10 Years of Bringing Hope

CITY GATEWAY10

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10 Years Of Bringing HopeTo Tower Hamlets

1999 - 2009

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City Gateway01 Introduction04 Tower Hamlets05 Working in Partnership

Connect11 Limehouse Youth Centre12 Women’s Outreach Work

Engage15 Engage and Engage Plus Courses16 Women’s Project Taster Courses

Train19 Export Course20 Women’s Project Training Courses

Work23 Apprenticeships24 Social Enterprises25 Graduates

Enterprise Hub27 Introduction28 Gateway Media29 Gateway Motion, Creative Me, The Bus, Green Screen and Flavour Gateway.

Corporate Information31 10 Years of Bringing Hope 33 Partners and Funders35 Finances36 Contacts

City Gateway is a charity dedicated to bringing hope to the local communities of Tower Hamlets that have been left behind by the wider area’s economic development. We look to connect with local women and disadvantaged young people, and run programmes which engage them, train them and provide them with the skills and opportunities they need to enter work. We were set up by a group of City workers involved in local churches, keen to support the community around them.

We run a women’s project, a youth centre, a youth training facility and a social enterprise hub - offering disadvantaged individuals everything from community events and drop-in youth clubs through to apprenticeship schemes and the chance to develop their own business ideas. We look to bring together different cultures and work against conflict and division.

Overcoming obstacles such as poor language levels, a lack of role models, limited aspirations and low skill levels, we engage with the real needs of individuals through a step by step progression. We seek to provide individuals with the confidence, employability skills and the all round development they need to reach their potential. In partnership with a wide range of firms and community organisations we have seen amazing changes in both groups and individuals and made a visible difference to local statistics.

Eddie Stride (Chief Executive)

In East London - a model which could transform

society

“ “NEW STATESMAN

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Connect Engage Train WorkConnect

CITY GATEWAY

To find out more information about any of our projects or see videos of our team in action visit: www.citygateway.org.uk

Before City Gateway I was out on the streets, starting trouble and busy getting chucked out of school. I found out about the course through a mate and to start with I wasn’t confident, didn’t talk much

and used to bunk off. I can do things myself now - I’ve done sports, media, maths, English, CV work and got loads of advice. On the course I changed and started

to think more about my future, now my friends come to me for advice.

I work in a gym as part of my apprenticeship and still train alongside that. I induct people and do real fitness instructing, getting an extra day of support when I need

it. I’m just happy because City Gateway has changed the way I think and the way I do things. It has made

me more confident, I talk more and I don’t feel nervous. When I’m older I want to have my own gym and employ

my friends to work there.

City Gateway changed my life.

“

“

ZAhid

£300,000 Government figures suggest that a NEET person at the age of 16 will ultimately cost the tax payer £97,000, in some cases as much as £300,000

City Gateway’s work has seen NEET figures fall

from 15% to 6.7%.

“ “

The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is an area of great contrasts. Sitting on the edge of the City it is home to landmarks as varied as the Tower of London, Brick Lane and Canary Wharf, home to some of the biggest firms in the World. Despite the area’s recent economic reinvention it remains one of the most deprived local authority areas in England.

At the last census the Borough had the highest rate of unemployment in the country and a population of almost 200,000, 30% higher than 10 years earlier. It is home to a diverse and vibrant community and one of the largest and fastest growing youth populations in Europe. The council reports that a third of the population is Bangladeshi in origin, half of whom are under 20, and unemployment is as high as 32%. Community cohesion and race relations are often poor, drug use and anti-social behaviour persist and crime levels are more than double the national average.

The Government’s Multiple Deprivation Index ranks much of the borough within the worst 5%

of the country. 1 in 4 people are deemed to have skills too low for business use, demonstrating how the area has continued to struggle despite an influx of new jobs which now outnumber residents more than 2 to 1. For Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic women, with whom we also work, economic inactivity is as high as 70%.

There is hope for the future - despite the impact of the credit crunch, developments in Corporate Social Responsibility and local procurement policies are helping bring much needed training, investment and jobs right into the local community. City Gateway’s work, in partnership with other organisations, has seen NEET (young people not in education, employment or training) figures fall from 15% to 6.7% in the past two years. The New Statesman reports that of the 250 young people removed from the Borough NEET register in 2007, City Gateway had worked with 220 of them.

Darren Wolf (Chief Operations Officer)

04Tower Hamlets

One of the best projects I have seen is the City Gateway youth inclusion project in Tower Hamlets. The project brings volunteers

from some of the biggest banks to help develop the skills and job-readiness of young people. We need to find ways to make sure such

brilliant projects are more than one-off success stories.

