TASK 3: Contacting organisations 2

Yesterday I found another organisation contact and finally managed to meet with him, following the direction of New Horizonts (another organisation).

I were at Age Concern, Kensigton & Chelsea and meet with Mr. Ben Long.

Even that he didnt have enough time, he promised that he will send me the 

answers via email. However I have described him what my reasearch is about and he liked the idea and told me that it works becouse they allready did something like that. 

He described me how hard is to manage the process becouse it is hard to find a place on a theatre for performance and it is very expensive to pay the professionals who will assist at workshops, for scenario.

They are doing it every year and it is called Acting up.

"Each year for three weeks during the summer, a group of school children from Holland Park School get together with members of Age Concern (Kensington and Chelsea) and spend three weeks together, writing and rehearsing with actors from Theatre ADAD to produce and star in their very own show."  

Source: Link

After that I have been looking from him for some new territories of my subject, and he promised me that he will write for them and answers to my email, which I am still waiting.


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I received a response from another organisation named Openage that gives support  and offers collaboration for my project. 

Further below see copy of their response via email:

"Hi Yll,

Just to let you know that I’m very interested in your proposal for some intergenerational work. So busy today so will try and get back to you tomorrow and answer your questions. If you could let me know days and state morning/afternoon that you might be free to work together then it would be helpful as we work on our programmes now, to print end of Nov.

Many thanks and I’ll send you the question answers tomorrow.

Best wishes,

Jemma Bicknell

Westbourne Hub Co-Manager"...       Date 07.11.11

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...and she was very supportive with her answers,...

"I think it’s a great idea, something that needs to happen more often given things like the London riots etc....We could find a venue and assist with and promote the group....We would need to get the space and time sorted before end of Nov as that’s when we print our new activity programmes for Jan..."  Date 08.11.11

I have replied to her via email explaining her at what stage my research is and hoping that they might give further support in that direction.

 

Contacting people - Interviews

As part of my primary research I have created 3 types of questionnaires with which I started to contact people of my focus groups and organisations - charities. To do that was not easy at all, because it was hard to find people who can collaborate with you while you are doing it on the streets. I have to mention that I was lucky if I got one from ten of them asked kindly to spare their time  for my research.

During the process I heard things like ...sorry, i have no time, ... don`t speak english, ...can`t speak at all, ... we have just a week here,  and all this leaded me to find places

where the elderly and the youngsters are seen often, like "Portobelo market" an antique market attractive place for people of different ages where usually I had chances to contact the elderly. Other people of my focus-group are youngsters which I tried to reach around schools or near the sport centers here at Kensington area.

Here you can see some of my interviewers that accepted to have a pic. for records as i promised them.There are diagrams formed after collecting quantitative and qualitative data that describe their opinions about some of the questions made to them about the project.

There are also some other questions at each group about their family & siblings, relationships with them, some opinions etc which I have saved for records.

TASK 3: Contacting organisations

I have tried to contact the organizations and charities which deal with Intergenerational relationships, the elderly and other generation people, sending them emails with questions about my project.

From some of them I still haven`t got any response, whilst some of them replied and either answered some of my questions or directed me to more competent people who can help or share experiences similar to my project.

I have started my project researching locally and tried to approach local and official authorities.

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These are the questions directed to them, after explaining the project:

"The cycle of life, all generations sharing stories

I am working in a brief about researching the possibilities of

creating an event or programme that will bring together the

relationships between the young and elderly whilst promoting their social activity.

I would like to organise a workshop in which different (the elderly

and the youngsters) generation can communicate, talk,

tell stories and share experiences which would lead to making a

scenario towards a drama performance as a final product of their

social activity promotion.

The idea is to research the possibilities that they themselves create scenario and play it in a

drama as a final product of the project."

 1. What do you think about the idea?

 2. Would you be able to assist and what would that be?

 3. Would you be able to provide us with a space for workshop and later performance?

 4. What would be the best timing to organise this event so they don’t clash with your other activities?

 5. Would you be able to assist with printing of promotion material, or direct us to any charity organisation that   could assist?

6. How would you manage that kind of workshop?

 ...or if you could direct me to any charity organisation which could be helpful for the above intent?

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I have started with a local library where they directed me to Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, their reply was:

"The idea sounds fine and you may find HistoryTalk a useful contact as they have organized intergenerational activities similar to this."

...they have given me some other links which I contacted via email. 

Contact the elderly

AgeUK Lambeth

Open Age 

Westway (community projects)

New Horizonts ( a multi-activity centre for older people) replied to me and directed to another contact...

"...thank you for getting in touch, I would recommend you contact B. L. at Age Concern Kensington and Chelsea, he deals with intergenerational projects and has done similar projects and has connections with schools etc and is best placed to help with this.  I'm sure he would be happy to answer any questions you have. However if your only looking for a couple of sessions then we could provide a room during term break for a workshop or performance and we could publicise through usual channels, but we couldn't contribute towards payments for printing or other promotion."

They provided me with contact-email for Age Concern to whom I have written, sent them the questions from questionnaire and asked for advice for project; I am waiting for a response. 

I have to mention that during my interviews in the streets, I passed  Westway-citizen advice center  and started doing my interview with a woman at the reception and she firstly gave me very hopeful answers till the end when she signed her personal name regreting to put her company name instead (she did not accept to take picture for records as well) and her answers were like...

"I think that this is a very good idea, 

I would have been assisting younger`s as a mentor,

Hypothetically speaking (if it happens)  the organisation would be able to offer a space...all the evenings, 

One of her answers were that if it happens we can assist with printing of promotion material..."...nevertheless I am trying too contact them via email,