of Digital Promotion for Ultimate Societal Impact

Inc PR, Storytelling, Media Campaigns, Online Fundraising, Expert Etiquette, Positive Profile Raising, Audience Leverage

Mastermind Classes with Digital Media & Amplification Experts, inc Reps from Amnesty International & Wikipedia, the Social Change Agency & Specialist Community Members

Please join our Global Gatherings Network to access events.

All Dates: TBC

The ONLY way to access this HIGHLY subsidised program is to join the community as a Founding Member to be part of our pilot trials!

Ready for a Happy New Year. Let's Get Social

NOW IS THE TIME! PLEASE JOIN HERE.

Socially Homes Downing Street photo, Amy Varle, Carole Neales and 2019 team

Please note, all digital sessions and site visits are INCLUDED in the monthly membership fee - Dinners, drinks and externally hosted evening events etc are optional to attend and charged separately.

A LIMITED number of tickets for some of our events will be available to non-members on a first come, first served basis, as we conduct a traffic audit across various hosting platforms, so please let us know ASAP if you would like to reserve a place at ANY session listed above before this goes live.

If you have any questions send a message to The Peoples Hub and they will link you up with us. We are so excited for the year ahead to share our learning journey and solutions, and I can't wait to get on the road and get to know the new Dream Team! - Amy, and #SociallySorted Sam xX

Ted X innovative in its approach did just that. Not only did they bring Kermit the Frog to share a message in 2015, that still holds great relevance today, but they also got the most creative man of all time to introduce Kermit the Frog. The late Sir Ken Robinson, the master of creativity, one of the most famous TED talks of all time.

The creative of act of listening to a talking frog

The greatest quotes, sayings, metaphors are not found among the list that already exists; they are found in the moments when you look beyond the obvious message, and search beyond the conscious mind; they are found when you pay extra attention when reading a book, listening to a podcast or ted talk, or when watching something. When looking beyond the smoke and mirrors, that is where you find the real nuggets of information, the wisdom not to be missed.

"When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope is to leave the world a little better for having been there."

Jim Henson

Isn’t that what we all hope to do, it is certainly the driving force behind The Peoples Hub.

The question is how do we do it?

Many people are afraid to take chances, opting for the safer option, hoping to avoid failure. At The Peoples Hub we know the only way to create change is through failure, then learning, then trying again.

We take the creative chances as without the will and the courage to do so, we simply would not achieve our goals.   

In society, we often associate creativity with art, music, words; but what about the everyday creativity that takes place. Innovative ideas, ground-breaking research, new designs, cooking, doesn’t that all take creativity. To do what has never been done involves the deepest level of creativity.

YouTube: The creative act of listening to a talking frog | Kermit The Frog | TEDxJackson

“Creativity is the true engine of our economy.”

Kermit The Frog

You don’t wait until you have time to tap into your creativity – you make time and allow your creativity to flow.

In this ted talk Kermit explains:

“Michael Angelo chipped away at a lot of stone before he found his angel”

“Albert Einstein scribbled a lot numbers before he came up with theory of relativity”

You see the creators of our time did not wait for the answers before starting, they started with the certainty that they answers would come.

They have what Jim Henson describes “Ridiculous Optimism”

Something not many possess, and even when they do, they are afraid to say it loud; afraid that somehow, they don’t have what it takes. But what if they do, what if you do. What if people believed in their own magic, what would happen then?

Amy and Susan believe in “Ridiculous Optimism” What started as a conversation, led them here. Who knew in 2015 at an International Women’s Day conference for the Pink Link Ladies, meeting for the first time this would be their story? This story carried them here because they were not afraid to do what had not yet been done. They believed in their own magic, and if nothing else they believed in shining a light on the magic of others.

Are you brave enough to jump on board their train of creativity?

Amy's brainchild, Socially homes, is an innovative approach to homelessness, and is fully supported by The Peoples Hub. If you are someone who views the world through a unique lens, someone who values humanity and someone who has a desire to help people, not just on a local level but on a global level, then jump on board.

We cannot do this alone.

That's where The Peoples Hub comes in. Bringing together the Socially: Game-Changers to create more magic! Helping with specialist consultation, media services, and often giving a voice to the voiceless.

The process of evolution is to transcend and include

Ken Wilber

He says: “As we evolve, we don’t just become different we go beyond who we were originally, while still including all we were before.”

This is a message we want to harness. We don’t want to take people from the ruins, place them in safety and help them forget the ruins, no, at The Peoples Hub: Socially Homes, we want to harness their journey, and using a holistic and person-centred approach we want to see people as the whole being.

Will we get it right all the time? Absolutely not! But will we keep trying, YES.

Today’s mistakes could be tomorrows innovations.

What can we learn from children? Let’s forget what we know and embrace the wisdom of a child.

