The Kurdish Community Centre (KCC) has left yet another year of success and achievement behind. Indeed we as the Management Committee are delighted at the immense level of success the KCC has achieved during 2005-2006 management year.

As planned outputs were achieved, and in most cases exceeded, the Management Committee is happy with the performance of the KCC. Details of the achievements and services developed and offered at the centre over the past year are given under their appropriate headings in the following pages. It is right that the achievements of the year should be described by the individual committees because it is within these committees that most of the hard work is actually conducted, the Management Committee usually doing no more than scrutinizing, approving and coordinating the work, decisions taken and making adjustments where necessary.

Nevertheless in our overview we feel that we must trumpet at least some of their achievements here. The KCC’s ‘Hebun’ drama/theater group has established itself significantly within the community due to the ongoing commitment and hard work of its members. The group has appeared on numerous occasions at the KCC performing sketches intended to touch on all the feelings and emotions of the community. Towards the end of 2005 the group completed a four-month project in which they worked together with the Drama department of the University of East London. Undoubtedly this provided a unique opportunity for the group to develop their skill and ability by sharing their experiences and ideas with academics and professionals. At the time of writing the group was preparing to perform at the Rio Cinema along with Kurdish stand-up comedian, Murat Batgi, during the Newroz 2006 festivities
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The KCC folk dancing committee has also achieved a great deal over the past year. The group has more than doubled in size and has now established sub-groups in order to be able to cater for children, teenagers, those in their twenties as well as a women only groups.

Information Technology is a particular area of great achievement this year. The KCC’s IT suite was upgraded in mid 2005 with the purchase of 18 brand new Dell computers. IT has since then been on increasing demand. There are currently classes designed for all abilities and age groups scattered over the week. At the time of writing the KCC’s IT class coordinator had successfully completed a project with the Refugee Council during which IT classes were offered to refugees from outside of the Kurdish community. The Refugee Council has indicated willingness to continue the project at the KCC on a longterm basis.

Lastly, the immense success of the KCC’s Supplementary School cannot go without comment. With over 120 registered students currently attending the supplementary school on a weekly basis the supplementary school has enabled the centre to regain its vibrant status it use to enjoy before the arson attack on the centre in the late nineteen nineties. The school is operated by a net-working system developed since its establishment whereby all the activities offered at the centre are especially designed to dedicate two days of its resources to the supplementary school. Indeed, parents have praised the success of the school based on the difference it has had on their children’s success and ability at their mainstream schools.

All this was achieved alongside the usual major load of maintenance and running of the centre. As part of the major maintenance and development projects the KCC has recently seen the official opening by Charles Adje, the leader of the Haringey Council of its leisure and activities centre especially designed for its youth members. The centre provides an opportunity for youth members of the community to meet and socialise, make new friends and to participate in leisure activities such as pool, table football, chess and other board games and listen to music and watch TV etc. Similarly, work on the KCC’s community garden is also nearing to an end and should be finished by April and fully functional by the summer of 2006. Work on the garden was initiated with its opening by David Lammy MP. The community garden will provide a focal point where all members of the community will be able to meet and socialise in a peaceful natural environment far from the stress of being within an enclosed space.

A significant problem faced by the centre since the said arson attack was its detachment from external authorities and organisations. This was mainly due to the fact that the center was physically incapable of its potential as a charity. We believe that this year has been a year of significant reconciliation in terms of the centre reestablishing its recognition amongst and relationship with external agencies, organisations, communities and public organisations etc. To that end, it can be said that we have established good working relations with both new and existing organisations such as the Harringey Council, The Refugee Counsel, Supporting People and the local Police amongst others. We consider the development these relations to be extremely important and an area where much more effort and work is required.

Through the hard work of both the management committee and office staff we have been able to attain the standards to be able to confidently apply for accreditation by the Resettlement of Offenders Coordinating Committee (ROCC) in order to mark the KCC’s enhanced provision of its services, quality and credibility. The KCC is currently at its final stages of accreditation. The Management Committee is optimistic and encouraged by the progress made by the KCC in the accreditation process and we give our special thanks to our coordinator for his exceptional hard work throughout this process. The KCC has many aspirations for the future. First and foremost, it aims to deepen the roots of its educational services within its community and attain a wide level of participation from all sectors of the community with the ultimate objective being to offer educational services at recognised academic and vocational standards.

The centre is currently working hard to establish and develop its relations with both local and national organisations to gain wider experiences and recognition. The aim is to be able to combine forces and offer services and activities in partnership with such organisations. One area that the KCC lack experience would need support in is to make better use of its disabled facilities, such as its purpose built lift and toilets and hence develop activities for people with disabilities.

Another area the KCC needs to develop its services is in the field of sports and recreational activities. Currently the centre has a newly built sports hall, which is very much underused. At present only the Karete, aerobics, gymnastic and yoga are being practiced at the hall. Therefore, projects will need to be developed for a variety of sports activities to be thought and practiced at the centre. We strongly feel that this should be an area of much more development in order to fully appreciate its potential and be able to offer to the community a fully functional hall where a variety of activities are offered. The centre is similarly working hard to develop its advice and advocacy services, by computerising the entire service for a much smoother and systematic approach to its delivery to its users.

As it has been seen over the last year since being rebuilt the KCC has gained wide appreciation within the community. This has been a result of the continued valued hard work of all of its staff and volunteers. It is clear that its progress as a community centre will not be static. Indeed as the Management Committee we feel very optimistic and excited for the KCC’s future.

On that note, the Management Committee use this opportunity to give their sincere thanks to all the KCC’s office staff and tutors whose dedication and hard work has made an essential contribution to the development of the charity. We also want to thank the charitable funds, companies and individuals whose generosity has allowed us to continue to build the charity.

Despite some ongoing challenges, we continue to move forward, always looking at ways to improve our centre for our community.

The KCC Management Committee