COFFEE MORNINGS. make the world of difference over a cup of coffee

Transcription

1 COFFEE MORNINGS make the world of difference over a cup of coffee

2 WELCOME AND THANKS! I would like to say a huge thank you for being part of a fundraising coffee morning. Freedom from Torture ran therapeutic coffee groups as part of its holistic range of services. The coffee groups enabled survivors of torture to provide mutual support to each other, creating a safe environment where women shared aspects of their culture and focused on the future. You can read more about why coffee is so important to Freedom from Torture s clients and staff later in this pack on page 7. Your decision to hold a coffee morning and raise funds for Freedom from Torture will make an incredible difference. In 2012 we received referrals for help from 1,500 people and this year the pressure on our services will be even greater. Your help will enable us your help will enable us to meet the complex and diverse needs of survivors of torture living in the UK. Hosting a coffee morning is easy and can be as large or small as you wish. Everything you need to know about hosting a coffee morning for Freedom from Torture is here. Please don t hesitate to get in touch if you need any help or have any questions. My direct line is and my is mtaylor@freedomfromtorture.org Many thanks for all your support. Mandy Taylor Community Fundraiser

3 PLANNING YOUR COFFEE MORNING Some hints and tips: Set a date We would love it if you held your coffee morning on one of the important dates in the human rights calendar, as many people will be coming together on these days to raise funds and awareness for Freedom from Torture. However, it is your coffee morning and we want you to have it whenever it best suits you and your guests. Decide where it will take place Your coffee morning can be anywhere (at home, in your worship centre, community hall, local coffee shop, office) whatever works best for you. Spread the word The more people you invite, the more friends you will make and the more opportunity you will have to spread awareness of our work. We have provided invitations and posters so it s easier to get started. Remember to take time To make the best of your event start planning around a month in advance by spreading the word and asking a few people for help. You might like to write up a list of people who are really interested and ask them to invite some more people by word of mouth, Facebook or by . Suggested donations Your guests will probably ask you how much to donate the choice is yours! The average price of a coffee in a high street coffee shop is 2.75 why not ask for a donation of 3 - a bargain if you include a homemade biscuit! The difference you will make: 24 could buy an hour of counselling 30 could pay for six survivors to travel to Freedom from Torture for their first assessment 48 could buy an hour of counselling, including travel and interpreting 100 could buy a month of counselling sessions for a survivor of torture

4 MATERIALS INCLUDED We have included posters and invitations. You can personalise each poster and invitation with your coffee morning event details. Make sure you mention that it s a fundraising coffee morning. For the day We have included some stickers and balloons to help make everyone feel welcome. Remember to complete the Gift Aid sheet enclosed so we can make donations go further. Collection boxes and badges have been supplied - badges can be sold for a recommended donation of 50p to 1 - or more if your guests are feeling generous! For the day We have included some stickers and balloons to help make everyone feel welcome. On the day Freedom from Torture coffee groups are an important form of social interaction, so we want to you enjoy being with your guests on the day. Welcome everyone, have fun and raise as much money as you can. We would love to hear all about your event - share your pictures and stories with us by ing them to info@ freedomfromtorture.org. They might even make it into our newsletter as long as your friends are happy to share the photos. Social Media Follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. Sharing these links with others helps us reach more people and can help publicise your event as well! You might like to invite friends and like-minded people through social media.

5 BEFORE THE EVENT You could invite just family and friends, or extend the invitation to your whole address book. There are loads of ways to make your coffee morning fun, interesting and successful. Do you have a few friends who love to cook? Perhaps you could ask them to make a few things for the coffee morning - these can be sold or some of the more spectacular cakes could perhaps even be auctioned! Quizzes could also be used for an extra addition to the morning. If you need help with questions and answers, come to us; we already have a few tried-and-tested quizzes available! Is it a sunny day? Maybe a garden party could be an option iced coffee could work a treat! A few ideas from previous fundraising events: Pay to take part in... Guessing the number of sweets in a jar - perfect for involving the kids! Guessing the coffee blend have you got some coffee connoisseurs amongst you? Guessing the weight of the cake for those bakers amongst you!

