St Raphael’s Pt 2
Project
St Raphael’s Estate
Client
Karakusevic Carson Architects
Location
Brent - North West London
Press
Building on our established relationship with the community since 2019, we initiated a series of Social Value initiatives in collaboration with Brent Council and Karakusevic Carson Architects, focusing on St Raphael’s Estate in Brent.
Our efforts involved designing and implementing projects tailored for young residents and the broader community. These initiatives aimed at fostering job creation, economic investment, and capacity building, laying the groundwork for enhancing community programming skills and supporting local businesses.
In our initial engagement in 2019, we collaborated closely with a youth collective from St Raphael’s Estate, yielding valuable insights. These insights informed our approach when we resumed our work with the community in October 2021, ensuring our initiatives directly addressed resident feedback and needs.
We established a Cultural Impact Team on St Raphael’s Estate, consisting of five young residents who conducted thorough research into the community's needs. Their goal was to co-design a series of workshops, training sessions, and projects aimed at enhancing community cohesion. This initiative was launched in conjunction with the introduction of a new community incubator fund by Karakusevic Carson Architects.
As part of their research, the Impact Team identified local cultural assets, including groups, collectives, and organizations, to understand various approaches to community programming and engagement. They explored opportunities for collaboration and sought ways to leverage these assets for the benefit of the estate.
One of the Impact Team members, Kayleigh, had the opportunity to visit Metroland Cultures to explore their offerings and operational methods during her paid role. Reflecting on her experience, Kayleigh shared, “It was a very insightful day, and I gained valuable context into how the charity operates. I appreciated their emphasis on ensuring that the community actively contributes to shaping the cultural program, rather than it being dictated solely by the organisation.”
SPACE FOR GIRLS
Following extensive outreach efforts with local schools, organisations, and resident groups, our Space for Girls program commenced in collaboration with a team of young girls and women from St Raphael’s Estate. This initiative operated alongside the Cultural Impact Team and aimed to address the need for safe spaces for girls, as highlighted during engagements in 2019 when a young female resident association member asked about spaces for girls who outgrow playgrounds.
Led by life-coach Tiffany Osumah in partnership with Beyond the Box, the program combined contemporary wellbeing training with co-design workshops. It provided a platform for young women to discuss wellbeing in their neighborhood, challenge mental health stigmas, and explore mentoring to support peers. Participants expressed their motivation to learn about themselves and how their physical environment affects mental health, emphasizing the importance of safe dialogue among peers.
This hybrid approach of mental health, wellbeing, and co-design is groundbreaking for engagement in neighborhood regeneration schemes. Osumah facilitated eight structured sessions covering topics such as family dynamics, mental health, self-esteem, and goal setting, chosen by the participants. The sessions were sequenced to progressively tackle more complex issues in a supportive environment that fostered familiarity and trust. The program concluded with participants applying their newfound skills to discuss physical space and design considerations.
In addition to wellbeing sessions, workshops were conducted in collaboration with Karakusevic Carson Architects and Periscope Landscapers, who lead the architectural and landscape designs for St Raphael's Estate regeneration. These co-design sessions directly incorporated feedback from young women on their specific needs and how design can respond to them.
By integrating wellbeing and co-design, the program empowered young women to apply empathy and understanding gained from wellbeing sessions to spatial design considerations, fostering a comprehensive approach to community engagement and regeneration planning.
COMMUNITY INCUBATOR FUND
As part of our commission, we collaborated on launching a new community fund aimed at benefiting residents of St Raphael’s Estate, supported by Karakusevic Carson Architects as part of their social value commitment. The Cultural Impact Team's research into community desires for workshops, programs, and events informed the fund's priorities prior to its launch.
Beyond the Box provided assistance to residents, resident groups, organizations, and charities interested in applying to the fund. We conducted support sessions to equip them with tools for crafting strong funding applications, as well as aiding in project planning and budgeting.
A panel consisting of members from the resident association, Karakusevic Carson Architects, and Brent Council reviewed and awarded grants to various projects. Among the recipients were Hypnotic Dance, offering dance lessons to promote mental health and well-being; Our Local Heroes, engaging young people in creative workshops to create a comic book celebrating local heroes; and Predz UK, supporting a music-skills program for youth interested in songwriting, music production, DJ-ing, and artist development.
Additionally, funds were awarded to Willesden Scout Group for summer holiday activities for children, and to local resident Asif for organizing regular sports activities for residents and the wider community. These initiatives exemplify the fund's commitment to enriching community life through diverse and impactful projects.