“

“

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Working In Partnership

For ten years our team has strived to work in partnership both with other community organisations and with the

local business community. Our emphasis on this comes from a simple realisation that the issues affecting Tower Hamlets are too great for any single organisation to tackle but that together we can start to make a real impact, not only on individuals but on the community as a whole.

Having been founded purposefully to link the skills of professionals into local needs, corporate support was vital to our work long before corporate social responsibility became as commonplace as it is today. Several of our projects have been directly funded by company giving and all of our work has benefited from pro bono support through volunteering, consulting, business

development and other donations. Many of our greatest success stories have only been made possible by partnerships with the business community both in Canary Wharf and the City.

Our development has seen us partner with a range of community organisations both in Tower Hamlets and increasingly, as part of our efforts to share best practice and experience, across the whole of London. By working together we ensure that individuals get the best possible help and not just a generic solution that might not meet their needs. As well as connecting through referrals at the start and end of our progression chain we have built partnership support into the heart of all our programmes. Much of our success would have been impossible without it.

Jerry daykin (Marketing Manager)

Working in Partnership

dAVid LAMMY, MiNiSTEr of STATE for highEr EduCATioN

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To find out more about working with City Gateway visit: www.citygateway.org.uk/partnership

“

I see a really important role for social enterprises, like City Gateway in Tower Hamlets, which takes young adults from local estates and trains them in the skills our economy will need in the future like web design. These social enterprises have the local knowledge, the human touch, and sensitive understanding of the complex and interconnected problems of

educational failure and worklessness and I want to see more City Gateways come in, take this recession by the scruff of the neck and

help get people into work.

“

dAVid CAMEroN MP, LEAdEr of ThE oPPoSiTioN

“

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HSS have a long history of supporting the communities they work in and also see the business sense in building and supporting a local workforce. We are partnering with their professional trainers to offer a range of customer service courses to our women and young people, including an apprentice-ship scheme with placements at local Tool Hire centres which aims to progress successful trainees directly into employment. To launch the partnership HSS drafted in the support of some of their own suppliers and a team of ‘HSS Heroes’ to completely refurbish our main training rooms; they even provided the equipment needed for a separate decorating day with volunteers from MLS Business Centres at our women’s project.

“The City Gateway team does a tremendous job in engaging the community and we are very pleased indeed to be working on this project. This is about providing real jobs for local people - the skills they learn through the training sessions and work placements will help equip them for the world of work and we’re hoping it will also provide us with our London based branch managers, fitters, drivers, hire consultants and sales people of the future.”

ChriS dAViS, CEo

HSS, Tool Hire & Training

ChriS dAViS, CEo

Someone is introduced to the club and just months later they’re helping to run it. I don’t think you should think about organisations like

this as just a way of keeping kids off the streets - every young person deserves the right to develop to their full potential and I think neighbours

like me have a responsibility to show an interest.

“

“

Sir iAN MCKELLEN


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Corporate Support Opportunities Include

Employability SessionsOffice Insight ToursEvent HospitalityPro Bono ServicesCourse SponsoringMentoring SchemesResources and Printing

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As well as helping fund our Export course, staff from across DWS have helped run employability sessions, carried out mock interviews and given groups of young people tours around their offices.

Pairs of graduates from the course now go on to have their ITQ apprenticeship placements with the firm, including roles in the print room where this very review was printed.

“Denton Wilde Sapte are firmly committed to making a positive impact on the communities in which we work, both directly and through partnerships with organisations such as City

Gateway. We are proud of our ongoing partnership and have been very pleased to

broaden the relationship over the last couple of years. It has been a pleasure to offer work

experience places to City Gateway apprentices, and I’m glad to say that they seem to have

been enjoyed on both sides.”

JAMES LiNforTh, PArTNEr

Denton Wilde Sapte, Law Firm

It’s been great working with City Gateway, I feel comfortable referring people and receiving referrals. I’m very satisfied with the courses you offer,

find working with the team easy and think the relationship is mutually beneficial.

“ “

ToM JoNES, CoNNExioNS

I’ve always found City Gateway to be positive and supportive about the young people we work with, especially as the group we work with are hard to reach.

The young people we’ve referred to City Gateway have always progressed.

“

“

frANCiS PAuL, YouTh offENdiNg TEAM


Connect

The disengaged individuals we hope to impact are often described as ‘hard to reach’ for good reason - many of them have had negative experiences of traditional

education, are unaware of the options available to them or simply lack the confidence even to come into a centre. With this in mind it has always been one of our biggest priorities, and in turn one of our key successes, to put on accessible and welcoming programmes that connect with individuals regardless of their background and situation.

