ANNUAL REVIEW2011/2012

Nova New Opportunities, 2 Acklam Road, W10 5QZTel: 020 8960 2488 Email: admin@novanew.org.uk www.novanew.org.uk

Charity Reg No 1118890

Opening times: Mon-Fri 9.30am-5.30pm

Why not be a part of NOVA’s work? There are lots of ways to become involved whether through volunteering, offering professional support, joining fundraising events or making donations. If you are

interested in becoming involved in NOVA, please email: lizzie.cho@novanew.org.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!

Get involved!

Chair’s foreword

NOVA’s story

We are moving people into employability

We are building skills in Maths, English and ICT

We are opening doors through volunteering and participation

We are responding to tough economic conditions

Our objectivesThe last year has been one of exciting challenges at NOVA, full of new opportunities and new people. We continue to provide a friendly, non-judgmental and positive environment where individuals can progress to achieve their goals whilst at the same time providing mutual support to each other. Our committed and passionate team of staff and volunteers have supported over 1,700 local people with learning and pre-employment services.

In line with our longstanding vision to always seek innovative ways to help motivated develop and contribute whatever their current circumstances, NOVA has built on our already strong links with the local community by embarking on a volunteer-driven community café project in partnership with the Westway Development Trust.

Since becoming Chair of NOVA in September 2011 I have had the great pleasure of working closely with the Director, Iris Apablaza, and Deputy Director, Lizzie Cho. Their professionalism, integrity and shared vision for the organisation is an inspiration to all who come into contact with our organisation.

Based in North Kensington, NOVA is a friendly organisation that has been embedded in the community for nearly 30 years. It is situated in one of the poorest wards in the country and aims chiefly to help those living on the margins of society who are finding it difficult to make a go of their lives. Initially, NOVA focused on teaching local people vital basic computer skills and has since grown and developed organically in response to people’s needs.

In 2006, when the Director realised that many of her computer students were struggling to learn due to lack of literacy and numeracy skills, NOVA applied

to the Big Lottery and gained funding to introduce numeracy, literacy and ESOL courses. The following year NOVA began providing information, advice and guidance to help people prepare for and find employment, and to access training and funding. It now offers a flexible mix of information, advice and guidance, classes and workshops – from English, maths and family learning, to volunteer placements and job search – to help individuals achieve their goals.

NOVA has always been more than a skills and training centre – it has become a prominent community hub providing not only a range of educational, employment and pastoral services but also a place where users from different social and ethnic backgrounds can come together to learn and develop themselves; not only for employment, but so they are better integrated, more independent and better able to help themselves and their families.

Stewart McCure

• Supporting local people to move into education and employment training

• Providing practical tools and structured support to access and understand the jobs market

• Offering a listening ear and rebuilding confidence by setting achievable goals

• Enabling our students to make progress that will prepare them for further training

• Equipping adults with the confidence to access local services and giving parents the skills to support their children at school

• Offering structured courses with nationally recognised outcomes and qualifications

• Developing skills in real-life situations

• Gaining work-place experience and contributing to the local community

• Bringing people together

• Engaging with our environment through trips, visits and project work

• Responding imaginatively and effectively to funding challenges

• Making the most of our resources and delivering value for money

• Keeping focused on evaluation, monitoring and reporting

• Putting the needs of our users at the forefront of what we do

Find out how our Information, Advice and Guidance services achieve this on pages 3 and 4

Find out more about ESOL, Literacy and Basic Skills provision on pages 5 and 6 and our ICT and Numeracy training on pages 9 and 10

Find out more about our programme of community engagement and visits on pages 7 and 8, while volunteers talk about their experiences on pages 11 and 12

Find out more about how NOVA is managed and organised on pages 13 and 14

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Case study: Sagal The team

Information, Advice and Guidance

NOVA continued to run a comprehensive range of Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) services during the year in order to support local people to access education and training courses, volunteering and employment opportunities. Individuals are supported in one-to-one and group sessions that help to set and achieve their training and job goals and equip them with CV writing, interview and job search skills.

