Environmental Storytelling at GTDT

On Monday, GTDT held our first environmental storytelling sessions with 12 of the local children from Cullen Street.

We had a variety of age groups (from 6-13) and the children were so well behaved, eating fruit whilst they listened to Colin, a local writer and poet, tell the story of Lilly and Larry Leaf.

After the session, Colin, Alexandra and I, sat down and chatted about how lovely the children were and how nice it was to see that they were enjoying the story. So what could we do next?

We thought of ways how we could continue with this project, teaching the local children about local environmental issues that affect them.

And then we came up with a plan!

We decided to hold 6 sessions, one per week, in the New Year that will get the children involved in discussing the effects of litter and their responsibilities as good citizens.

During the 6 weeks, the children will look at the negative effects of litter and the importance of recycling. They will discuss these areas with each other and make observations about their local neighbourhood. They will make observations by taking photos and having discussions. They will learn writing skills, drawing skills and they will learn how to plan, create and evaluate.

Why are we doing this?

• To empower young people, 
• To give young people skills to take action in what is important to them, 
• And to help them find their voice and to speak out.

Somethings Brewing at St Cleopas

What a great day, to meet up with some old friends that we haven't been able to sit down with since March 2020.

We had a great time with loads to catch up on with including sharing photos of weddings and new additions to our families and stories of family events that we hadn't been able to share at the time. We also had a visit from a new colleague and organisation, Liverpool Cares, to share with us the activities they provide and how we can get involved.

The most exciting but nerve-racking part of the event was my attempt to be the bingo caller.  I survived the experience but it's not something I will be volunteering again for! Hopefully, now community members are feeling more confident in attending community events once again we will be re-starting all the activities we have missed out on including our regular dance sessions, book clubs and craft activities.

The next 'Somethings Brewing' at St Cleopas will be on the 14 December at 12.00noon.

The Power of Networking

Yesterday afternoon Shinear had the pleasure of attending the Community Champion Development Day at Liverpool Charity & Voluntary Services.  The aim of her visit was to speak about two exciting projects that GTDT is working on, to allow for the project to reach as many people as possible.

The first project Shinear discussed was The Mandela8 Book Scheme. The aim of the project is to encourage and educate children from the city region about diversity and inclusion through children’s literature. The scheme was set up in memory of Angela Holligan.  Sonia Bassey, Chair of Mandela8, said

“Angela was a warrior woman for racial justice whose passing is a sad loss to her family, friends and community and it is fitting she leaves us a legacy of love, courage and learning through the Angela Holligan Book Collection.”

The project is currently running across schools in Dingle, Granby & Toxteth, however, GTDT hopes to replicate it across local community settings to allow more people to have access to the books that can serve as inspiration to children from all backgrounds.

The second project Shinear discussed was the Enterprise Hub Skills project - a professional development programme designed to deliver both accredited and uncredited educational courses to both employed and unemployed people living in the Liverpool City Region. Through strategic engagement, the project will ensure that local residents, no matter what their background and circumstances, can access support to build an individual learning plan that supports enterprise & personal development. GTDT has a few courses lined up including a Level 3 in Food Hygiene & Functional Skills in English at Level 1.

All the partners who attended the meeting are keen to engage in the projects and GTDT looks forward to working in partnership with them to inspire the communities we all serve.

Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene for Catering

Congratulations to Stephen, Nicola, Bernadette and Ami who completed and passed their Level 2 Food  Hygiene & Safety course on Tuesday last week!

We are looking forward to holding another training course in the near future for more of our staff to be able to get their qualification in Food Hygiene & Safety.

Uncle B's Good Food Project

As part of our Partnership work involving Uncle B's Good Food Project and the Sunflower Centre we delivered our first lot of meals yesterday! The recipients were extremely grateful to have received the amazing food. One of the lovely ladies we supplied to said "I loved the meal, it was really tasty. The way it was presented was like receiving a lovely Friday night takeaway which I no longer get so thank you."

Now are partners at the Sunflower Centre in conjunction with Uncle B's Good Food Project have also made GTDT aware of another great initiative they provide. On a monthly basis the Sunflower Centre hold a monthly lunch club. See this months menu below. If you want to get involved all you have to do is to phone up to register 0151 726-8934.

"It's a great way of making new friends everyone welcome" - Emma Centre Manager.