Our youth outreach team meets young people out in the community and on local estates and is heavily involved with council initiatives such as the Pupil Referral Unit and NEET door-knocking schemes. The Limehouse Youth Centre is a flagship initiative offering evening, weekend and holiday programmes to young people, including those highlighted by the Government’s Youth Inclusion Programme, who would otherwise have nowhere to go and little to do.

Jo read (Youth Work Manager)

Word of mouth has had a big impact in bringing women along to our women’s project, conveniently located between three local primary schools in Poplar, to the point where a group of centre volunteers now actively promote specific courses and events around the local area. Community feasts, health forums and clothes swapping events are just some of the projects which have helped to bring a wide spectrum of the community together at the centre and our new cafe gives them a space where they can relax and get to know one another.

Beth Johnston (Women’s Project Manager)

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Kenan started coming to the centre in early 2008 having met our team through outreach in the Stepney area where he’d previously been NEET for over a year, gaining a criminal record in the process. Over the summer he spent a lot of time in the studio MCing, working on music production and even creating a mix tape to promote his music, one of his real passions in life. Kenan was able to take part, alongside other young people, in a late night opening event at the Docklands Museum and perform in front of people from across the community.

When the summer programme came to an end Kenan continued coming along to the studio and the staff encouraged him to run a studio session once a week, passing on his knowledge to other young people. In January 2009 he began a music course which will allow him to further develop his production skills and understanding of the industry. In partnership with Poplar HARCA, the centre works with over three hundred young people like Kenan who grow up in the shadow of Canary Wharf. Evening sessions offer the chance to take on responsibilities, undertake taster classes and progress into our training opportunities.

Kenan at Limehouse Youth Centre

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Moshoda at the City Gateway Women’s Project

City Gateway has really helped turn my life around. I was just on the street smoking weed and didn’t think I would ever stop.

““dANiEL

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Moshoda at the City Gateway Women’s Project

Moshoda heard of City Gateway when her daughter came on one of our youth training courses. She was a quiet and shy lady who

first took an assertiveness course before daring to take further qualifications such as ICT, food safety and nutrition. Within months she had built the confidence to

speak to the Mayor, promote the centre to other women and even be interviewed for a local newspaper article. Her remarkable

outreach ability comes from her willingness to share her own story of how getting out

of the house to gain skills and meet others, has helped her conquer depression

and grow in confidence.

Her story, which includes being married at thirteen and bringing up four children, inspires the women to find their voice, be

motivated to acquire new skills and confidence, which will help them bring up their children, raise their self esteem and get work. The project’s successful growth has come by building trust - some women are drawn to the centre through activities

such as keep fit classes, gardening and craft projects but the majority say they

enrolled because either a friend or a volunteer outreach worker told

them about it.

150 In an average week the centre is now visited by over 150 local women.

Connecting with the Women’s Project helped me get my confidence back, feel valued and even improved my relationship

with my children.

““MoShodA iN EAST ENd LifE

The next step is not only to encourage and motivate individuals but to find ways to keep them regularly engaged. Many of those we work with have dropped out

of, or been excluded from, traditional education and training and struggle with anything that too closely resembles it. Others are keen to learn but lack confidence when in groups, have learning difficulties and language barriers or simply haven’t been given a real chance to develop before.

We offer a range of short courses designed with these issues in mind, offering a simple first step for disengaged or isolated individuals starting to think about their life. Taking advantage of people’s natural interests, we run sessions which focus on anything from music, media and sport through to cooking and fashion.

Our training at this level is engaging and bite-sized, making sure the next progression stage is always in sight. Our staff make use of this interaction to break down fear, exclusion and negative behavioural patterns, and start building up confidence - helping them realise that they can achieve.

Nigel dean (Progression Manager)

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Engage

Sarah and her family had recently moved from Scotland in search of a better life in London. Engage, a short motivational course aimed at engaging and empowering, gave her confidence again to believe in herself and her abilities. The course runs for 3 days a week and focuses on IT, employability, outdoor pursuits, sports, multimedia and personal development.

There is an emphasis on developing future ambitions and opportunities through action planning, taster sessions and an introduction to life skills. Sarah’s positive attitude has seen her excel on the course, despite not having done well in school in the past, and we are confident that she will develop and progress throughout her time at City Gateway and beyond.

Sarah on the Engage Course

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Omer on the Engage Plus Course

Omer found it difficult to motivate himself when he left school but heard about the Engage course and felt this would help him to get back in the right direction. He progressed onto an Engage Plus Sports course, offering further tasters, personal development and accreditations. Life skills training on the course helped tackle issues such as self esteem, reliability, budgeting,healthy living and communication, ensuring he developed a rounded set of soft skills.