We deliver our services both in-house and across the wider community through outreach sessions. NOVA has also continued to attend events where we can meet new clients and spread the word about IAG. We attended regular Kensington and Chelsea Chamber of Commerce events and were a main attraction at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) annual Jobs and Training Fair with over 150 visitors taking part in our workshops.

This year we have launched targeted IAG projects with the local over-50s charity Open Age and the national charity Springboard UK in a joint project with RBKC and the European Social Fund (ESF). The project helps individuals with both their pre-employment support needs and pathways into work, particularly in hospitality and catering.

Our IAG advisers were also able to provide employment support to people who were off work due to sickness, struggling to get back to work and dealing with health issues. This was delivered through the Fit for Work Service offered by the NHS. Access to NOVA’s IAG services were part of a package of support for residents in RBKC, Hammersmith and Fulham and Westminster boroughs.

Sagal was referred to IAG by her Fit for Work Service case worker and went on to volunteer at NOVA. She had worked as an adviser with school leavers but the stress of looking after her sick mother affected her health.

“Some doctors, when they get sick, aren’t very good at treating themselves. I was the same. Even though I had been a personal adviser I didn’t know how to help myself deal with my problems at work and at home,” Sagal says.

“I wasn’t looking outside the box. I wasn’t seeing myself as sick. I only wanted to help my mother and I couldn’t see how that was making me ill. Now I can empathise with people who come to NOVA who are in a similar situation.”

Senior Employment Adviser

Employment Adviser

Employment Adviser part-time

Employment Adviser part-time

Caroline Stone

Jasmine Nahedh

Kerianne Wilson

Sanaa Chikhaoui

763 590 179 243 53

Users who accessed our IAG services during the year

Users who accessed one-to-one advice

and guidance sessions

Users who attended Job Search

pre-employment sessions

Users who attended CV workshops

Users who attended drop-in sessions

What some of our IAG clients say

“The adviser has given me a lot more confidence.”

“I came to NOVA because I needed help to learn a lot of things. I have been in an ICT class. They helped me with my CV and job search workshop and gave me a lot of help to find a job.”

“I really appreciate the service I received. It took a great deal of time and effort from staff.”

“I feel that the staff were very understanding and helpful in assisting me with both looking for work and planning out my future.”

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Case study: Bintu

What some of our students say

ESOL, Literacy and Basic Skills

Language and literacy skills can be a major barrier to accessing day-to-day services and work opportunities. Our English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Literacy and Basic Skills (combining literacy and numeracy) courses are designed to offer a supportive, friendly and challenging environment in which to build skills from beginner level (pre-entry) up to lower intermediate (Level 1).

One of the foundations of our classes is group work which gives participants a chance to activate new language and knowledge. By working collaboratively students build relationships and share their skills

with others. Our classes are diverse but we are proud of the way students establish friendships and teamwork.

Classrooms are equipped with Electronic White Boards and audio equipment and tutors use a range of resources to deliver the syllabus. They also ensure that learning is happening in relevant contexts with the local community and access to local services featuring in class work. This year learning has taken place in collaboration with the local library and the Citizens Advice Bureau. In addition, professional volunteers offered a variety of workshops in art therapy, nutrition, family communication and Spanish language to enrich users’ learning experiences. (For more information about community based development activities and student trips see pages 7 and 8)

This year we have continued to adapt to new training demands by offering Family Learning and Citizenship classes. And our ESOL provision went through British Council inspection in early 2012 allowing us to expand and develop fee-paying courses. Meanwhile the UK Borders Agency has accepted NOVA as an official provider of ESOL courses which means we can now assist students in making visa applications to the Home Office.

Literacy Level 1 Class, Collaborative Writing Project, January 2012

PORTOBELLO MARKET: A walk on a

Frosty January Morning

As we strolled along Portobello Road on a freezing morning in January, people could be seen moving around, fully covered due to the heart-stopping cold, with a few of them holding a cup of tea, a cigarette between their shivering fingers. The trees on both sides stood like naked dinosaurs with dried branches, guarding the street and glancing quietly as if something was happening. The flowers were dancing cheerfully as you laid your finger on them.

