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Magic Me has been nominated for a prestigious Liberty Human Rights Arts Award.

Civil liberties and human rights charity Liberty, has nominated us for one of their Human Rights Arts Awards – the nomination reads as follows:

“Magic Me uses the arts to bring different generations together to spark ideas and build better, closer communities. Musicians, dancers, artists and drama specialists lead brilliant creative projects that stimulate conversations between older and younger generations.

Through their dedicated volunteer base, their Cocktails in Care homes project combats isolation and loneliness in later life. They also use artists’ residencies, intergenerational theatre performances and filmmaking to explore concepts of gender, identity, age and migration. Their range of inventive work challenges stigma, crosses social and cultural divides and celebrates human connections.”

Susan Langford, our Director, says:

“Magic Me is not known as a Human Rights charity, but the rights of older and younger people are central to what we do. Too often older people are seen as a problem to be solved, and are excluded from mainstream activities. Magic Me believes that everyone, however old or young, has much to contribute to their community. We also believe that we all have a right to the enjoyment and sense of achievement offered by the arts. This includes older people living in care homes, and those living with dementia.

Our work really does address the need for us all to continue to treat older people as humans – with rights.  This is particularly true for those living in care homes.

Magic Me’s work demonstrates that older people are valued, and often lets the care staff see them in a different light as more rounded people.  By not dumbing down what we offer artistically we acknowledge that they are entitled to the same full and active life, the same cultural choice that they enjoyed when they were younger.

The young people who are involved benefit too, growing in confidence and learning new social skills. It would be a mistake to see Magic Me as just young people helping older people – they both get something really valuable out of it.  Many of the young people come from disadvantaged homes and communities and our projects offer them a chance to work in-depth with really top-notch experienced artists.”

Cocktails in Care Homes is just one of many intergenerational projects Magic Me has run in its 3 decade long history. Volunteers, often young professionals living locally, visit a care home to create a great ‘night out’ and bring a little of the outside world into the lives of the residents. Monthly early evening parties offer fresh conversation and socialsing, particularly valuable for those who receive no other visitors. Parties run at 12 homes across London, including 3 in Tower Hamlets.

In 2016 Magic Me was commissioned by Public Health Tower Hamlets to help with their Action on Loneliness Project aimed at tackling isolation and loneliness of older people in the borough. This year they brought pupils from John Scurr Primary School together with residents of Hawthorn Green care home to work on the project Stepney Stories. Last year a programme of Artists’ Residencies in Care Homes brought Upswing circus company to Silk Court in Bethnal Green. Magic Me’s current project ‘Decorum’ brings together girls from Mulberry School with older women from East London to explore what ‘good behaviour’ means for women in the 21^st Century.

We will find out at the award ceremony on 24th October whether we have won!

We are looking for a Project Co-ordinator for our ground-breaking Cocktails in Care Homes project.

The ideal candidate will have a creative approach to work, enjoy working proactively and be highly organised and a confident communicator able to adapt to many different environments.

Experience of assisting on projects in the community, voluntary sector, arts, education or other relevant field is essential as is experience of working directly with younger and older people in a relevant role. A full Person specification can be found along with the Job Description here.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled and/or BAME candidates, who are currently underrepresented in our team.

Cocktails in Care Homes is an ongoing project and each month parties are hosted in care homes across London. The parties are intended to address issues of social isolation and loneliness and provide evening activity for residents in care homes. Volunteers are drawn from the young professional population of London and all are given an induction prior to their first party.

This is a permanent full time role (35 hours per week) and some evening work is an essential part of this role.

The post-holder will work regularly with children and vulnerable adults, therefore appointment to this post is subject to an up-to-date, satisfactory, enhanced DBS check with a check against the barred lists for children and adults.

By law, we are required to check the eligibility of candidates to work in the UK before offering anyone a job. Proof of eligibility to work in the UK will be required before a post is confirmed.

 Salary £20-22k

TO APPLY

Please download and complete the application form and cover sheet and then send these two forms as separate attachments to email to: recruitment@magicme.co.uk, or by post to: Mark Bixter, General Manager, Magic Me, 18 Victoria Park Square, London E2 9PF

Deadline for applications: 9am on Thursday 19^th October 2017. We will not be able to consider applications received after this deadline.

Local construction firm Curo Construction are taking on a Tough Mudder challenge to raise funds for Magic Me. On September 24th participants in the challenge will undertake a 10-12 mile obstacle course designed to test both mental and physical endurance.

You can sponsor them at https://localgiving.org/fundraising/curo-magicme-toughmudder/

Magic Me’s Annual Celebration and Annual General Meeting will be on the evening of Tuesday 10 October 2017. Join us as we mark another year of intergenerational arts projects and activities. Magic Me participants of all ages will be there to talk about their work and celebrate their achievements.

Sundial Centre, 11 Shipton Street, London E2 7RU
Tuesday 10 October from 6.15 to 8 pm

The evening will begin with our Annual General Meeting at 6.15pm. All are welcome to this brief official meeting.

Programme

6.00pm Doors open

6.15pm  Annual General Meeting

6.30pm – 7:15pm Presentations and highlights of the year

7.15pm – 7:45pm Refreshments and time to chat to friends old and new

8:00pm  Close

Please let us know if you can attend this event by registering here or by telephone on 020 3222 6064

NAPA – the National Activity Providers Association – have featured our Artists Residencies in Care Homes in the latest issue of their magazine ‘Living Life’. The magazine goes to c. 2,500 individuals providing activities to older people, mainly working in care homes in the UK.

Our project, which involved four partner arts organisations providing residencies in four different homes over a period of 18 months, is featured in one of the main articles. Two of our project partners have also provided ‘Things to Do’ activities – allowing NAPA members to try out some of the project ideas in the care home settings they work in.  Upswing have provided ‘recipes’ for Feather Balancing and Scarf Juggling and Duckie have a number of ideas responding to the magazine’s theme of ‘get outdoors’ including creating a collage or mural as they did at Waterside Care Home in South London

Pile on the Pounds for Magic Me – not a new controversial diet but an opportunity to put the old ’round pound’ to good use before it goes out of circulation on 15th October.  All you have to do is download our pack of three images here .Each one represents something your pounds might buy for the charity: a taxi ride for an older person to get to an activity, supplies for a cocktail party, art and activity materials for a project. Choose one and cover it in old round pounds – they may well be lurking in the bottom of old handbags or down the back of the sofa! Once you’ve covered the picture tweet us a photo and then either bank and send us the money or come along to our AGM on 10th October and simply hand it over!  Do get in touch with our Fundraising Co-ordinator, Imogen at imogenduffin@magicme.co.uk if you have any questions on this or other ideas for fundraising.

Throughout August , 64 Million Artists (a national campaign to unlock the potential of everyone in the UK through creativity) is running ‘Generation Games’ a series of daily creative challenges to encourage young and old to get together and share some fun.

Magic Me has been invited to suggest two of these challenges, one is themed around Cocktails, the other around the work we did for Stepney Stories using shadow puppets.

Inspired by our Cocktails In Care Homes project – Make Personalised Cocktails or Mocktails: Find someone who isn’t the same age as you, a relative, friend of the family or neighbour and have a chat about what your interests are, particularly things you like to drink? If you were a flavour what would it be? What are your favourite flavours, ingredients and drinks? Find out more about this challenge here

Inspired by our Stepney Stories project – Create your own shadow puppet theatre – find out more here

You can sign up for more from 64 Million Artists here

We put all our latest news on our front page and on our Twitter stream @magicmearts

We are also send out an e-news once a month with more in-depth news and updates including volunteer and artist opportunities. Sign up here