On the 21st of April, an assembly was held at Southville Primary School where Hounslow citizens who want to promote change within the community were able to voice their concerns about the lack of facilities for the SEND community (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities), support of the growth of the London Living wage and finally the mental wellbeing of young people.


Two councillors from the Labour party, Cllr Tom Bruce, and the Conservative party, Cllr Gerald McGregor, attended the assembly and listened to the testimonies given by individuals about the concerns with intent and promised change if the party was to be elected in the May election. It took place from 7 pm to  8.30 pm and the ‘Mad About Gospel’ choir group had performed a few songs to get the assembly started. Many organisations such as the Paniym City Church, Springwest Academy, Reach Academy, St.Mary’s Church Osterley, Refugees Welcome Hounslow etc, are in membership with the Citizens UK and together, they have collected £14,800 in dues. 

 

Some emotional testimonies have been heard by the crowd that attended where Nasra, a mum of 4, shared her story of how she tackled and still continues to fight for her community to increase the local facilities available to the SEND community. She said: 

“I had no one to turn to and Tasneem remained unsupported and undiagnosed for many years. With the help of the school and my increased knowledge of the system, we finally got Tasneem assessed and diagnosed with autism and ADHD at the age of 9! We’d waited 6 years to get her the support she needs to be successful in life.”

 

Another testimony was heard; it was written by Jade, a local young person from Feltham who works part-time as a youth worker. She wrote:

“My journey with youth work started when I was offered the opportunity to volunteer locally which then led me to volunteer in another country. A vast majority of young people in the local areas are also known to local police for their bad behaviours, so if there is a way to decrease these interactions then I think the opportunities should be taken.”

 

For the SEND community, the commitment asked was to bring back the 2-year Health VIsitor checks in person by the 1st of July 2022 and increase the number of Short Breaks services and places provided for children with SEND before the start of the summer holidays. For the improvement of the living wages, the Ask was to agree to work with the Citizens Hounslow team and the Living Wage Foundation towards becoming a Living Wage Place. Finally, for the mental well-being of the young generation, the winning party should commit to funding a Youth Zone in Feltham, which will be accessible to over 1000 young people across the borough every week. 

 

Overall, it was so inspiring to see so many people of all ages take part in achieving change to benefit the community. This is just the beginning of the journey as real change takes place over time.