Bintu came from Nigeria to settle in the UK over 40 years ago. She has raised her family in North Kensington and now has 11 grandchildren.

“I missed out on my early education the first time round. I have always been eager to learn and I started coming to NOVA last year, because I wanted to

catch up on what I had missed out on. I have been attending ESOL and literacy classes and the teachers really put us at ease and make things exciting for us. Everyone at NOVA is very respectful and the staff treat us all equally. I’ve made friends here and I want to continue for as long as I can.

“I feel much more confident in speaking and talking to people. My pronunciation is much better and if I went for a job interview, for example, I will know how to answer questions better. I am retired but I’ve always wanted to buy and sell things on eBay. I now feel more confident to do what I want.

“I tell people to come to NOVA. I tell them not to rely on their children to help them do things like writing letters. ‘Don’t wait for your children to grow up and help you,’ I say. ‘Come to NOVA so you can have your own skills.’”

“I go to English classes two days a week and I think it’s a fantastic class where I learn a lot.”

“An excellent atmosphere to learn in and very valuable input and support from volunteers.”

“I have been fortunate to learn English with people from many different countries which has forced me to communicate in English so I have learned better. Also the friendly atmosphere and mutual help that exists in the classroom has helped me. I think it was great to help other students with more problems than me with writing and to benefit from their knowledge of spoken English, so I have been both helpful and grateful.”

05 06

201 186 101Users who attended Literacy courses

a 30% increase on 2010-11

a 45% increase on 2010-11

a 20% increase on 2010-11

Users who attended ESOL courses

Users who attended Basic Skills courses (combined Literacy and Numeracy)

The team

Literacy and Basic Skills tutor

Esol and Literacy tutor

Literacy and Basic Skills tutor

Literacy tutor

Literacy tutor

Julien Scanlon

Max de Lotbiniere

Nicholas Little

Hugo Plowden

Helen Dymond

Adult Learners’ Week May 2011

Community engagement

Online for Better Lives

Trips and visitsWe ran a full programme of class trips during the year. Here are some of the highlights:

Storytelling with Spark

NOVA Market Stall

Adult Learners’ Week is a time for all of us to try out new skills and find out about routes into work and further study. Highlights of the week included a workshop exploring work in child care and an inspiring presentation from a group of migrant and refugee woman who have set up their own catering business. All NOVA students and clients took part and the climax of the week was the NOVA Achievement Awards lunch. Everybody contributed food and we were able to celebrate examples of commitment and achievement from across NOVA.

NOVA delivered this digital inclusion project aimed at improving the lives of local marginalised communities - the Irish Traveller and Arabic speaking Moroccan women. The project encouraged participants to embrace digital media. Beginning from where participants were at, it provided a supportive environment to help enable participants to discover and develop their soft skills; to encourage self confidence and to promote individuality as well as community cohesion. Participants started to experience resources such as the internet as a powerful tool through which to achieve things for themselves, their families and their communities.

V&A treasures Art around London

“I liked the storytelling because you can learn from other people’s stories - that difficulties will pass and the future is bright.”

What our students said

We ran a special series of workshops to develop our students, and clients’ storytelling skills during the Autumn term. NOVA collaborated with Spark London, the capital’s leading storytelling club, to develop the skills and confidence to retell true-life stories. NOVA students and clients have a wealth of experiences to share and in early November we held a special Storytelling Lunch event during which eight brave storytellers enthralled and entertained. In early December four of our storytellers took to the stage at a live Spark event to tell their stories. Their journey from NOVA students to public performers was truly inspiring.

Undaunted by wind and rain this Spring we launched the NOVA Market Stall in Portobello Market. The stall was open two Fridays a month and staffed entirely by volunteers. This was an opportunity to develop language and numeracy skills and help raise money to support NOVA. Student’s donated clothes, books, CDs and the market stall team really enjoyed meeting people and spreading the word about NOVA to customers. Thanks to the Westway Development Trust for giving us a stall space.

