This year has continued the path of 2020 with being a challenging year with dealing with the pandemic. However, our Community Education Centre has continued to grow from strength to strength with our online Twilight School (and our new tutors (and learners) in English, Maths and Sciences):
- The cornerstone of our Centre’s strategic activity has been the roll out of Our Digital Inclusion Project, where we have distributed data-enabled smart phones and computers to community members in need, so that they can access our services and feel less isolated.
- We recruited two members of staff into the new roles of Community Business Manager and Communications and Administration Officer.
- We expanded our international Youth Work programme, Youth Bridges with more participating countries from the Continent of Africa.
- With Aspire and partners, we helped to consolidate our National Consortium of Black Education Providers to form a legal vehicle called NEEA (National Enterprise and Education Alliance)
- We launched a new Institute within our Community Education Centre devoted to training and research in a community context called MaCTRI (MEaP Academy Community Training & Research Institute)
- In MaCTRI, we launched MaSPP (MEaP Academy Scholars’ Publishing Programme), our inaugural doctoral publishing programme comprising research into decolonisation in a grassroots context for community empowerment.
- In terms of research, MaCTRI won its first research contract with the funders, Young Manchester to look into their Tackling Racial Injustice programme that is examining the gaps and barriers for African Diaspora youth and play service providers in winning funding contracts to deliver local services.
- In terms of advocacy, we successfully helped to lobby for the creation of United Nations Permament Forum on People of African Descent
The Year Ahead
- We will be launching our Youth Forum in the New Year, which will focus on social action and mental well-being from a youth perspective.
- We will be launching our new mental health and employability/training project in the New Year.
- We will become an accredited centre for online IGSE study (and exams) as well as offering accredited professional training at Levels 4 and 5.