Mimbre Youth Program Needs Your Help!

01 Dec Mimbre Youth Program Needs Your Help!

We are running a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for our brilliant youth program! To donate, watch the video or spread the word click here! #handstand4hackney

Supporting our campaign through the first 3 day, is crucial, as it would help get Indiegogo pick up the campaign and push it to new people!

Mimbre Youth Program 

‘It means to me that I belong somewhere and not just a random place, where I am by myself. It makes me feel like I have been somewhere that I have never been before and I have enjoyed my time. [I enjoy] the new things that we learn and the new people that we meet.’

Mimbre has been running a program of free acrobatics and street-dance classes on housing estates in Hackney since 2008, building a strong community of young people, parents and residents. Anyone can participate regardless of previous experience, physical ability, and whether they can pay or not.

The funding we managed to secure previously is running low, threatening the continuation of our program. Despite these hurdles, we are determined to keep it going as we don’t want to let down our young people and have them give up on their talent and aspirations!

Our classes encompass dance and acrobatics techniques, strength, flexibility, creativity, team-work – building confidence and contributing to overall physical and mental well-being.

Most of all our classes teaches kids to believe in their dreams and their own capacity. To look at something that seems impossible; a handstand, a tricky dance step, a human pyramid, try it; fail it; try it again and master it – learning that the seemingly impossible can be possible.

We believe that feeling should not be exclusive and ask for your help to keep our program open to young people regardless of background. Your contribution will help subsidise places for people from low income families and make sure our classes can continue being accessible to everyone!

What We Need 

‘Your classes have opened my daughter’s communication with people she doesn’t know. It has developed her self-esteem and encourages her interaction skills to grow. It has been easy to access and helps that the scheme is affordable.’

We currently run 7 classes a week on several estates around Hackney. Each class has the capacity for 16-20 participants and is aimed at children aged 3-19 years old. We currently have 80 young people coming on a weekly basis from all over the borough, but with priority for young people from housing estates.

The real cost of this programme is between £70-100 per term/per child (variances depending on class size and duration). This is spent on teacher salary, flyers, hall hire, marketing, fruit snacks, administration and evaluations. Parents are currently contributing and helping out with the programme, but if we have to ask them to pay the full costs we know that many of our regular young people will not be able to come anymore.

This year we have had kind support from Hackney Council, John Thaw, Buzzacott, Metropolitan Housing Association and Charles S French Trust, but we have had disappointing news on some of our bigger funding application. We now ask for your help to keep at least part of the programme open through the spring while we work on some new, bigger funding bids to secure the support for the long-term future of the programme.

Your support will not only directly support the classes in spring, it will help us secure those bigger funding applications and ultimately the future of the classes. By supporting our campaign you also show potential future funders that our work is valued and that our community is behind us!

The Impact

‘Joining Mimbre is amazing. Also I used to be shy but I’ve gained more self-confidence.’

Our program reaches beyond social, financial and cultural boundaries and finds fresh ways to engage, encourage, and inspire people, showing that the seemingly impossible can be possible.

The benefits of our programme are many: strength, flexibility, co-ordination and self-confidence. Our participants and families also report making new friends, meeting people they would not know otherwise, being more likely to try new things or take part in other activities across our borough. Both participants, families, residents and audiences feels the programme helps to create a stronger sense of community.

The dance and acrobatics also help young people to take and handle risk in controlled ways. It encourages them to find alternative ways of expressing themselves, through physical means when words falter, and helps to build different channels for creative expressions.

Acro-balance (human pyramids) is dependent on all young people involved having trust and respect for one another; all body sizes are needed and celebrated to make the balance successful; young people are pushed to take risks and work hard to gain new moves and skills.

Through all levels of the program we encourage young people to be creative with the skills they learn, performing to each other, to friends and families, on community fun days and Hackney festivals. This element has grown with the programme and Mimbre Youth has also taken part in much bigger performance projects; performing to sold-out houses at the Roundhouse, Hackney Empire, National Theatre, Sadler’s Wells among others, reaching over 12,000 audience members so far!

But it is the weekly classes in the community rooms, on Hackney’s housing estates, that are still the core of the programme and where it all begins. Without these classes none of the rest can happen.

Please give what you can to keep these classes going so we can still allow these young people, to dream, fly and climb up towards the sky!

Other Ways You Can Help

If you cannot give money (although every little helps!), but would still like to support us, helps us spread the word about our brilliant program! You do that by sharing this campaign on social media and with friends.

Mimbre is a Charity and if you work for a company with a Corporate Social Responsibility policy, you can support us through that or even discuss the possibility of a small sponsorship with your company.

If you have any ideas that could help, please don’t hesitate to contact us, we are always happy to receive feedback and discuss new ideas!

THANK YOU!