0807

A specialist ESOL guide from the V&A made this visit to the museum a voyage of discovery, from Islamic art treasures to dazzling ceramics and glass.

Our end-of-term trips in March included the National Gallery and Leighton House in Kensington. Spring sunshine and fascinating art made these truly memorable trips.

Local charity New Citizens Voice organised a fascinating trip to the Houses of Parliament in November. During the tour NOVA students were able to question local MP Sir Malcom Rifkind.

Inside Parliament

What some of our students say

Case study: Mohamed

Numeracy and ICT

During this year the number of ICT courses has been reduced due to changes in funding which have resulted in full-fee remission being made available only to learners on active benefits. In response to this our focus moved to providing access to UK Online which emphasises user flexibility.

We were able to fully utilise our two computer suites to deliver flexible and rolling UK Online courses and to combine these with pathways into our IAG Jobsearch and CV workshop programmes. The UK Online sessions continued to be popular until funding for the programme ended in March 2012.

One of the highlights of our UK Online course for students and tutors was a visit from the BBC Director General Mark Thompson as part of a BBC staff volunteering scheme. Mark spent a day at NOVA working with students.

We also offered our Family Learning course which is an intergenerational ICT project which enables parents and their primary school age children to learn and develop skills together.

Meanwhile our Numeracy provision remained strong with groups of students developing their number and maths skills to achieve Entry 3 and Level 1 qualifications.

“I’ve had a wonderful tutor, encouraging and supportive, which makes it easier to learn. The volunteers are really helpful and have great patience. They have helped me to improve and gain confidence. I have learned a lot.”

“It has been great being here, especially my ICT class teacher. She is lovely.”

Mohamed came to live in North Kensington from Morocco 20 years ago and he is very active in the local community.

“I’ve been coming to NOVA for three years. I first heard about it through outreach at my local mosque. People think of NOVA as part of their community. It is local and just around the corner.

“I am pretty confident talking in English - my speaking is not bad. But I need to get better at writing and that is one of the things that NOVA has helped me with. Before the end of lessons we use the computers to write a report on what we have been doing - I am using English and computers at the same time!

“I also like the atmosphere here. You find a mix of people from all different backgrounds but you feel like you are part of a family. I really like the trips and parties that NOVA organises. And we help each other in class and outside.

“I tell people to come to NOVA, specially people who are beginners. It gives them more advantages than other colleges because everyone can get confidence here. They help with writing CVs and looking for jobs. The people at NOVA really know this community and they listen.”

BBC Director General Mark Thompson volunteers in a NOVA UK Online course

09 10

204 287 39users attended ICT courses

users attended UK Online sessions

users attended Numeracy courses

The team

ICT tutor

Senior Numeracy tutor

UK Online tutor

Adiyam Kebreab

Katya Elina

Amen Giwa-Osagie

Pamella Campbell - Volunteer ESOL tutor

Case study: Maria

Volunteering

Volunteers are an essential part of the organisation and NOVA is grateful for the time they give in supporting us to deliver our quality services. They provide vital support in all areas including training, administration and open learning sessions.

Of the 57 volunteers during the year, 35 continue with NOVA, 15 entered paid employment and seven went on to further study. Many of the volunteers are ex-students who decided to take the next step by volunteering at NOVA. We had so many volunteers we recruited two volunteer co-ordinators, who were also volunteers!

Originally from Argentina, Maria has lived in the UK for 20 years and has been working as a volunteer at NOVA for six months.

“I am pretty much multitasking at NOVA. I started as a receptionist but now I am doing admin work and interpreting for Spanish speakers. I like to be where I am most needed. I have a mental illness diagnosis and most doctors say ‘Don’t do anything, relax’. But I want to do something useful and put something back. NOVA has given me the flexibility I need.