It did not take long for Omer to show his potential as he was polite, helpful and overwhelmingly enthusiastic about football. He sailed through a sports leadership award and a Level 1 football coaching qualification on the Engage Plus course, before progressing on to higher level training at City Gateway. Our expanded employability tuition, including CV writing and interview techniques, aims to see trainees equipped not only to gain meaningful employment but to sustain it.

160 Young people on our courses achieved 160 accreditations on Engage in 2008.

Tanya moved to a domestic violence refuge in East London to get away from a dominating

husband who had forced her to be an accomplice in his criminal activities. She found

herself trying to start a new life with her son but with limited skills, very low confidence and facing

real issues with depression. She was referred to our Women’s Project so she could improve her English and learn how to use a computer. She

came along with another lady from the refuge as she was too nervous to come alone.

Tanya signed up for ICT and ESOL classes but, on the advice of a volunteer who had come

through the courses herself, also undertook our short confidence course. The tasters allowed

Tanya to rapidly develop a wide range of basic skills, helped her come out of her shell and

equipped her to begin independent life when her time at the refuge came to an end. Now involved

in further training and community volunteering herself, Tanya has made many friends and

developed a strong sense of belonging to the community in Tower Hamlets.

Tanya on Short Taster Courses

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I wanted to use the internet to look into citizenship and housing issues but had never even used a computer before. The course let me become independent.

““TANYA

265 women have been engaged and had one-on-one support at the centre in 2008.


Support on our programmes has included everything from taking young people bowling, to painting walls alongside some of our women.

Our more advanced training is a further progression from basic engagement programmes or a suitable entry point for those who are already strongly motivated to learn. Whilst approachability

remains a factor, the focus is on building up qualifications and breaking down the perceived barriers to eventual entry into employment.

These courses demand a bigger commitment from participants but in turn offer more advanced qualifications and real-world opportunities for work based learning. Support from our partners allows us to include sessions run by guest presenters and tours around nearby offices, creating a real emphasis on building confidence and soft skills. These courses are often the biggest opportunities for volunteers and some of our corporate partners to give hands-on support to our work and have a transformational impact on the individuals we work with.

We teach topics as broad as IT, media, sports coaching, business administration, customer service, childcare, literacy, numeracy and healthy living. To help build up our clients’ CVs we put a strong focus on accredited learning and include several examinable qualifications in most of our courses; we also work hard to maintain the quality of our teaching and advice services to meet external standards. We aim to see everyone who finishes our training courses in a position where they would be able to progress into work.

Joe Lowther (Programmes & Progression Manager)

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Debbie came onto our work-based learning IT Export course and began to build up the valuable IT skills she needed. Throughout the course we invest not only in work experience but in level 2 accredited qualifications, life skills and in getting our trainees job ready. Debbie was sent on an administrative work placement with SkillsMatch and ended up getting a permanent position there.

A big focus of the course is the corporate partnerships which allow us to put on CV workshops & interview days with HR professionals as well as taking tours of a range of offices - breaking down some of the

preconceptions the trainees have. Individuals are able to chose to specialise in IT, media, sports or our new customer service stream, in partnership with HSS Hire. Robert built up the confidence he needed on the IT course to progress into a reception position on our apprenticeship course.

Debbie & Robert on the Export Course

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I liked it straight away - my confidence has improved loads and I have done well with IT.

““roBErT

If it wasn’t for City Gateway I wouldn’t be

where I am now.

dEBBiE

“ “

As part of our commitment to up-skilling women and supporting them into the workplace we have begun offering a wide range of training, tailored to different interests. Victoria is a single mother who lost her catering assistant job becauseher

children ended up placed in three separate childcare facilities. Starting with an introduction

to childcare and a keep fit class, Victoria went on to take a basic and intermediate ICT qualification and a business administration course, supported by our free onsite crèche where all her children

were able to play.

These courses offer a basic but practical introduction for individuals who have very limited

exposure to modern technology and, in many instances, will not even have used a computer

before. All our courses link with local firms and agencies for support and clear progression routes

and we ourselves welcome a wide range of

apprentices and volunteers onto our team. Victoria is now planning to use her new skills to develop a cleaning business which will provide

her with the flexibility she needs in the workplace. We are continuing to support her through our more advanced business course,

through links to the Prince’s Trust and by being her first client.

Victoria on Women’s Training

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I am confident I will do well in the course because my teacher explains everything very clearly

and also gives examples. When I do not understand she gives me individual help. I love the people

and I have learned a lot. ViCToriA

“

“

30070%

In 2008 we enrolled 300 women in courses, 70% progressed to further learning, employment or training.


Young people on the Export course have been supported by volunteers from more than a dozen firms.