“In the beginners mind there are many possibilities in the experts mind there are few.”

Sunryu Susuki

Let’s be courageous enough to shout from the roof tops, let’s be more 5-year-old in our approach:

Think about when children fall, they shout help from the roof tops and look to adults for comfort and reassurance

They don’t struggle on with something they find difficult, the second they struggle, they shout for help/support

They may give it their best shot, or minimal effort, either way they see no shame in asking or needing support

They see the value in togetherness, they don’t have the ‘I must be okay on my own’ they go straight to ‘I need someone to hang out with me’

Everyone has one piece of the puzzle to offer you, if all we have to do is share what we know and share the wisdom of others. We will win!

With good friendsyou can't lose!

Kermit the Frog

We need you, all of you.

Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are

Mason Cooley

Reading has many benefits, including managing anxiety, helps prevent age related cognitive decline, build vocabulary, increases your ability to empathise.

How can we make it more accessible to all? 

How can we get more creative? Popup community libraries are a relatively new initiative that encourages unused spaces to be used as pop up libraries. Some ideas are old phone boxes, disused bus shelters, post boxes and bookshelves within supermarkets.

How can we take this hidden treasure and embed in it in communities all over the world?

Many cities, countries have the luxury of a library, a place they can visit, read, relax, and feel at home.

However, what pop up libraries offer is a step beyond that. They are offering the highest form of outreach.

Think of spaces you have within your disposal, how could you be part of this campaign, small steps make big changes. Do you have anything in your street or local park that could be transformed.

Draw inspiration from the articles below and let’s get creative.

Phone Box Community Libraries UK and Worldwide

We love a theme! Especially one that transports us. Check out these 20 Little Free Libraries designed to look like British phone booths. Find these libraries and many more on the Little Free Library map or mobile app! Ahh, feels like we’ve taken a trip across the pond…

UK red telephone box converted into a Tiny Library, full of books photograph

Bus stop community libraries to end commuters’ tedium

The Municipality of Bağcılar, Istanbul's most populated district, is offering a novel service for commuters: bus stop libraries. Bookcases placed in bus stops will have a wide selection of books for those looking to spend their leisure time while waiting for the bus.

Initially set up in 11 bus stops, the municipality plans to install libraries in others soon. A total of 20,000 books were placed in small libraries since September when they were first introduced, and they are being changed with new titles twice a week.

Commuters can either read the books at the seated bus stop or borrow it and read it somewhere else. They can return the books to another bookcase at another bus stop.

Bus stop in Bağcılar, Istanbul, Turkey converted into a library
Bağcılar, Istanbul

To read more please visit: https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/2014/10/17/bus-stop-libraries-to-end-commuters-tedium

Solitary Bus Shelter come library

A solitary bus shelter in Mollington has been redundant since the buses stopped passing through the village – until now.

A new initiative has created a pop-up library using the old bus stop as a reading room.

The idea is for Mums, Dads, children and passers-by to stop, rummage through the shelves and have a few quiet moments with a book.

Instigators of the scheme John, Helen and Dorothy Fielding who live in the village said that they wanted to bring a little colour into the village and its old bus stop. They said: “Mollington does lack amenities having no shop or pub so we thought a small haven of public books would help brighten up our rural scene and create the opportunity for more social interaction.”

Mollington, Cheshire bus stop turned into a library, photograph of children cuttiing a ribbon at the opening
Mollington, Cheshire

Read the full article: Disused Mollington bus stop converted into pop-up library

Turkish garbage collectors open a community library with all of the books citizens discard in their trash

Yes, there is a library in Ankara composed entirely of books thrown out (presumably) by people who hate reading (or who work in publishing). After Turkish garbage collectors began finding more and more trashed books, they decided to start organizing them in an abandoned brick factory—and voila, a library was born.

At first, the surplus books were lent out to friends and families, but as the library gained in popularity the garbage collectors opened things up to the public, who also began to donate books. With a collection of over 6,000 books, the local municipality, Çankaya, found room in the budget for a full-time library employee, and has converted a garbage truck into a mobile library that doubles as a donations truck.

Garbage collectors open library with abandoned books in Çankaya, Ankara, Turkey
Çankaya, Ankara

To read more, please visit: https://lithub.com/turkish-garbage-collectors-have-created-a-library-from-discarded-books.

Incredible work happening all over the world, how can we capitalise on the learning. How can we work together to create more, accessible, reading spaces? Spaces available to all.

What can we learn from these amazing community initiatives? Often, we report on what is not working, what we need to do more of and where we are falling short.

Today we celebrate what is working well, and an opportunity to invite everyone in.

To be extraordinary you don’t have to create art, you just have to consume it.” (Susan Cain) 

Let’s start consuming art!

#ArtDayEveryDay

You may enjoy reading: Save Our Libraries

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
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