A community coming together to connect people
The new ‘Stay Connected’ fund will raise vital money for charities supporting individuals facing social isolation as a result of digital exclusion.
It includes; the Refugee and Migrant Centre, Wolverhampton Samaritans, Gazebo Theatre and Wolverhampton Learning Platform and is the final stage of a collective fundraising effort to tackle issues within the community.
Organisations, businesses and individuals can go to spacehive.com/stayconnected to donate money, get behind the project and support their city.
The Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council, with support from the Wolverhampton Clinical Commissioning Group, have already pledged £5,000 to kick start the appeal.
“Newly arrived refugees, having fled persecution in their home country, are often isolated, lonely and disoriented. They want to help themselves to become contributing members of their communities but lack the means to do so. This funding combined with RMC’s support will support them along that journey to independence.”
Dr. Heather Thomas, Head of Health and Wellbeing at RMC
What your support will provide:
- £5 will buy a bus-pass to enable residents to attend the Learning Platform
- £5 will buy a Connecting People mobile phone top up pack
- £8 will secure one month’s Wi-Fi for a refugee family so that they can learn English and stay in touch with loved ones
- £10 will buy a mobile sim for one month to allow clients to phone for job roles
- £14 will buy one month’s internet access to a family or person who are isolated
- £25 will buy one to one remote digital support and training for six people
- £50 will buy 1-2-1 remote digital support, training and online connection for 12 people
- £50 would buy three months of data to allow clients to access online training, job search & application support, UC Account
- £150 will buy a tablet for a refugee family to learn English; access support into employment and financial independence
- £200 will buy equipment and internet access for a family for three months
How to help:
To make a donation, please visit spacehive.com/stayconnected. Organisations wishing to make an application to the small grants fund are asked to email Saffi Price on sprice@wolverhamptonvsc.org.uk. The grants will be administered by Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council.
“The current Covid-19 crisis has highlighted the importance of digital connectivity; this has been vital for everything from home-schooling to reducing isolation by enabling people to stay in touch with friends and families. In extreme cases, digital connectivity offered people the only chance to say goodbye to loved ones. However, for some, the lack of digital connectivity has compounded exclusion resulting in isolation, and a negative impact on their on mental health.”
Leader of the Council, Councillor Ian Brookfield
Spacehive, the crowd funding platform powering Crowdfund Wolves, has waived its 5% fee for all projects created during the current lockdown which means all monies raised will go directly to local third sector organisations.
Crowdfund Wolves provides a single portal where people with project ideas can build support from their community, ensure their plans are viable, pitch for funding from the crowd and partners at the same time, and share the impact they have created. For more information, visit www.wolverhamptonvsc.org.uk/onecityfund/
