Working together to transform lives

This article first appeared in the UCL Policy Lab Magazine. 

If you drive 13 minutes north from the International Conference Centre in Birmingham, you’ll arrive in Lozells. An inner-city area of West Birmingham known for its diverse population and terraced houses. The area was originally constructed during the industrial revolution to house the migrant workers who’d flocked to Birmingham from the countryside. 

Like many other communities, Lozells’ has faced tough times of late. Still, they’ve also forged collective resilience to the cost of living and housing crises through grassroots support networks and community organisations.

Aspire & Succeed is one such local organisation dedicated to supporting residents navigating the complexities of the British welfare state. We spoke with Rohan, centre manager for Aspire for the last three years, about the challenges faced by the local community and how the organisation provides support. “We predominantly deliver advice,” Rohan explains, “We help with benefit inquiries. We have many people come to us for help with benefit applications and reviews- and many people don’t know what they’re entitled to. Many clients were put on the universal credit system online, and there is a language barrier for many people, so that’s where we come in.”

Aspire & Succeed also delivers activities and programs for young people: from CV writing workshops and job searches to confidence-building exercises. They recently delivered a summer holiday club at the local primary school, working with over 90 children from disadvantaged backgrounds for a period of three weeks to ensure the development of new friendships, skills and activities during the holidays. They also organise events, such as an enterprise day for local women and young people, supporting the development of small businesses amongst the residents.

Rohan characterises Lozells as a tight-knit, friendly and multicultural community. “I know it has a reputation for high crime rates, but as a community, all the organisations and the community leaders are working on that issue,” she contends. “But it's nice because everyone seems to know everyone. As soon as you walk out of here, you get a hello. Good morning. Good afternoon. From everyone, you see people standing there talking to one another. You don't get that where I live”. 

Perhaps most impressive is that Aspire has done all of this through the shared endeavour of its citizens, who have come together to support one another in the toughest of times.

To learn more about Aspire & Succeed, head to their website aspireandsucceed.org.