One of the key tenets of Freemasonry is charitable giving, along with supporting the local community, and we at The Lodge of Dawn has been doing exactly that during lockdown. Alongside our regular charitable giving we have facilitated a grant to a local community support service for young people.
The Lodge of Dawn made an application to West Riding Masonic Charities and secured a donation of £3,000 to support young people at MAP Charity.
“This emergency grant has enabled us to continue supporting young people in Leeds during these difficult times through our education programmes. The impact of Covid-19 is significantly affecting the charity due to our loss of income from suspending our events programme. It is only with the continued support of our community and funders that we can guarantee the long-term future of our transformative work with young people. A huge thank you from the MAP Charity team.”
MAP (Music & Arts Production) Charity is a home for creativity and offers young people who are at risk of exclusion from school the opportunity to gain qualifications in Creative Media and Art & Design, alongside Maths and English. Their courses cater for a range of special educational needs and include support for students with disabilities and mental health issues. They offer specialist guidance and advice for young people who are looking to engage with further education, training or employment.
The education programme is positioned alongside MAP Charity’s work with businesses and creative partners: from screen printing firms to musicians, MAP offers space and support, and in return local businesses provide the students with teaching sessions and the opportunity to apply the skills they learn in real working environments. The community of onsite creative businesses offers invaluable learning and skill sharing opportunities for young people. Over the last 2 years, MAP Charity has trialed and will soon add apprenticeships for over 16s, extending its support to young people beyond the current education programme. All of this is delivered at the historic Hope Foundry in Leeds, nurturing the next generation of creative professionals.
The Lodge of Dawn have donated to MAP Charity as many charitable organisations are facing additional challenges during the period of lockdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic. This grant is being used to support the team at MAP Charity, who are continuing to deliver services to young people and revising their programme to be accessed remotely by the students at home.
Mary Ruggles, Associate Principle of Springwell Academy Leeds North, a specialist academy which provides care and education for children and young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs said “During this challenging period of lockdown and school closure we have been extremely pleased by the support offered by the team at MAP both to school and to our students and families. The team at MAP have communicated clearly and consistently throughout this period of time and worked in partnership with us to enhance the support for students both through welfare checks as well as planning and supporting virtual learning. MAP’s provision has enabled our students to engage with work that they are passionate about which has supported their well-being and mental health through these very difficult times. MAP has also offered face to face sessions which has enabled students to return to a safe learning space. Thank you for your continued outstanding provision and care for our young people.”
With support from the Lodge of Dawn, MAP Charity is able to continue to adapt its provision and ensure that young people continue to develop skills and grow confidence. This grant will help to ensure MAP Charity can safeguard its valuable work with young people in Leeds who are struggling to access mainstream education, supporting young people like Taylor:
“MAP has sculpted my future, as I was able to develop a passion for filmmaking and tie it into my qualification. MAP has boosted my confidence so much since I started, as I was very quiet, but because everyone was so welcoming it made me progress in my social skills and self-esteem.” Taylor, former MAP student.
Since graduating from MAP Charity’s education programme with a BTEC qualification in Creative Media Production, Taylor is now a freelance filmmaker; having been commissioned by organisations such as Leeds International Festival, Art Hostel, Music:Leeds and Equaliser. She regularly volunteers at MAP Charity because she believes that all young people should have access to the educational and professional development opportunities MAP offers. Last year Taylor won the Yorkshire Young Achievers Award for Education in recognition of her significant talent and dedication at the early age of 19, and is now pursuing further education in creative subjects.
Along with Taylor, many of MAP Charity’s recent graduates return to the organisation as volunteers to support the programmes they deliver – from leading workshops for the next cohort of young people at MAP, to performing at the charity’s live music events, the organisation is shaped and supported by those who have benefited greatly from their work.
MAP Charity has ambitious plans for Hope Foundry and last year the charity secured over a million pounds of investment to purchase the building they call home. Now the charity has an ambitious plan to redevelop the space and create a permanent home for creativity, offering a broad range of courses to even more young people alongside a space for the public, studios for small creative businesses and a roof garden too.
For more information on MAP Charity please see www.mapcharity.org.
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