Six Point Foundation, the time-limited charity that makes grants to Holocaust survivors and refugees in the UK, is to close, as originally intended, on 15 March 2017.
To mark the occasion and celebrate the achievements of the charity over the last six years, Six Point Foundation is holding a farewell event at JW3, London’s Jewish Community Centre. The choice of venue means the event will be livestreamed to members of SPF Connect, the Six Point Foundation funded programme that enables Holocaust survivors and refugees in the UK to engage with the digital world.
The event will feature a series of workshops throughout the afternoon, in which Six Point Foundation will share its learnings and perspectives. Designed for residential care homes and social and support workers, the themes of these workshops will be:
- Activities that make a difference
- How to raise funds for these activities
- Broaching awkward client conversations about money
- Innovative survivor / refugee services to know about and utilise
Refreshments for the event, chosen by a focus group of survivors and refugees, will consist entirely of homely, unpretentious foods that have been prepared and eaten by Jewish families for generations.
Six Point Foundation has provided support for a variety of organisations and individuals during its six years in operation. Highlights include support for:
- Individuals needing help to keep their homes warm and safe, improved access to their home, aromatherapy treatments
- The N’Shei NW Golden Years friendship group in Barnet, North West London. The group has around 100 members, many of them Holocaust survivors and refugees, who meet regularly. Over three years, Six Point Foundation made grants of over £86,000 to contribute towards the costs of a paid co-ordinator, refreshments, advertising and expanded services
- Manchester Jewish Community Care (MJCC), an organisation that helps older, disabled and vulnerable members of its community live active, independent lives. Six Point Foundation provided £56,000 over two years to help MJCC to provide day care and meals for Holocaust survivors and refugees in need
The farewell event is sponsored in memory of the members of the Hundert and Kimel families who perished in the Shoah.
Susan Cohen, executive director at Six Point Foundation, said: “Since 2011, we’ve given grants to help improve the quality of life for people of Jewish origin living in the UK who experienced Nazi oppression and have faced difficult financial circumstances. It’s been an incredible journey and I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved. All of us at Six Point Foundation are looking forward to celebrating these achievements on 15 March.”
The closure of Six Point Foundation also marks the formal handover of one SPF Connectto London IT company, Natpoint.
SPF Connect involves the installation of 450 specially configured, internet-enabled computers to Holocaust survivors and refugees in the UK. Available to qualifying individuals and Jewish residential care homes across the UK, the computers make it easy for people challenged or intimidated by modern computing to enjoy the benefits of going online.
Also partnering on the SPF Connect project are:
- SeeYouLinkTM, a US software developer. The SPF Connect touchscreen computers feature SeeYouLink’s Touch & ConnectTM interface, designed especially for older adults new to computing, including those with low vision or mild dementia. Touch & ConnectTM replaces the traditional Windows interface with something far more simple and intuitive. Large, clearly visible boxes allow members to choose from options such as Calling, Email, News and Web browsing.
- Belsize Square Synagogue, with live-streams of events and services taking place at the synagogue through the Six Point Foundation funded BelsizeLIVE service.
- JW3, the London based Jewish education and cultural Centre. Thanks to a fixed camera in JW3’s main auditorium and a second, portable, camera, SPF Connect members can enjoy live coverage of events at this bustling cultural hub.
Natpoint staff visit new members to assess their interests and any special needs and configure their computer for specifically for them. They then deliver and install the computer and provide training for the user – or designated staff member where the member is a care home. Natpoint will provide a 4G internet connection if required and provide technical support and software updates, free of charge to members, throughout the life of the SPF Connect programme.
Also installed on the computers are Overdrive the e-book library service, and Digital Theatre, which brings live productions to computer screens in HD. These additions will enable SPF Connect members to enjoy a diverse range of books and acclaimed theatre productions.
Supplied with the computer, for those who wish, is a high visibility keyboard, which has proven to increase usage of the computers among members with poor vision.
In care homes, the computers can be used in ‘kiosk’ mode, where individual residents have their personal, secure log in credentials, or communally, allowing for live streamed events to be enjoyed by all residents in a communal area.
When the programme ends in May 2020, members will be free to keep the computer.
For further information about Six Point Foundation, email info@sixpointfoundation or call 020 3372 8882.
For further information about SPF Connect, email spf@natpoint.com or call 020 8951 2539.
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