A community network: who, what, when, where, why?

Please note: this post is 119 months old and The Cares Family is no longer operational. This post is shared for information only

North London Cares is a community network: we mobilise young professionals (that's people like you!)...

…To hang out with their older neighbours and offer a little extra time, practical support, social connection and human companionship.

Like Andrea, above, and this gang hanging out at a storytelling gig at Christmas last year:

We do this to help tackle isolation and loneliness amongst older people (and younger people alike!) in Camden and Islington…

..To help improve local wellbeing, skills, confidence, connection and resilience so that all participants can better navigate a rapidly changing modern world (think globalisation, gentrification, migration, digitisation and the housing bubble)…

And to bring people together across long-standing social and generational divides.

And to take selfies, and that (if that's your thing).

We're proud of the model we've created. A nice man once said:

Awww, lovely.

In 2014 we decided to find out about the real on-the-ground impact our model was having, so that we could improve and grow as an organisation (actually as sibling organisation - we've just set up South London Cares too. Gulp.)

So we conducted a big impact evaluation, in which we surveyed nearly 300 people who had participated in our activities over 3 years:

(Our friend Joe designed the cover to look like a record, not a dry impact evaluation. We love it. Thanks Joe).

And here's some of the nourishment we found through the evaluation:

And for you lot, the young'uns:

We're chuffed that we were able to complete this evaluation. And now Nesta is supporting us to learn even more, and hopefully do even more, over the next 18 months. We're excited about that - thanks Nesta.