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Naseem Akhtar Project Manager

Naseem Akhtar Project Manager. Saheli History. Saheli Women’s Group formed 1998 part of Balsall Heath Forum Support from local men! Regular meetings Feasibility study commissioned to establishes the needs of local women Priorities established

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Naseem Akhtar Project Manager

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  1. Naseem Akhtar Project Manager

  2. Saheli History • Saheli Women’s Group formed 1998 part of Balsall Heath Forum • Support from local men! • Regular meetings • Feasibility study commissioned to establishes the needs of local women • Priorities established • Health & fitness centre, run by women for women • Aerobics & exercise • Swimming

  3. Healthy Living Centre bid Gathered evidence of the health needs of the area 1. Highest death rate by ward 2. Highest rates of coronary heart disease 3. Highest rate of people diagnosed as diabetic 4. Worst rate of infant mortality rate in the whole of Western Europe 5. First time statistics gathered together for the area

  4. HLC Vision • Through local understanding of culture; language, religion needs and grassroots knowledge • To create a ’health and fitness facility’ run by women for women • Be innovative and address local issues through delivering services in an innovative way

  5. HLC bid part successful • Partnership created to secure £1M for ‘A Healthy Living Centre’ in Balsall Heath • 2 year process • We secured £0.5M over 5 years for revenue costs only - to develop action clubs across the neighbourhood • Saheli – make or break time? • Local Network Fund & Connexions Funding • ‘Girl only’ sports scheme

  6. Sports Scheme a Success • Worked with local girls aged 13-18 years old • Working and developing relationship with local parents • Take girls horse riding; rock climbing, skiing, canoeing and learning how to ride a bike! • Breaking stereo types/perceptions of Asian women

  7. Community Engagement • Saheli becomes a registered charity • We employ our Development Officer Rakhyia Arshad-Begum • To engage with young girls supporting them to engage in local consultation events, and conferences improving their low expectations; aspirations and confidence. • Second year of activities – the girls wanted bigger challenges, become more adventurous and a real voice in the area. • Working in partnership with a local college, HLC staff, we set up a unique partnership approach and pilot our ‘women only gym’

  8. Active England Grant • Disillusioned by past HLC process • The Active England Grant would be a ‘new way of doing things’ • A4 page of our Saheli vision Local facility Run by women, for ALL women Working in partnership with local college • Initial idea supported ‘work up your idea’ The Saheli Adventure hub concept is born

  9. From idea to reality • Partnership formed with the local college, Knight Frank and Saheli • Bid worked up with partners • Time scales and KPI’s agreed • Then the really hard work began! • Legal issues, timescales, service level agreements

  10. Successful Launch • Recruitment of staff – ex local authority and local women • The Hub is launched in June 2006 • Our first KPI was 250 local women signed up to become members paying £10.00 per month - achieved - in two weeks • Youngest customer 13 and oldest customer 81 years old

  11. Services in the Hub • ‘Women only’ days Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. ‘Menonly’ day Wednesday. • One to one support and guidance • Regular exercise sessions – yoga, aerobics, gentle exercise and dance • Dances of the world project – salsa, bollywood, street dance, belly dancing and bhangra • Virtual instructor • Ramblers and walkers club • Wellbeing project – NHS funded • Back care clinic • Local girls school hiring of facility as part of their curriculum • Using the Local Authorities swipe-card system to collate and share the information and prove that where appropriate ‘culturally sensitive provision, can and does work

  12. Learning from the Adventure Hub • Know the community you serve! • Know and understand their history, culture, religion and their needs • Employ local people where you can • Build local and city wide partnerships • Be innovative and deliver what the community wants and not what you think it needs

  13. What would we do differently? • Use our own monitoring scheme • Charge a higher rate from the start • Have a bigger facility to generate more income • Sauna! • Issue of fees going up and losing members • Reality check - £10 = more members but can’t cope with demand. £15 = less members and less income – Hard decisions to be made

  14. Saheli 2007 -2010 • Secured Reaching Communities monies Our own minibus & funding for more sporting and engagement work • We are working to disseminate the learning from the Adventure Hub (total membership 922 members through door over the first year) • Working with BEN we will open a second site in Washwood Heath B8

  15. Saheli 2007 -2010 1/3 1/3 1/3 • 1/3 Commissioned work • 1/3 Grant income • 1/3 Income generation

  16. Sahe

  17. Contact Details www.saheliwg.org.uk Naseem Akhtar Shebina Gill Project Manager Adventure Hub Manager 82-89 St Pauls Road Cannonhill Centre Balsall Heath Edward Road B12 8LS B12 9LB 0121 446 6182 0121 446 6137 Rakhyia Arshad-Begum Development Officer 82-89 St Pauls Road Balsall Heath B12 8LS 0121 446 6183

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