Progression opportunities make our teaching worthwhile so we work to ensure that everyone who leaves our programmes goes into work, relevant further training or

education. For many, even with the skills and training they have received, the leap into employment is still a daunting task but we support them through mentoring, job brokerage and work placements. As well as accredited advice & guidance we offer our own NVQ apprenticeship scheme, which gives young people training and mentoring alongside work experience and volunteer opportunities at our women’s project.

Strong partnership links across all our projects ensure that there are tailor-made progression routes with real emphasis on the particular skills and interests individuals have and want to develop. Volunteers and apprentices build up experience, either working with us or a range of local firms, and many even go on to find permanent jobs at the end of their placements. Whatever the outcome, we continue to support each individual after their last course finishes to ensure they are moving on to something worthwhile.

Jon Skaife (Employment Progression Coordinator)

Our social enterprise hub offers a half-way step between training and external employment so that skills and experience can be built within a safe and friendly environment. Whilst some have had their placements extended into permanent roles, we really aim to provide a natural progression into wider employment for individuals who would have been too daunted to progress straight from one of our courses.

Natalie Brennikmeijer (Progression Worker)

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Josh grew up hanging out on the streets of Tower Hamlets whilst his mum worked 12 hour shifts and his dad was in prison. He developed an early passion for music but found it hard to make money through it and gradually slipped into crime and drugs until a motorcycle accident, which led to a permanent knee injury, brought his life back into perspective. Josh tried but couldn’t find a course that he liked which was able to accept him.

Having always been passionate about sport Josh found our sports apprenticeship to be a perfect fit. As well as receiving mentoring, support and NVQ level 2 training, City Gateway arranged a part-time placement at the Reebok Gym in Canary Wharf, one of Europe’s finest health clubs. The course really brought the best out of Josh and having won over the staff, and members, at Reebok he looks set to continue his role working there.

Josh on a Sports Apprenticeship

5,952 Our first cohort of 31 apprenticeships totaled 5,952 hours of work placements.

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JoSh

Chandarani found that our flexible courses allowed her to start building up skills whilst still

looking after her children, one of whom has an acute mental disability. Having never used

a computer before, she began with a series of basic IT courses before progressing onto admin and public-speaking training. On the latter she

learned to confront some of her fears, and even discovered ways to speak out and demand the

best care for her son.

As part of an initiative to launch three new enterprises at our women’s project, Chandarani

undertook a business development course which ran alongside the real development of Flavour Gateway, a new catering social enterprise. She

is now a central figure in the management team of the business with a role involving teaching

volunteers, researching healthy food and helping see the business plan realised. The team

offers a professional catering service, offering employment opportunities for other local women, whilst also running a subsidised community cafe

at the centre.

Chandarani on a Social Enterprise Course

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My future career and change in life is all thanks to City Gateway - the whole team works to change the lives of young

people for the better. They have inspired me and hopefully, even when I have finished training, I will help them impact

other lives like mine.

“

“

Before coming here I had never thought about

self-employment, I just knew I couldn’t be in full or even

part-time work as my employer wouldn’t be flexible enough. I’ve never been able to study, as I got married and had children

early, and so I’ve always had a lack of skills.

ChANdArANi

“

“42 In 2008 42 women undertook

volunteer placements at our Women’s Project.

JoSh

Josh grew up hanging out on the streets of Tower Hamlets whilst his mum worked 12 hour shifts and his dad was in prison. He developed an early passion for music but found it hard to make money through it and gradually slipped into crime and drugs until a motorcycle acci-dent, which led to a below the knee amputation, brought his life back into perspective. Josh tried but couldn’t find a course that he liked which was able to accept him.

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reiss at Manchester university

Reiss had been unemployed for months when he joined the Export course. He learnt quickly and

developed a real hunger to succeed, volunteering as a teaching assistant when his course finished.

Reiss won a scholarship and went back to college to do a one year A Level study programme; inspired by some of the lawyers he had met through insight tours at City Gateway, he is

now at Manchester University studying for a degree in Law.

Brent at denton Wilde Sapte

Brent had no qualifications or work experience when he started on an Engage course. He

successfully worked his way through our complete youth training programme but crashed

out of a work placement when an unreported medical condition made him regularly fall asleep at his desk. Brent got a second chance through

our ITQ apprenticeship scheme which helped him build qualifications and work experience at a

partner law firm.

Mina at the Lansbury Lodge Crèche

Mina had done a range of courses at our women’s project, building up her skills and

confidence, but was determined to train for a career in childcare. She secured an NVQ training

course through our partners the Tower Project and chose to carry out her placement in our own

crèche, an environment in which she felt confident and safe. Mina has continued with

public-speaking training and now has the confidence and skills to go out and get a job

when her course ends.

