NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Wednesday 10th December 2008 at 1pm
The Haven, 35 Pinner Green, Pinner HA5 2AF

You are warmly invited to attend our sixth Annual General Meeting.

Find out what we've been doing over the last year. There will be news of services, activities, events and new developments at Kids Can Achieve, Kids Can Crew and The Haven.

This is your chance to get involved, vote on important issues and have your voice heard. We look forward to seeing you here.

The agenda is as follows:

1pm Sign in and lunch
1.30pm Talk by Nigel Crane
2pm AGM business
2.30pm Finish

Nigel Crane is a policeman involved with the Youth Offending Team. He will be talking about his personal and professional experiences, how he has helped himself and his family and how parents can help their children and themselves.

The formal business of the AGM includes reports by the Chair and Treasurer. There will be an opportunity for those present to comment, followed by elections for the Kids Can Achieve Management Committee.

The Management Committee consists of Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and a small team of Committee Members that are responsible for governing the organisation. The Committee meets every two months. Nominations are invited for all posts. Please contact us if you would like a form for nomination.

Also, please let us know if you will be coming so that we can organise food. Thank you.

 

 

Kids Can Achieve hope to move!

Things are hotting up around here! Working in association with Weald Tenants Residents Association we have the opportunity to bid fo a new building - Cedars Hall - giving us £0.5 million fundraising target by the end of November.

We are really excited, but trying not to get our hopes up! We are being supported with consultancy by First Call Housing and by Kier Construction (Harrow's partner in major works and maintenance). Our first bid has gone off and our progress is being tracked by the local press.

Right now we are looking for fundraising ideas, architects, sureveyors and builders, so if you or your friends or family feel you could help out we would love to hear from you.

 

Saturday Club

We are considering setting up a monthly Saturday Club for our under 12s and need to get a feel for demand.

The club will be similar to Play Scheme and include a range of activities.

Please let us know if you are interested in a Saturday club and if you have any further suggestions for weekend activities.

Membership

We have been busy putting the finishing touches to our new Membership Scheme. It only costs £1 to become a member and you can make a real difference to KCA and the kids. As a member you can help us provide activities, services and support for children and young people with special needs and their families.

A good membership base enables staff and trustees to speak from a position of strength when campaigning, applying for funding or representing our members at meetings.

Anyone can join. You might be a person with special needs, a parent, a family or professional carer, a person or organisation with a professional interest in special needs or someone who just wants to support us.

You will be made very welcome and encouraged to feel part of this friendly and active organisation.

Benefits include

For every person we help, another may go without. KCA does not have the funds to run all the services needed by our children and their families. For every family we help there are many more on the waiting lists for day care, holiday clubs, outreach support etc.

To become a member click here

 

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A message from the chair...

I am now starting my third year as Chair of Kids Can Achieve and I have to say that the organisation has never stopped surprising me, and at times amazing me.

Julie and the staff team show a rare ability to cut through the most complex of problems and find solutions. Because of this boldness and abililty to think differently, there are many children managing well in school today who without us might have found themselves excluded and marginalised.

I hope also that we have made life more manageable and happier for many local families. One more little success to help things get better for families is our recent securing of Big Lottery funding so that After School Clubs can now operate five evenings a week.

I am sure the reason the Kids Can Achieve approach works so well is that our starting point is respect for and belief in the child. This helps to foster an inner belief in the child that they are worth something, they do have something to contribute and there are people who are prepared to listen to what they have to say.

The effect we have had since taking on the children's advocacy contract in Harrow is testament to our belief in listening to children and making sure that others hear what they are saying too.

We are keen to keep making the voice of children, and their parents, heard. As part of this we are about to launch a membership scheme to ensure that everyone who comes into contact with Kids Can Achieve and uses its services has a say in how we are run and what we do.

It will only cost £1 to join (extra donations are always welcome though!) and I do hope that all of you will take full advantage of this chance to have a voice in our organisation.

And then I look forward to meeting you at our Annual General Meeting next year!