BACF New Akugbe Project Supported by The Bedford Charity (The Harpur Trust) and Bedford Borough Council

With the support of the Bedford Charity (The Harpur Trust), The Bedford African & Caribbean Forum has received a cash boost of £32,000 towards the first year of their new Akugbe project to improve the emotional, social and economic outcomes for under-achieving children.

The name “Akugbe” is African meaning “We are Together”. The Akugbe Project is the working together of home, school and the Black community of Bedford to improve the emotional, social and economic outcomes for Black and Mixed-heritage children and young people 9 – 18 years old.   The project aims to support Black parents, including absent parents to:   Build stronger links with their children’s schools especially where a child is at risk of exclusion from school Know more about the education system, including the role of parents, head-teachers and school governors   Working with the parents, to support under-achieving Black and Mixed-heritage children and young people to aspire to better life-styles. Also, to motivate Bedford Black community to become more engaged in education, training and employment.   Commenting on the award, Dr Mrs Pamela Bernard, the Executive Manager of BACF said “This gives us the opportunity to address the academic issues and needs of our children with involvement of the parents. We aim to work with other statutory bodies to provide better access to information and development, enabling parents and young people to acquire more knowledge to improve their life skills, which will give them better chances in life.”   Click here