Action 4 Gascoigne | Case Studies
A social action project for 11-18 year olds
Action4Gascoigne (A4G) is a social action project for 11-18 year olds who live on and around the severely deprived Gascoigne Estate in the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham.
You’ll find some examples of our impact below.
Case Study | Daniel, 11
Unfortunately, many of the young people we engage have extremely turbulent home lives which lack consistency. As such our weekly sessions become a regular reliable resource for many young people.
An example of how invaluable this regular contact is for participants can be seen through our work with Daniel who joined us when he was 11 years old.
Daniel has ADHD which impacts his ability to concentrate and learn, he often gets in trouble at school and finds himself isolated. This isolation had led to him being painfully shy and only able to communicate through his older siblings. Daniel’s home life was not helping this situation as the family were experiencing severe housing issues, often moving from sofa to sofa and with very little money and no routine.
We spent time working with Daniel to help build his communication skills; gradually his speech improved, he could hold eye contact and he was able to focus throughout activities. As a result of this, his confidence has grown and he is now communicating well with us and his peers.
A4G has given Daniel a constant source of engagement through which he has built trust with our team and his peers, helping him feel supported enough to push himself in the right direction. Our team have also worked with his school and social services to address Daniel’s home life and while that is an on-going struggle, Daniel is now a confident and active young boy who we continue to work with.
Case Study | Janelle, 17
Janelle joined our weekly social action group Action4Gascoigne (A4G) in 2015 when she was just 15 years old. Janelle was extremely withdrawn from everyone in the group, including the facilitators.
She didn’t enjoy school, was constantly in trouble for her behaviour and was extremely unhappy. After working with Janelle for a few months we started to develop a good relationship which clearly made her feel at ease and helped her to open up to us about problems she was facing at home.
Janelle lived with her Mum and her younger siblings in a two bedroom flat on the nearby Estate. Her Mum had a serious gambling problem which often led to her neglect. Janelle was frequently left alone looking after and caring for her younger siblings which was extremely challenging for her at 15 years of age. Janelle also had an extremely bad skin condition that wasn’t under control which she needed help and guidance with as not only was this affecting her physically but also mentally. It transpired over time that Janelle’s Mum was often abusive towards the children which forced Janelle to fall out with her as a way of protecting them – this created even more division at home making Janelle feel isolated and alone.
Janelle worked with us over the next 3 years and based on her level of need, we mentored her to help with the issues she was facing. We attended hospital appointments with her and helped her to secure a college placement allowing her to re-sit her GCSE’s. Janelle was kicked out of her home by her Mum so we helped her to then secure supported living accommodation at a local hostel and we always created a safe place she could come to if she needed help or guidance. Janelle also disclosed a very serious assault on her that we supported her with Police interviews and ensured Janelle felt safe whilst the investigation was running.
Once Janelle was too old to attend A4G anymore we invited her on to our Youth Volunteer Programme and created a volunteer post for her in our office, to continue providing her with mentoring and positive work experiences. Janelle was thrilled with this opportunity as it gave her a sense of purpose, we really saw some positive changes in Janelle as a result of this. As part of her volunteering post we also asked her to start to peer mentor young attendees on the A4G programme. She came to work smartly dressed, clearly having made an effort for the day ahead.
Janelle became a much more positive person to be around, we would often ask Janelle to work with other young people during the A4G sessions as part of her peer mentor role and she would always get the best out of them. Janelle is now a confident young woman, who always strives to do her best in every situation. Its thanks to fantastic regular running projects like A4G that help us to build these transformational relationships and help so many in need and at risk young people.
*Photos are from the project, not of actual case study participants. Names have been changed.
What People Are Saying
“I want to thank Chain Reaction for helping me to become a better person and helping me to realise what is important in life.”
— Participant, 17, London Borough of Barking & Dagenham
“Young people can meet new friends, get outside, form a network, have people they can speak to… and it allows the community to build their neighbourhood. [A4G is] such a great opportunity for young people and the wider community!”
— Martha, Community Engagement Officer, Community Consultation, London Borough of Barking & Dagenham
“I enjoyed the community togetherness… We all brainstormed and came up with positive, viable ideas. It really brings people together.
It is nothing but positive and A4G strive to do their best for the future of the next generation.”
— Tarik, Police Officer, Community Consultation, London Borough of Barking & Dagenham
“I would like to thank Chain Reaction for helping me become a young adult; they are all amazing, lovely and kind people and if it weren’t for them I wouldn’t be the person I am today.”
— Participant, 18, London Borough of Barking & Dagenham