Shaal at gateway Media

Shaal had always loved and wanted to make films but having got distracted at college and done badly in exams, he ended up working in

his brother’s take-away restaurant. He took a media course with City Gateway and loved finally getting a hands on chance to explore

his passion. He literally jumped at the chance to do an apprenticeship. Four months later

and Shaal was in the Genesis Cinema watching the première of a short film he’d

made on mental health for local charity Crossroads Counselling.

I was sitting in the far back of a cinema so I could see everyone, about to watch a film I had made

- the feeling cannot be described in words!

ShAAL

“ “

(Quote in Young People Now magazine)

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Jason at the Marriott gym

Jason was unable to find work and connected with City Gateway by volunteering at Limehouse Youth Centre. He engaged with the sports team

there and was soon running drop-in sessions at the centre’s community gym. Progression

followed into an NVQ level 2 fitness qualification and work experience at a City YMCA gym. With

a reference behind him, Jason was able to get a job at the Marriott Hotel gym where he now works and is being paid to study further

fitness qualifications.

Zubeda at Lansbury Lodge

Zubeda came to City Gateway lacking in confidence and too shy to think about anything

other than working with children. Her time on the Export course developed her skills, aspirations

and transformed her confidence. After the course she chose to stay on as an apprentice and began

to work at Lansbury Lodge, taking on an administration placement at our women’s project.

Ashraf at Allen & overy

Ashraf didn’t know what he wanted to do when he came to City Gateway but undertook taster

sessions in IT, media and sports. He devoted himself to our IT training and went on to receive

a work placement with Allen & Overy where he impressed so much he was eventually offered a staff contract. Ashraf has recently moved on to

work for Slaughter and May and is enjoying a fruitful career based there.

Graduates

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The sense of routine and continual motivation from staff was a huge contributor to my

success. rEiSS

“ “ Brent is hard working, keen to learn and polite at all times.

BErNAdETTE o’SuLLiVAN,

dENToN WiLdE SAPTE

“ “

The level of support was high from everyone at City Gateway and the placement was great - giving me the

experience and the contacts to get into the industry.

JASoN

““

ENTERPRISE HUB

Since 2006 our social enterprise hub, now based at the Davenant Youth Centre of Excellence, has been offering training, creating jobs, developing business sustainability and driving economic regeneration in Tower Hamlets. The enterprises offer fully professional commercial services on a par with mainstream providers but bring to the table an added social impact and a way for firms to support the local economy.

Our enterprises start in our ‘incubator’ as separately funded, social projects with an aim to serve and empower local people and create experience and employment opportunities. Service users get trained, mentored and supported, learning to apply best practices

from our business development framework to real world situations. We aim to develop all our enterprises into sustainable commercial ventures and develop them through the start-up business phase to a point where they can continue long after funding runs out.

Our team has now taken the skills and knowledge gained in establishing our own enterprises and made them available to other organisations and individuals through our Business Support Service. The team offers training, business plan writing, fund raising support, consultancy and a range of other services to help other enterprises and charities develop.

Yvette Elkana (Enterprise director)

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hoWArd dAWBEr, STrATEgiC AdViSor, CANArY WhArf

200 training sessions delivered by our enterprises in 2008

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Gateway Media is a cutting edge digital design agency offering value for money, award winning design and

great service. As part of its social commitment it provides free services to City Gateway and runs a

range of media training courses.

It is the most established and successful of our social enterprises and offers a range of design, video, web, sound and marketing services. The team has proven

that social enterprises needn’t be associated with anything less than professional quality and has worked

on media projects for clients as diverse as Taylor Woodrow, Canary Wharf Group, Grand Designs Live, Redbridge Council, Balfour Beatty Carillion and The

Jack Petchey Foundation.

www.gateway-media.co.uk

Connect Create Communicate

Design

VideoWebSoundMarketing

Gateway Media

To find out more information about any of our projects or see videos of our team in action visit: www.citygateway.org.uk/enterprise

Given that we gave them a very tight deadline and a limited budget, Gateway Media were able to put together at short notice

something that was very effective.

“

“

hoWArd dAWBEr, STrATEgiC AdViSor, CANArY WhArf

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The Bus is a specially converted, graffiti painted, vehicle, most famous for touring the estates of Tower Hamlets and offering a range of taster sessions and outreach opportunities as it does so. When not parked in its new home at the O2 Dome The Bus has also been the base for a number of training initiatives including a 12-week course on the Cleveland Estate, in partnership with Gateway Media and the local Council. The Bus is a unique venue and an invaluable outreach tool for our core programmes which we hope to further develop in 2009.