6 TALKING ABOUT FREEDOM FROM TORTURE TO OTHERS Freedom from Torture (formerly known as the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture) has been providing expert care to survivors of torture and organised violence for over 25 years. We help survivors to rebuild their lives through psychological and physical therapies, providing medical consultation and practical support. We also use our knowledge of the devastating impact of torture to speak out against it. Our five national centres act as a sanctuary and a place of healing for our clients. Torture is a global problem but its effects remain intensely personal. The clients we work with come from a wide range of backgrounds though their experiences are sometimes strikingly similar. The vast majority report being targeted because of their race, ethnic origin, gender, religion, culture or political beliefs. For many survivors, their ordeal is far from over upon arrival in the UK. The shock and isolation of living in an unfamiliar cultural environment, along with the alienating complexities of the UK asylum system, can compound the underlying trauma that a torture survivor experiences. On top of all this, many of our clients live in fear that they will be returned to face further torture in their country of origin. Helping survivors to overcome this trauma is at the heart of Freedom from Torture s work. We provide holistic, therapeutic support at our centres in Birmingham, Glasgow, London, Manchester and Newcastle. Our Medico-Legal Reports Service works to forensically document injuries sustained through torture to help with a survivor s asylum application. We also work to influence governments to ensure that survivors rights are protected and those responsible for torture are held accountable. None of this would be possible without your passionate support. Remarkably, individual donations account for over 70% of our income every year; every one of these donations represents an act of deep compassion as well as a statement of defiance against the perpetrators of torture. Each person that helps to raise awareness and funds for our work through taking part in a coffee morning or other fundraising event is helping torture survivors to rebuild their lives. Thank you!

7 SOME NOTABLE DATES IN THE HUMAN RIGHTS CALENDAR 8th March International Women s Day Refugee Week Runs from the 18th 24th June in th June International Day in Support of Victims of Torture 30th July International Day of Friendship 21st September International Day of Peace 2nd October International Day of Non-Violence 25th November International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 10th December Human Rights Day

8 WHY COFFEE IS IMPORTANT TO FREEDOM FROM TORTURE The Amharic Women s Coffee Group met to share language, culture, experiences and coffee as part of their therapeutic journey at Freedom from Torture. When our female Amharic speaking clients first came to us they exhibited worrying signs of mental and emotional distress and were often quite unwell. One-to-one therapy had limited success with these clients, for that reason the decision was made to try group therapy using an important cultural tradition - the coffee ceremony. The Amharic coffee ceremony is a highly elaborate ritual which at home in Ethiopia and Eritrea, brings women together socially and psychologically. Its use as a therapeutic medium has been a great success and provided the women with mutual support in their new country. Within this welcoming environment these women worked to identify and address practical and emotional issues as well as educate themselves about their rights and day-to-day life in the UK. The Amharic Women s Coffee Group has made a considerable difference to women s lives. In the seven years the group existed, the women opened up, grew in confidence, rediscovered who they were and reconciled their past with the present. The women who left the group departed empowered to build a life for themselves in the UK. The group gave them the voice that they didn t have, Parvaneh (Caseworker) You can celebrate these women and others like them by hosting your own coffee morning.

9 REQUEST EXTRA MATERIALS Detach this page and return to Freedom from Torture or requirements to giving plenty of notice before your event. There is no charge for materials, but we appreciate you using discretion when ordering. Date of your event Name Address Postcode /phone number Please send more: Posters Balloons Badges Gift Aid sheets Donation forms Collection boxes Pop up banners (to be returned within 2 weeks of your event) A3 posters Other items (please state)

10 PUT YOUR HARD WORK TO WORK! We have included the bank details below for paying in your money directly at a Natwest Bank. Please mention your name and coffee morning when prompted for a reference either online, with the bank, or over the phone. Bank Details: Sort Code: Account Number: Pay online: Pay in your money via our website, Through Justgiving: Justgiving can collect funds for coffee mornings, and automatically adds the Gift Aid on our behalf. Visit to set up your page. Over the phone: Call or to pay in your donation. By post: Please send a cheque payable to Freedom from Torture to: Coffee Morning Freedom from Torture Freepost WD4196, London, N7 7BR CAF vouchers cannot be paid in at a bank, please send these to us at the above address with a covering note to say that it is from your coffee morning. Gift Aid Gift aid can make a real difference, try to make sure that everyone who donates at your coffee morning gives their details and ticks the box on our Gift Aid sheet. It s essential that we have their name, home address (first line will do) postcode and donation amount. Please also ensure that they tick the box, indicating that they are a UK tax payer. It s important that the person fills this in themselves.

11 Freedom from Torture 111 Isledon Road London N7 7JW e: t: Registered charity / SC039632