Nova New Opportunities
Nova's Summer Fundraiser 2024
Support our work in building a better future for all.
Story
Who We Are
Nova New Opportunities is a small diverse charity with a big reach and novel approach to social change. Based in North Kensington, Nova has been serving its poorest wards and those of surrounding boroughs for over 40 years. Our mission is to raise the quality of life of our participants and to contribute to a pluralistic, cohesive society that is fairer for all.
We’re fundraising for our Family Programme, which supports children and young people, along with their parents and carers, across our community. Our services address the interconnected needs of education, health, wellbeing and employability; offering year-round assistance to families facing disadvantage and exclusion.
Our holiday and term-time activities empower communities to raise aspirations and overcome barriers to opportunity; nurturing confidence and agency and breaking the generational cycles of poverty. Our programme extends beyond meeting urgent needs, we are committed to equipping our families for success in life, learning and work, investing in a positive future for our whole community.
Why We Need Your Support!
These are challenging times for everyone, but families already experiencing disadvantage are in a critical situation. Our Family Programme has provided essential support to our local community since the Grenfell tragedy in 2017 and delivered educational and wellbeing projects throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
The cost-of-living crisis has worsened these challenges, and demand has surged to unprecedented levels. Over the last two years, the number of people registered for Family Programme services has grown by almost 150%, and our brilliant small team is now working regularly with over 1,300 adults and children!
As basic needs become a priority, access to essential opportunities for social interaction, learning and play has been severely diminished – placing those families who may be already facing barriers, at further risk of exclusion.
With the support of our amazing friends and partners, we’ve delivered an extensive programme of fantastic activities over the last year - but we now need your help to continue meeting demand, maintaining the range and quality of our services and sustaining our opportunities for families during this exceptionally critical time.
What Your Support Will Do
Your donation will help us sustain and expand our core services, including:
Holiday Activities: 13 weeks of trips, visits and activities for children and families, promoting health and wellbeing, bringing people together to strengthen community support networks in an environment of learning and fun. Involving parents and carers with children’s learning provides adults with skills and knowledge to support their children. With excellent partnerships, we offer a diverse range of activities, that could include everything from trips to farms, soft play or London Zoo, cultural visits to the theatres, museums or exhibitions, and even daytrips outside the city and beyond!
“Camber Sands was a beautiful break from routine and the concrete jungle… it allowed us to be surrounded by nature and experience a location that, without Nova, we wouldn't have. The faces of the children when they see the beach is a pure joy!” –Parent
After-School Classes: 200 children are registered in our weekly term-time classes for pupils in Years 3-9, aligned with national curriculum outcomes in English, maths and science. This is supplemented by reading and creative writing clubs, coding and art classes.
“After-school classes have encouraged learning in my children, helped our study routine, and boosted (their) confidence.” –Parent
Other Termtime Activities: After-school and weekend clubs and activities for children and young people, complementing STEAM educational outcomes whilst providing respite for parents/carers. Sessions support progression, developing personal skills, confidence, independence, and encourage new interests. Often delivered in collaboration with our fantastic partners, these have included the Young Photographers Club at the Natural History Museum, and after-school Scratch coding classes, delivered by MAMA.Codes.
“My (child) took part in the photography programme at the Natural History Museum and absolutely loved it. He was committed and learnt a lot. It built on their creativity, confidence and knowledge, brought joy and variety to their weekend.” –Parent
Our Impact
Over the last year, of those we have worked with…
*** 97% rated their experience of the Family Programme as Very Good/Excellent
*** 95% of parents/carers and 94% of children felt that participating had a positive impact on their health & wellbeing
*** 91% of children felt that they had learned something new
Nova is very proud to have received the 2024 Young K&C Award for Best Work Supporting Training and Education for young people.
Our past successful outcomes provide robust evidence to demonstrate our effectiveness, impact and sustainability. With our strong delivery partnerships and deeply established relationships with the local community, we have excellent reach and proven value for money.
Your donation will help us to maintain and expand our Family Programme, ensuring we are able to deliver the highest quality service, with the biggest impact, for those who need our support the most.