Creative Me

Creative Me began as a crafts, floristry and creative arts initiative at our women’s project,

providing training, running a stall at Spitalfields Market and offering professional services to

clients such as Allen & Overy and the Docklands Museum. Through the incubator hub, women at the centre are now developing a business plan focused on ethical fashion and clothes

recycling. They launched the initiative with a high profile Clothes Swap event which caught

the imagination of a wide spectrum of the local community and introduced the idea of

inventive recycling.

Gateway Motion delivers training and early intervention activities for local schools, youth organisations and the Council, while supporting City Gateway’s own training activities. The team make use of the great facilities at Limehouse Youth Club, including a community gym and climbing wall, running sessions on City Gateway programmes, as part of the Tower Hamlet’s COO-L scheme and for other commercial partners. The team offers a range of media and sports activities including animation, photography, archery, rock climbing, trampolining, and boxing - they also use their pitches, just 10 minutes walk from Canary Wharf, to host inter-firm football tournaments and team days for clients such as Barclays.

green Screen

Green Screen is an IT enterprise which refurbished and sold over 200 pieces of IT equipment in 2008, giving young people a chance to get to grips with technology first hand. The team has diversified into IT consultancy and database development services, offering skills and applications developed in-house to a wide range of charities and small firms. Internal implementation of these techniques has already led to real improvements in efficiency, accuracy of record keeping and time management.

flavour gateway

Flavour Gateway is the first user-led enterprise to be developed through our incubator hub following a successful business course at our women’s project. The business harnesses some of our women’s

passion for cooking and international backgrounds to create a unique catering service, offering healthy food that’s packed full of flavour. Backed by funding from both Beyond the Barn and Well

London, the enterprise was launched at our 10th Anniversary Celebration, held in the Canary Wharf East Wintergarden.

The enterprise provides a commercial catering service for large or small events or ongoing contracts, offering a range of foods from across the world, hand made from fresh, local ingredients. The work

supports a community cafe, at our Lansbury Lodge centre, where women are able to come and enjoy subsidised meals whilst building friendships, getting advice and practising their English.

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224 days work experience provided for young people in 2008

10 years of bringing hope to Tower Hamlets

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2 Over the first two years our training expanded to include a specialist web

design course, the European ComputerDriving Licence and an employment course

run in partnership with Ashurst.

4 By 2005 we were running programmes right across the Borough, becoming one of

6 recognised community hubs.

1 A group of City workers, from local churches, set up the charity in 1999

with an aim to use the skills and resources of locally based firms to alleviate poverty, unemployment and exclusion.

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YEA

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BRINGING

HOPE

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YEA

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BRINGING

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3 In 2003 we launched Engage, a unique entry level course centred on

soft skills and enjoyability, designed to meet the specific needs of NEET young people.

5 The Export course provided a natural progression route and a real work-based

learning opportunity for young people to develop job skills with local firms.

7 London Development Agency funding, linked to the 2012 Olympics, enabled us to

apply our experience to a new women’s project launched at Lansbury Lodge, Poplar, in 2007.

6 In 2006 funding from Beyond the Barn let us launch our social enterprise hub and five

social enterprises, providing work experience, training, and even jobs, to local residents.

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8 Our youth team expanded its own provision by launching a regular evening

youth club at the Limehouse Youth Centre, in partnership with Poplar HARCA,

with a studio and community gym.

10 2008 saw our enterprise hub move into its own premises on

Whitechapel High Street - allowing our media enterprise to expand. 2009 saw the

launch of Flavour Gateway Catering.

9 We launched our formal NVQ apprenticeship scheme in 2008, building on internal

apprenticeships that had been running for over five years, with support from more than a dozen firms.

Hope has been the fuel of the City Gateway engine for over ten years now and its source is not running dry. It was hope that enabled us to believe in the first seven students who joined us in an old school in Spitalfields; hope that enabled our first corporate partner to give us £10,000 to run the first term; hope that enabled our first staff to

give up their stable and lucrative jobs for work in a start-up charity with only 3 months funding. As we look back on the past 10 years we owe much to those pioneering risk takers

who took a hopeful leap in the dark with us.

