Change Up @ Kennington Cross

Who we are

At Change Up @ Kennington Cross we aim to strengthen our community by providing support and opportunities to those who need them the most. We harness the resources of the community to find local solutions to local problems, focusing first on social exclusion.  We currently have three programmes running.

Business Incubation model

We have a serviced space that provides 12 office units and 2 external business spaces to business associates (our clients).  We use a central community site at St Anselm's Church in Kennington as a hub to provide mentoring support, employment opportunities and subsidised business premises as a path into longer term employment and community participation. 

We currently have 14 business associates operating 11 business's.  They are supported by 6 mentors, we are recruiting more each month.  We offer to each business associate: support planning, mentoring and business development.

Released to Change

We launched Released to Change as a test model.  We recruit offenders who are within their last 12 weeks of sentence and eligible for licence.  We are partnering with a major employer, Essentia, who will place these potential employees on the sites of either Guys and St Thomas’ hospitals or across the 150 locations in central London.   We are aiming to take offenders and ex-offenders through the process, reviewing and expanding the model. 

This is a great opportunity to develop, with our employing partner, to give offenders a chance to prepare for employment upon release.   Ideally entering into an apprenticeship with Essentia, if they step up and show they are serious about their future.  

Kennington Kitchen

Kennington kitchen will be a community gathering space where young people and adults come together to learn about healthy eating and share delicious, freshly prepared food at an affordable price.It will provide kitchen space for local caterers, host community supper clubs and make space available for private hire, cooking classes for schools and training for young professionals. Kennington Kitchen will be hosted on the grounds of St Anselm’s Church in Kennington.

Kennington Kitchen will benefit the community in a number of ways

• Promote healthy eating among students from local schools who will learn about nutrition, and local residents who will have access to healthy, affordable meals
• Enhance the community by providing a dynamic venue for social activities and events
• Create new aspirations among children and adults to develop their cooking skills or discover a new profession
• Supports Change Up by providing a regular source of income to the charity and new opportunities for its beneficiaries