REIN and partners, Plaistow South Big Local and The Urban Mindfulness Foundation join together to build a new kitchen, developing a Community Café at REIN’s youth & community Centre to operate as a social enterprise, and develop a Therapy Garden. We aim to refurbish the floor of our community hall to facilitate educational mindfulness, self-defence/raising awareness programme and health & wellbeing classes, promoting mindful engagement of nature, the arts and enterprise. Our aim is to facilitate activities that respond to the social, economic and environmental challenges of the 21st Century, by delivering free self-defence/raising awareness programmes, educational mindfulness courses to schools, young people, adults & families who may experience socio-economic challenges, isolation, and/or gun and knife crime. We hope to foster acceptance, unity and social inclusion through physical, psychological and emotional well-being that is measurable and scalable.

What we'll deliver:

• a new kitchen suitable for a Community Café that operates as a social enterprise
• a small Therapy Garden that offers a tranquil space for young adults and their families
• a new floor to the community hall suitable for self-defence and well-being classes, workshops and courses
• a free educational Mindfulness Course with a prosocial intention to each Secondary School in Newham
• a free educational self-defence course/raising awareness programme to each Secondary School in Newham
• a week-long summer mindfulness school for young people and their families in Newham

Why it's a great idea:

Our project responds to the socio-economic and environmental challenges we are currently facing including escalating gun, gang, knife and xenophobic/ hate crimes in Newham. Our previous work with young people in schools & the community inform this project and there is a need for an alternative approach to nurturing long term behavioural and attitudinal changes in young people’s lives that benefit all of us. Changes start within but need supporting with a community-based approach that links healthy eating, cooking and enterprise, with healthy activities and lifestyle choices grounded in mindfulness and education. We will deliver a small urban oasis in a deprived area of East London to offer a sense of safety, value and self-worth for young people, adults and their families. By encouraging social enterprise, inclusion and Mindfulness of diversity and harmful identity-based biases, we know we can address the challenges of being the most multicultural and diverse borough in the UK.

Steps to get it done:

• Extend the kitchen area to include two cooking surfaces
• Change the flooring to enable self-defence classes and floor exercises to take place
• Buy and install a new commercial kitchen, units, cooker, worktops and Cafe equipment for the social enterprise
• Deliver a Free mindfulness course to every interested and supporting Secondary School in Newham
• Offer a week long mindfulness summer school for youngster and their families
• Design and install a small Zen garden for reflection and social enterprise contemplation
• Deliver a Free self defence course to every interested and supporting Secondary School in Newham

This wonderful project involves transforming a community space into a safe, vibrant, supportive, social enterprise, that offers activities that focus on mental and physical health and well-being, alongside providing training opportunities. We believe we can make a sustainable difference to the lives of the people we work with and alongside.