The Family Arena Project
Background:
Word Fountain Christian Ministries is a faith based registered charity (1102347) that has been actively engaged with the community life in and around Oxford since 2002. It is a registered member of National Council for Voluntary Organisation. The charity is BME led but its services reach the diverse communities in Oxford and beyond.
Word Fountain has managed various community projects co-funded with the Oxfordshire County Council at various times (Parenting Club, Play Day, Women Sexual Health, Youth Opportunity Grant, etc.). It serves as a community anchor working with International Ministers Fellowship (a national organisation) Oxford Pastors Forum, Oxfordshire BME Community Champions, ACCAN, Churches Together in Cowley, The British Red Cross, etc. It continues to develop strategic alliances and partnerships.
The Family Arena Project is an initiative to combine the strength of the Church and the Local Community in providing a social enterprise/hub for the benefit of the wider community. Family Arena has a Steering Committee made of members of the community, business and councillors. It also enjoys the support of Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action (OCVA) that provides ongoing project review. In December 2009, FAMILY ARENA PROJECT was awarded £4000 as a seed grant by the Migration Impacts Project Fund managed by OCVA. It has also attracted institutional and personal support since it was launched.
Plan:
All projects are currently running and hosted at various levels but have the potential to be developed into a social enterprise. There is no similar project in the Cowley Area. The Project has great potential for expansion and it is set up as a model for statutory and other service providers to engage with the BME community for mutual benefits.
The desire to develop and deploy FAMILY ARENA for the benefit of children, youths, women, elderly, migrants and economically disadvantaged community is multi-purpose social engagement with positive income stream and employment generation.
Our Requirements:
a) Further help in further exploring the feasibility and development of the project
b) Identification and Recruitment of volunteers and workers (click to see current vacancies) –
c) Other areas of support required include project management, fund raising, mentoring, training, etc.
d) Sign posting to relevant funding agencies
e) Raising the Profile of FAMILY ARENA