Building Resilience in Communities’ (BRiC) is an innovative community-focused skill-development project that will deliver a range of personal and socio-economic benefits throughout the Neath, Afan, Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach and Cynon valleys.
BRiC will support 100-130 marginalised individuals aged 16+ over a 3-year period from across the Pen y Cymoedd region, to improve their health and wellbeing, develop their personal, practical and employability skills, achieve accredited qualifications, move closer towards the labour market, and make positive life changes through the restoration of empty properties within our local communities.
The overarching aims of BRiC are to:
• Challenge our community members to take positive action and become responsible for their own life journeys.
• Regenerate and invigorate our local communities by taking proactive and innovative steps to reduce empty property numbers.
• Inspire a sense of community pride, resilience, and ownership through its activities.
Pen-y-Cymoedd revenue funding will allow them to create a vehicle for positive and aspirational community change, empowering citizens to take proactive action, developing a sense of community ownership, pride, confidence, and self-respect.
Project activities include:
• Property identification: Empty properties renovated through the project activities will be purchased throughout the Pen-y-Cymoedd region based on local need.
• Community engagement: They will engage with the local community, including charities, community groups, educational providers, and housing associations to establish project referral pipelines.
• Property energy efficiency and safety: The Welsh Government NEST scheme contractors will carry out an energy efficiency survey and complete necessary works, such as the installation of new boilers and heating systems, whilst trusted electrical and gas safety partners will make all electrical and gas feeds safe, in preparation for participants to commence their training.
• Skill development: Supported by BRiC tutors, participants will undertake a period of active training, developing employability, entrepreneurship, and construction skills, culminating in the achievement of qualifications and a clear pathway into employment.
• Employment support: They proactively engage with partners who will support the participants’ employment progression.
• Wellbeing support: Participants will be supported to address personal barriers that could prevent effective project engagement, including financial hardship, transport issues, drug and alcohol advice, domestic abuse, and mental health.
“The Cii is thrilled to secure Pen y Cymoedd funding to deliver the innovative BRiC project throughout the Neath, Afan, Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach and Cynon valleys. It is our collective intention that BRiC empowers our local communities to take positive steps that will lead to sustained community improvement and regeneration. We would like to provide the Pen y Cymoedd management team and board of directors with a heartfelt thank you for believing in the aspirations and benefits of the project, and for supporting us in our ambitions to deliver lasting community change.” Trystan Jones Chief Executive
“2020 was an exceptionally difficult year but in addition to the 68 COVID and 70 Micro Fund awards the fund made, applications to the Vision Fund continued and we are very excited to be announcing the latest Vision Funded projects.
This innovative and far reaching project represents everything that is fantastic about the area of benefit: determination, ingenuity, creativity and a genuine drive to make the most of the assets and facilities we have” – Kate, Executive Director, Pen y Cymoedd Community Fund