The idea
Barnet Mencap and Kisharon are two local charities which will run Childs Hill Library for at least 10 years. We have plenty of ideas how we could make the local library a vibrant centre for social, cultural and educational projects. Childs Hill library as well as the surrounding garden, can host a variety of events, workshops, and enterprise projects for every age group. From children to the elderly, everyone will find something to do when they visit.
As we are two charity organisations supporting people with learning disabilities in the borough of Barnet, we would like to convey the value of inclusion on to this project.
Engaging people in different workshops and work experience opportunities would be beneficial to the whole of the community. We would like to create a space where everyone feels welcome and to achieve it we came up with a number of ideas of how to use these grounds for the benefit of the whole community.
What we'll deliver
- Host social and cultural events like family picnics
- Regular film screenings
- Renovated spare room so it can host workshops
- Space created for employability and educational purposes
Why it's a great idea
Creating a space for people from Childs Hill and surrounding areas will bring the community together and allow people to relax, learn and create in a welcoming environment. Many of the libraries in Barnet are now run by the collaboration of the local organisations and the Council, staying open only within limited times and being manned by volunteers. We understand that libraries need to be more multipurpose spaces, allowing people to develop their interests and spend their time in a stimulating and inclusive environment. Our main goal was to create an appealing range of activities the Library can host, from film screenings, book club, family picnics and vintage fairs to enterprise DIY project, autism and learning disability workshops, tutoring, language classes and employment workshops. We want to renovate the spare room to fit it with a small kitchenette with tea and coffee as well as a space for running these creative and educational workshops.
Steps to get it done
- Buying equipment for film screenings, Lego corner, workshops and picnics
- Renovating the spare room
- Starting to organise all the activities with help of the volunteers
We will organise a launch party for all our backers and people from the area in late September! Pledge £5 or more for us and we will give you a free ticket to our first film screening!
