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Afrikindness is proud to announce that it has received a grant of £11,599 from National Lottery funding to support its initiatives with children and young people from black and minority families in Leeds. This funding will specifically address challenges stemming from cultural differences and language barriers in parenting styles. Certain cultural practices, such as physical punishment, can negatively impact children, leading to behavioural and mental health issues.
Research from the University of Cambridge emphasises the profound impact of warm and loving parent-child relationships on mental well-being and prosocial behaviours. Every parent aspires to raise responsible, resilient children, and the Parenting with Purpose Training & community programme addresses this aspiration.
Our new Purposeful Parenting Training & Community Programme aims to equip over 100 parents with the tools needed for purposeful parenting, creating an environment where children can thrive despite cultural or racial challenges. This initiative will benefit individual children and foster a more inclusive and supportive community.
The Afrikindness Parent team will utilise the funding to coordinate parent training workshops and community awareness campaigns. These will include monthly virtual sessions, two half-day training workshops in Leeds, a full-day parenting conference in Leeds, and one-on-one support and intervention for parents with challenging needs. The curriculum will cover topics tailored to our community’s cultural contexts, including the impact of cultural values on parenting styles, mental health, emotional intelligence, behaviour management, safeguarding, social services, and self-care. This programme aims to enhance family dynamics within cultural contexts, contributing to overall community wellbeing.
Afrikindness, founded by Bunmi Owolabi in 2022, is supported by over 60 dedicated volunteers. Bunmi was inspired to establish Afrikindness after identifying the need for enhanced support for Black and minority families in navigating cultural and racial issues, and addressing their children’s socio-emotional developmental needs.
Afrikindness provides mentoring and empowerment projects for children and young people, along with cultural education in schools, and supports parents in navigating cultural and racial complexities. These efforts aim to foster positive racial identity development and address the social and emotional developmental needs of young people, recognizing the crucial roles that parents and schools play in these formative stages.
Our virtual parenting sessions, attended by over 50 parents, provide a platform to discuss parenting challenges and gain insights from experts. These sessions help parents network, learn new parenting strategies, navigate the UK system, seek expert support, make friends, and have fun. Practical, syndicate sessions and parent homeworks ensure that the learnings are integrated into homes and communities, enhancing the confidence, self-belief, and collaboration skills of children and young people.
With the new funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and is the largest community funder in the UK, these sessions will be expanded to include monthly face-to-face workshops, syndicate sessions, and a conference. Our approach will also involve community leaders, religious institutions, and African community groups, increasing participation to over 100 parents and community leaders, and extending our reach into other ethnic minority community groups.
Furthermore, the parent group will introduce support and intervention sessions for parents with challenging needs, helping them build stronger relationships with their children and network with other parents facing similar challenges.
Paula Sampson Lawrence, Parent Trainer and Coach, expressed her excitement: “We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognized our work in this way. Thanks to this funding, we will be able to expand our reach and support more parents in our community. This is crucial because positive parenting practices can shape the future aspirations and life experiences of children. As a parent coach, I am excited to see the impact this programme will have on our community.”
Ronke Olojede, Community & Family Liaison Manager, added: “This funding allows us to reach more parents and community leaders, fostering a supportive network that empowers families and strengthens our community.”
By educating parents now, Afrikindness aims to prevent negative parenting behaviours before they have a lasting impact on children. This grant will enable us to continue making a meaningful difference in the lives of families in Leeds, ensuring a brighter future for our children.
Find out more about Afrikindness Parenting with Purpose training programme here:- https://afrikindness.org/our-services/afrikindness-parents/parent-training-programme/
Are you a community leader interested in bespoke training for your community? Contact us at parents@afrikindness.org
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Email: info@afrikindness.org Website: www.afrikindness.org
Notes to Editors: About The National Lottery Community Fund. We are the largest non-statutory community funder in the UK – community is at the heart of our purpose, vision and name.
We support activities that create resilient communities that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable and that will strengthen society and improve lives across the UK.
We’re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to work closely with government to distribute vital grants and funding from key Government programmes and initiatives.
As well as responding to what communities tell us is important to them, our funding is focused on four key missions, supporting communities to:
- Come together
- Be environmentally sustainable
- Help children and young people thrive
- Enable people to live healthier lives.
Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, we distribute around £500 million a year through 10,000+ grants and plan to invest over £4 billion of funding into communities by 2030. We’re privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life.
National Lottery players raise over £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK. Since The National Lottery began in 1994, £47 billion has been raised and more than 670,000 individual grants have been made across the UK – the equivalent of around 240 National Lottery grants in every UK postcode district.
