Speak Up!
RJ4All’s Community Forum
Wednesday 7th February, 2024
5:00pm-6:30pm
Make Your Voice Heard: An Invitation to Our 'Speak Up!' Event in February
In light of the current cost-of-living crisis and escalating societal tensions and conflicts, we are acutely aware of the daily struggles confronting both local residents and governing bodies. We recognise the pressing need for sustainable and actionable solutions to mitigate the profound challenges of poverty, inequality, and power abuse. With a firm belief in the efficacy of collaboration and collective action, our Speak Up! event is devised to serve as a
restorative justice platform for open expression and dialogue
among various stakeholders. Most critically, we are committed to promoting the inclusion of citizen's voice in the decision-making process.
This forum is an opportunity for all. Whether you are a local resident, business owner, parent, councillor, young person, or entrepreneur, your voice is crucial. We invite YOU to share your share your thoughts, concerns, and hopes to make our SE16 and Southwark better. Will you be joining us?
Join us, speak up and make a difference!
Our founder and director, Dr. Theo Gavrielides, will lead the discussion in a restorative justice circle, supported by the RJ4All team who will act as facilitators.
"RJ4All's Speak Up! forum adopts the form of a restorative justice circle, allowing all parties to speak in a spirit of respect. This aims to amplify the voice and participation of local people in decision-making processes."
- Dr. Theo Gavrielides, Founder and Director of RJ4All -
Following the success for our former successful
"Speak Up!" Community Forums, we have made it our priority to implement these events on a regular basis throughout the year.
THE FORUM STARTS IN
At RJ4All Rotherhithe Community Centre
30 Plough Way, London SE16 2LJ
Registration is free and freebies, snacks and refreshments will be provided.
Please note, participants will be required to have reviewed and approved our
consent form as part of their online registrations. If you have
any questions, please email us as admin@rj4all.org!
What did the community share at our forum?
Read the Open Letter From the Community Consultation
The Speak Up! Community Forum, convened on October 17th, was a resounding success, drawing the participation of 13 community members from Southwark. During this forum, the community members express their demand for transparent local authorities, enhanced education and sports facilities, increased community collaboration, positive engagement, and acknowledgment of contributions.
A shared vision for community empowerment, active involvement, collaborative efforts, and equitable power distribution has emerged as common objectives. In pursuit of these collective goals, an Open Letter has been carefully composed to communicate the forum's results to key stakeholders in the area. Explore the Open Letter to understand the strides made towards achieving these shared aspirations!
What are people saying about our forum?
“The community meeting obviously raised some issues that I have become aware of while working in the borough such as important areas of trust and empowerment. I recognise the importance of working collaboratively to support the community and also acknowledge that the residents know best their own area and should be enabled to take the lead on issues that affect them. This is why we help to recruit local digital volunteers and encourage them to work in centres such as yours.”
Member of the Digital Engagement team of Southwark Council
“It sounds like the Speak Up event was a very powerful one indeed … we are always happy to advocate for charities and community groups as best we can. I would be happy to meet
with you”
Team Member of Community Southwark
"Cabinet Member for Community Safety in Southwark has received our email and proposed to meet us to discuss further! "
Cabinet Member for Community Safety
Making strides towards an empowered community and a restorative justice postcode
This event forms a part of our exciting vision of building the first restorative justice postcode. This is a collaborative initiative with local stakeholders aimed at embedding restorative justice principles in local institutions, thereby creating a more equitable community.
The community forum complements our holistic suite of services, which includes free and accessible sports, well-being support, Youth Club+, a food bank, and various community engagement activities. These initiatives collectively aim to empower the community, foster social cohesion, and facilitate a more equitable distribution of power.
This is because at our foundations as RJ4All, we believe that power abuse is the biggest silent driver of inequalities, human rights violations and community tensions.
We want to root out greed and disseminate power in a more equal way. And we believe we can do this starting locally from our own neighbourhood in South East London.
Join our Restorative Justice Postcode project!
The Speak Up! forum in February is supported by Rotherhithe Consolidated Charities
Restorative Justice for All International Institute (RJ4All)
The RJ4All Rotherhithe Community Centre, 30 Plough Way London SE16 2LJ, UK
admin@rj4all.org | +44(0)7708758600 or 07795678904
