ENGAGING DUNDEE AFRICAN FAMILIES IN GARDENING AND VOLUNTEERING ACTIVITIES (360G-SCVO-a0g0N00001gAR2GQAW)

The additional funding will help us to consolidate the success we have made with the African women and also help us scale up the project to involve African men and their young people. This project will increase the number of beneficiaries from just women to focusing on the entire African families who are lonely and isolated to help them get involved in community work through gardening activities and volunteering. The funding will help us increase the hours for the sessional worker from 12 hours per week to 20 hours per week which will enable the worker to create 3 project delivery groups: a group for young people, men and women; recruit an additional 9 volunteers to help with the project delivery and deliver 12 training and awareness sessions for young people, men and women for 12 months. The sessional worker will bring in new specialists from garden specialists, welfare specialists, employability/volunteering specialists and welfare people to help the African people in Dundee to overcome the negatives as a result of welfare reforms. The sessions will be attended by 10 men, 10 young people and 15 women monthly. The sessional worker will also invite gardening specialists to help the 35 people with weekly gardening activities. The sessional worker will also organise and coordinate outreach work involving 5 women going out in the community to recruit that hard to reach and isolated African families in Dundee to get involved in the project. The sessional worker will have more time to help the women, men and young people build support networks that will help them cope with the negative outcomes of welfare reforms. By supporting the whole African families in Dundee to overcome their loneliness and isolation through the gardening activities, community outreach, training sessions and awareness sessions, community events and volunteering will help such families to integrate easily in the society.