We celebrate ten years of bringing hope to Tower Hamlets and thank all of our staff, partners, trustees, funders and students, old and new, who have joined us in believing in

the Borough and in City Gateway. Please join us for another energising ten years.

dirk Paterson (Chairman of the trustees)

“

“

To find out more about our history and how we’ve celebrated our 10th anniversary visit: www.citygateway.org.uk/10

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Community Partners3rd Base (PRU)Art CouncilAtlee Youth CentreBethnal Green TechBeyond the Barn ProjectBirkbeckBishop Challoner SchoolBRAKBritish Transport PoliceBromley-By-Bow CentreCanaan ProjectCentral Training GroupCentral YMCAChelmer TrainingChildren centresChrist Church SpitalfieldsChristian AidCity ActionCity ParochialCrossroads CounsellingCyril Jackson Primary SchoolDockland Museum Domestic Violence ForumDress For SuccessEast London Business AllianceEast London Business PlaceEast London Training AssociationELATTELT Baptist ChurchERDFFootball for FunGap ProjectGeorge Green SchoolGroundworksHorizonsInspired Network Community ActionIsland HouseJack Petchey FoundationJob Cente PlusLandmark TrainingLearning for GrowthLearning and Skills Council Leaside RegenerationLifelineLifeline Community ProjectLife Long Learning

Limehouse Commuity Forum Limehouse ProjectLimehouse SNTLondon Borough of Tower HamletsLondon Development AgencyLSx Metropolitan PoliceNew StartNSPCCOptions Sexual Health ServicesPECANPoplar HARCAPorticusPrimary Care TrustPrince’s TrustRathbone TrainingRelay London JobsShadwell BasinSkillsMatchSPLASHSt Paul’s ShadwellStepney Interfaith ForumStepney SNTStitches in TimeStreet LeagueStreets of GrowthSure StartSustainThames GatewayTHAWAThe BrokerageTolerance in DiversityTower Hamlets Asian Women’s AidTower Hamlets CollegeTower Hamlets Community ChurchTower Hamlets Community HubsTower Hamlets Interfaith ForumTower ProjectToynbee HallUn LtdUniversity of East LondonUrban AdventuresWell LondonYMCA LondonYouth BuildYouth Opportunity Fund



Corporate & BusinessAllen & OveryAshurstBarclaysBalfour Beatty CarillionBank of AmericaBerryman’s Lace MawerBloombergCanary Wharf GroupChaucerCredit SuisseDB Group ServicesDenton Wilde SapteDeutsche BankErnst & Young LLPFinsbury PRFuse JobsGLLGoldman SachsGoogleHSS HireIT InsideoutKilnbridgeLansons PRLewis SilkinLiquid ITMLS Business CentresReebok Sports ClubReed in PartnershipRoyal Bank of ScotlandState StreetTaylor Woodrow

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Chairman/Trustees:Will BettsJacquie DriverGareth JonesSimon KempsonDirk Paterson, Chairman

Statutory Grants 87% 1 Annual Review Income:

Donations 7% 0 Statutory Grants

Social Enterprise 5% 0

Investment & Other 1% 0

Investment & Other 1%

Statutory Grants 87%

Donations 7%

Social Enterprise 5%


Financial Details

Statutory Grants 87% 1 Annual Review Income:

Donations 7% 0 Statutory Grants

Social Enterprise 5% 0

Investment & Other 1% 0


Statutory Grants 87%

Donations 7%

Social Enterprise 5%


IncomeDirect Project Cost 85% 0.85

Administration 14% 0.14

Governance 1% 0.01

Direct Project Cost 85%

Administration 14%

Governance 1%

Direct Project Costs 85% 0.85

Administration 14% 0.14

Governance 1% 0.01

Direct Project Costs 85%

Administration 14%

Governance 1%

Expenditure

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2008 has been an exciting year for funding and finance, we began by preparing for the imminent end of 2 of our largest statutory contracts and ended by securing a number of direct contracts with the Learning & Skills Council for the first time.

As part of work across the organisation to maximise our impact in the community we have successfully increased the amount of our income spent directly on projects from 68% to 85%.

We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all those who have supported us and given us the opportunity to carry out our work across Tower Hamlets, in the face of difficult economic conditions. Our success is only made possible by our contracts and the kind funding & resource support received from corporates, trusts and statutory funders.

ruth Woolley (head of resources)

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Limehouse Youth Centre

Limehouse CausewayLimehouseLondon E14 8BN

T - 020 7531 6199E - [email protected]

davenant Centre

179-181 Whitechapel RoadLondonE1 1DN

T - 020 3056 4061/4063E - [email protected] - [email protected]

Women’s Project

Lansbury Lodge117 Ricardo StreetPoplarLondon E14 6EQ


Montefiore Centre

Montefiore CentreHanbury StreetLondon E1 5HZ


Financial Details

Special thanks to Denton Wilde Sapte for kindly printing our 10th Anniversary Review

City Gateway Ltd. Registered in England No. 3760619 Charity No. 1078360

designed by gateway Media020 3056 4083 / www.gateway-media.co.uk / [email protected]

www.citygateway.org.uk

10 Years of Bringing Hope

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