“I have the chance to be proactive at NOVA and to take more responsibility, which I like. NOVA cares

about equal opportunities for people regardless of their background. Volunteering here has provided me with structure in my life and it has had a positive impact on my self-esteem. If I go into paid work I know that my experience here will be invaluable.

“Most of all NOVA is a very friendly environment. There is room for humour here and that makes it a nice atmosphere. When I started I thought this is going to be like a job and I was very tense. Now I feel almost like dancing at work. All the tension and anxiety went away. I feel like ‘a fish in a pond’ as we say in Spanish.”

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“Being able to get teaching experience in a situation where I have been hands on has been invaluable.

“I felt very comfortable at NOVA as a volunteer. NOVA has an inclusive but relaxed atmosphere. It is not a hierarchical organisation. The students are diverse and people mix easily.

“I had a really supportive mentor and his guidance helped me to develop my teaching skills.”

“This has been a really positive experience and it has enabled me to go on to study for my diploma-level teaching qualification.”

Objectives achieved in 2011/12NOVA’s planned and achieved objectives for the year were:

Moving forward In 2012/13 NOVA plans to achieve the following:

Management Committee

Staff Members (Management and admin)

FUNDERS

Management and administration

• Diversifying our funding base by working with a range of new partners including SCOPE, Blenheim CDP, Stable Way Travellers’ Site, Equal People, Open Age, Al-Hasaniya and the Westway Development Trust and exploring social enterprise options

• Increased access to basic skills by offering Family Learning programmes, including outreach at Colville Primary School

• Brought back the Lamplight database for more effective monitoring and reporting

• Opened a crèche

• Continue to diversify funding base by developing social enterprise options, including the Café Nova project and private English Language classes

• Focus on achieving core funding to shore up organisation for the future

• Strengthen the IAG service to support local people in times of enormous change to the Welfare System and challenging economic and employment circumstances

• Achieve Greenmark accreditation

• Open Café Nova. The aim of the Café Nova project is to link different communities through cooking, enable low-cost meetings for local community groups, encourage sociability and to provide recreational space for NOVA users. Café Nova will expand NOVA’s projects through extending NOVA’s ability to help clients and students to move into vocational training or to prepare to move back into society. The café will be staffed with volunteers, led by Iris Apablaza, and be open Monday to Saturday 8-5pm. NOVA intends to provide some paid employment for NOVA clients and students through the café, and would apply for funding to facilitate this.

Campden Charities, City of Westminster, The Kensington and Chelsea Foundation (formerly Focus K&C), London Learning Consortium (Prospects/ Nextsteps), Lloyds TSB Foundation, NIACE, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London Councils GLE/ESF, NHS K&C, LDA, Westway Development Trust, Westminster Kingsway College and UK Online.

We are extremely grateful to our funders for supporting and enabling our work. We would like to thank:

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Director

Operations Manager

Chair-retired July 2011

Office Manager (replaced by Anna Plyuskeva and Lizzie Buckley Nov 2011)

Reception/admin/book-keeping

Reception/admin

Reception/admin

Evening receptionist

Chair-replaced Jonnie Beverley

Joined in November 2011

Joined in November 2011

Joined in February 2012

Treasurer

Iris Apablaza

Lizzie Cho

Jonnie Beverley

Sally Wood

Caren Coleman

Mirjana Majerski

Fiona O’Hara

Amer Fouad

Stewart McCure

Michael Walker- Smith

Leslie Harris

Peter Kanssen

Tim Clark

Sophia Lambert

Shirley Wakelin

NOVA’s Ethos

NOVA’s Core Values Nova Believes that:

To provide friendly, non-judgmental and positive atmosphere for people to work in, where individuals can progress to achieve their goals and at the same time provide mutual support to each other.

•Helping individuals helps families and communities

•Everyone has something to offer

•Motivated people deserve our help

•People can develop and contribute whatever their life circumstances

Focus on individuals

Seeing potential

Professionalism

Friendliness

Integrity

Encouragement

Inclusivity