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First Class Foundation takes community for afternoon tea

 First Class Foundation takes community for afternoon tea

A West Midlands charity that specialises in engaging with parents, carers and young people from BAME communities, has delivered a unique community celebration event.

First Class Foundation hosted an afternoon tea with a difference at Park Regis in Birmingham on 27th August 2021. 

The event brought together more than 30 people from the local community, including staff from regional Youth Offending Teams and the West Midlands Violence Reduction Unit.

The afternoon tea was an extension of First Class Foundation’s acclaimed Kitchen Table Talks (KTT) service, which is being delivered as part of the Youth Justice Board’s regional ‘pathfinder’ project.

Focused on reducing serious youth violence, KTT is offering a safe space to more than 600 people across the West Midlands.

 As part of the event, Park Regis donated a complimentary overnight stay with breakfast and an afternoon tea experience, which was donated to one of the families in attendance.

Sabrina Dennis, Chief Executive of First Class Foundation and Founder of KTT said: “Today was our first regional KTT afternoon tea and the first time in two years that we’ve had so many people in the same room! Many of our guests had never stayed in a hotel before, so we wanted to give them a new experience. It’s been a brilliant opportunity for parents whose children are in the youth justice system to come together, meet other parents and have some fun. Many of them are vulnerable, they’re going through incredible hardship and we want to lighten the load. A problem shared is a problem halved – that’s what KTT is all about. We’re extremely grateful to Park Regis for the kind donation and for supporting this event.”

 

 

 

 

 

Barbara Zytkiewicz, a social worker at Dudley Youth Offending Team said: “It’s crucial that parents have the opportunity to talk to another organisation that is not social care or a Youth Offending Team. They can talk to an independent organisation and find out about their rights and responsibilities and what help and assistance is out there. It’s an opportunity for families to support each other.”

One of the parents who attended the event commented: “I really enjoyed it, everyone here is in the same situation. You can’t talk to other people, like your own family members. Here, you’ve got parents who are the same as you. We’ve all been through the same, so it’s nice knowing that there are others you can talk to. It is comforting to feel like you’re not alone.”

Established in 2017, Kitchen Table Talks has grown from a six-month self-funded community pilot programme, to become a successful and established vehicle for tackling issues including youth violence, knife crime and county lines.

If you would like to find out more please visit: https://kitchentabletalks.org/ 

Firstclass Admin

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