It is an understatement to say that 2020 has been a challenging year that has impacted us as individuals, families and communities. As members of Harrow Citizens and Brent Citizens we have responded in a variety of ways – from ensuring that nobody in our institutions is “left behind” to adapting our ways of working and continuing to develop leaders and take public action for the common good.

We look forward to building on all this work with you in 2021 and become even more powerful and diverse. For now, please find some highlights from 2020.

Students from Mahfil Ali SICM's Madrasah take part in Community Organising training, September 2020.

The Harrow Citizens mental health action team led by Kol Chai Reform Jewish Community and Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue has created two Directories listing the many mental health services that are accessible to adults and children both within Harrow and nationwide. 

These Directories have been reviewed and approved by Harrow Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and the Harrow GPs Forum. We hope that they will help more people in Harrow to easily find out which services or support to access at a time of distress.

Despite the challenges presented by lockdown, students from Ark Academy (Wembley) and Newman Catholic College (Harlesden) have enthusiastically participated in Community Organising and Community Leadership training programmes over the past few months in order to develop their skills and be equipped with practical tools to take collective action on the issues affecting them, their families and local communities.

At a time of hardship and uncertainty, they have shown resilience and a remarkable commitment to social justice and the common good!

Leaders from Harrow Citizens member organisations Kol Chai Reform Jewish Community (Hatch End) and Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue (NPLS) delivered a presentation at the Harrow GPs Forum coordinated by the Harrow Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to address some of the priority concerns of our membership in relation to mental health.

We are pleased to have built a closer relationship with local GPs and look forward to collaborating with them.

Brent Citizens were delighted to be involved in the six-month review of the causes and consequences of poverty in Brent as part of the independent Brent Poverty Commission. Through our local Citizens Organiser, Brent Citizens members were able to share their first-hand experiences and articulate our priorities as a broad-based alliance.

The Commission produced a report in August 2020 with over 40 concrete recommendations, which Brent Council has committed to implementing to the best of its abilities. 

Members of Harrow Citizens hit the streets in their local area to raise awareness about local mental health services among the wider public. Read more to find out more about this important public action. 

Blog by Hugh Murdoch, North London Citizens Organiser

This morning I was pleased to hear London Mayor Sadiq Khan announce plans for a violence reduction unit to tackle the endemic rise of youth crime in London. The unit, which will treat youth violence as a public health issue, will be based on a model in Glasgow which had significant success.

However, this morning’s announcement came alongside news of yet another fatal stabbing on our streets. A young man in his 20s was killed on Tuesday night by Tufnell Park, on the border between of Camden and Islington.

Harrow Citizens is the newest Borough alliance of Citizens UK in North London. It launched in May 2017 with the aim of bringing different civic society organisations together to organise and act for the common good. In just over the year, Harrow Citizens has already made great strides and is keen to keep growing in both strength and numbers. Continue reading to find out more about Harrow Citizens' achievements and their next steps.

Young people from the Wembley area have undertaken research to reveal shocking pay-gap their parents, some of whom work at the stadium, face and met outside the Stadium to sing Living Wage themed football chants [Watch video]

Campaigners are inviting the Minister for Sport and fans to support call for Chairman Greg Clarke to put forward a plan to implement the real Living Wage at the FA’s next board meeting.

Over 2,000 workers are reported to receive below the London Living Wage of £10.20 an hour, with the majority as low as £7.50 an hour with those under 18 earning even less.

School children from St Ignatius Primary School today held an assembly asking the Cabinet Member for Environment at Haringey Council - Cllr Peter Mitchell - to adopt Selective Landlord Licensing in the borough on Friday.

This is after the school, as part of Haringey Citizens, heard countless stories of children and parents struggling with terrible conditions in the private rented sector and of landlords refusing to carry out basic repairs such as fixing heating, electricity, broken appliances, and damp - whilst also refusing to deal with vermin.

Children from St Ignatius Primary School with researchers from UCL, Generation Rent and Citizens UK

The school children were at the centre of the research project and decided to build a dolls house to illustrate the problems they had heard from the community.

One family have gone months without heating, with this week one of the coldest on record. Despite numerous attempts to complain to his landlord - his landlord has refused to fix the problem

London Citizens is backing their fight for tougher Landlord Licensing in the Borough to tackle rogue landlords who are causing misery to young families.