Free@last have been an integral part of the Nechells community since 1999, originally starting as a support network for dad's, expanding into all areas of community development and need with youth workshops, debt management, physical activity, enrichment activities such as trips and excursions, and so much more.
The main aims of the charity is to provide support and opportunities for local people to improve their standards of living and reach their full potential. Free@Last want to make lasting changes by developing and implementing a Poverty Strategy to help eradicate the issues of child poverty in the area. The issue of being born into an impoverished community means that their surroundings offer no hope and no prospect at breaking the cycle. Free@Last have been supporting the young people in the community to break the cycle and become role models for the next generation to show that there are opportunities out there and that they too can reach their potential.
In recognition of the work and committed service to the community over the last 20 years, Free@Last have been awarded the medal from the High Sheriff of the West Midlands as well as the prestigious Queen's Golden Jubilee Award for improving the lives of the residents of Nechells.
free@last offer a wide range of core services, as well as developing new provisions to complement the needs of the service users. By having an adaptable model has enabled the charity to react quickly to the ever changing social and economic climate and was able to act extremely fast in providing provisions for the local community during the Covid-19 crisis.
The Covid-19 support the charity provided included a food bank whereby nearly 4,000 parcels were distributed, feeding over 12,200 people; over 1,400 unique individuals. In addition to this, 144 young people were worked with via the Youth Worker programme and 227 people contacted via the Debt Management Service.
Outside of the Covid-19 situation, free@last run various programmes as mentioned to address the needs of the local community. A Youth Service works with the young people aged 6 - 25+ in the ward through the issues they may be facing in their lives. This may be struggling with their education, difficulties finding employment, assisting with matters surrounding their home and social lives; whatever it may be. The prospects for young people in the area are low with many schools in the area scoring poorly on the Ofsted ratings and a dearth in employment opportunities. free@last help guide around 40 young people each week throughout the difficult and daunting transition into adulthood and supported them with their immediate needs and also future planning.
The Debt Management Service has been running for over 11 years and helps around 350 people a year. The service will help people and their families manage their income and expenditure, assist with finding the right benefits and support available, and ensuring they can get out of debt and lead a more prosperous life. In the last year, the service had provided £1.6 million of benefit whether through increased household income or reducing bills and debt. With the household income so low in the area, this has been a vital and much used essential service and will continue to be going forward.
The Entrepreneurial Workshops & Programme has been a wonderful success with the charity with the most notable being the creation of Brum Ting; a group of local young people aged 14-16 who wanted to make their own money and created a jewellery business. Once the products were made, they sold them on a market stall last Christmas and made modest profits each. However, they didn't stop there and have now wanting to expand their range, developing routes to market, creating online sales platforms, marketing, and more. Bearing in mind some are still not allowed to buy a lottery ticket, their ambition and drive to make the success of their business has been infectious and inspiring additional groups and even gained support and investment from business leaders across the city. In recognition of their achievements, Brum Ting are part of the United By Birmingham 2020 programme (in relation to the Commonwealth Games) which demonstrates the positive impact they are having on their local community.
In addition to the above, the facility also offers media rooms for the young people to create videos and movies using the green screen, and editing suite, music production including recording studio, mixing room and DJ booth. There are also breakout rooms for activities ranging from games consoles, to pool, table tennis, etc. The facility also caters for the transition into adulthood with an independent living flat to teach the young people how to live independently. Personal development programmes have been provided through CV writing workshops and IT literacy is developed in the computer rooms. Finally, the facility has the Midlands largest climbing wall suitable for complete novices right up to expert climbers and tops out at 14 metres high.
Up until the pandemic, free@last put on excursions to do various activities ranging from general sports such as football, to watersports including canoeing and kayaking, as well as ventures further afield to provide new experiences for the young people including orienteering and camping.
The charity with the team and resources in place is able to provide almost any service the young people require. free@last always seek to change the lives of the local residents in a positive manner and provide them with opportunities they would not otherwise have if the charity was not in existence.
