In conjunction with Castlehaven Community Association (CCA), Camden New Journal (CNJ) and Envision, the 8th annual Camden Crawl is pleased to announce the launch of a new scheme promoting positive change through live music and the vibrancy and cohesion of Camden’s young people. The Castlehaven Project, set to launch in January 2009, will bring together 150 youth volunteers aged 13-19 from the Borough of Camden to complete six major projects for the local community in Spring of next year.
The projects, such as planting gardens and graffiti removal, will be chosen from resident recommendations and completed over six consecutive weekends from 7th March. A dedicated website, which is set to launch next week through Camden New Journal, will be collating their readers’ suggestions until 5th January alongside those collected at local participating schools and Castlehaven Community Centre. Project nominations must fall within the area bordered by Prince Of Wales Road to the North, St. Pancras Way to the East, Crowndale Road to the South and Gloucester Avenue to the West. The most popular nominations will be short-listed and announced via the website in mid January.
At this time, The Castlehaven Project will start accepting volunteers from within the Camden Borough. Interested young persons will be able to apply through Castlehaven Community Centre and both the project and Envision websites. Envision is an educational charity which inspires and enables young people to realise their capacity to make a difference through tackling social and environmental issues facing local communities and specialises in organising volunteering projects. In return for a commitment of six hours service, each recruit will receive a free ticket to the Camden Crawl festival on 26th April and a placement within the project’s mentoring scheme or group experience for 13-15s. The mentoring opportunities and details about the group day out will also be released in January.
The Camden Crawl, which takes place on 24-26 April in 2009, is an annual festival along Camden Town’s busy stretches promoting the best new music artists, comedy, visual arts, literature and DJs throughout the area’s prolific venues. Camden Crawl, along with Camden Council who is investing in the project, aims to capitalise upon the profile of the festival to launch the campaign and send a positive message to the local community. Camden New Journal is the official print partner of The Castlehaven Project and is committed to making as big an impact for the project as possible through maximizing local awareness.
At the centre of the project is Castlehaven Community Association. The CCA is a registered charity dedicated to fulfilling the educational, recreational and social needs of all Camden Town residents. Since its inception in 1986, CCA has offered a diverse and rewarding range of services. Current programmes include after-school and youth clubs for different ages and interest groups, support for parents and a variety of activities for pensioners. Young people are a major focus of CCA work and this is reflected in a number of initiatives, such as the Senior Youth Inclusion Project, which offers key worker support to those identified as being at risk of crime, anti-social behaviour or exclusion. CCA is also the charity partner of the Camden Crawl for 2009.
The Castlehaven Project launches in January 2009. Project suggestions from Camden residents will be accepted from 11th December until 5th January.
