News – November 2021
How healthy we are depends on 2/3 of the circumstances in which we live. How do we live and work? What environmental conditions are we exposed to? What resources are available to us?
With our new prevention project "Community Health Work", we want to take a look at these conditions in Schönefeld.
Starting in spring 2022, two positions will be created for this purpose, which will jointly implement a variety of small projects and offers for Schönefeld.
We combine aspects of community work with methods of occupational therapy. Use methods of transformative community organizing and disease prevention. Important principles of our work are always a high degree of participation and involvement of the people in the neighborhood. For this reason, we have already planned some of the services, but we are also first creating a lot of foundations in order to be able to react to the needs of the users.
With the donations, we will be able to cover the various material costs for the projects, but above all finance the salaries of the two positions. Each donation requirement is made up of about 25% material costs and about 75% personnel costs. A large part of our work is unpaid so far, we want to change this step by step.
The starting point of the project is the Poliklinik Leipzig, the solidarity health center in Leipzig Schönefeld. Here we have already started this year with the neighborhood work and here further offers around health take place.
We are a non-profit association, which is promoted by the health office of the city of Leipzig and finances itself over promotion memberships and donations. We understand ourselves as collective enterprise, i.e. we are basis-democratically organized, decide in the consensus and try to diminish hierarchies.
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In the following, we want to make our donation needs as well as individual aspects of the project transparent.
Needs of the fundraising campaign
Total needs
In total we need about 40.000€ in 2022 for our Community Health Work - Project in Leipzig Schönefeld. The basis for this is this fundraising campaign with its individual needs. In addition, there are funds from our membership fees and still following applications to various offices and foundations. Unfortunately, the funding situation is currently so precarious that it seems hopeless to finance this project exclusively through this.
Two Community Health Workers
We want to create two positions within our new project. One position will be responsible for the coordination of the project, mainly taking care of the Health Library, the Neighborhood Helpers and the Neighborhood Café - we plan this position to be about 20h per week. The second position focuses on the work areas such as crafts, relaxation and movement work and is planned with 10h per week. Unfortunately, it is not so easy to get financial means for personnel costs. With many small grants it is only possible to apply for money for material costs or individual fees. Both are not sufficient to ensure long-term work. Therefore, in each of the small projects, about 75% of the donation requirement is always planned for just those salaries.
By the way, we pay the same salary to all people with a job that is subject to social insurance. Completely independent of their profession and official qualification.
Health library - 3.000€
In November, we opened our health library: here you can find a colorful selection of guidebooks on various topics. The library is available to people in the neighborhood four days a week, free of charge. With the budget we want to constantly expand the library according to the needs of the people in Schönefeld and cover the salary of the people in charge.
We plan to spend about 800€ for the purchase of new books & literature, as well as furniture. The remaining funds go into the pot from which we pay the salaries of the two positions.
Relaxation group - 4.000€
The polyclinic should also be a comfortable space for relaxation, retreat and recreation. For this purpose we want to create different offers. For example, a group where different techniques for relaxation can be learned together. For this we need equipment that suits all bodies and needs. For example yoga mats & pillows in different sizes. Also, we would like to pay people to come up with new concepts and implement them in the polyclinic. For the material we are currently planning about 1.000€.
Craft corner - 3.000€
Being crafty can bring a very pleasant feeling of self-efficacy. In addition, many items that we use in everyday life can be made by ourselves with a little know-how. The polyclinic should also become a space for tinkering, which you have been thinking about for a long time, but for which you have no space. Handicrafts can also be used therapeutically, e.g. to improve concentration or to learn (again) how best to put a plan into action. To do crafts in the polyclinic we need about 800€ to get tools and materials, the rest goes into the salaries of the CHW.
1:1 Neighborhood Help - 2,000€.
In the first lockdown in spring 2020, we started numerous neighborhood helps in Leipzig Schönefeld. Many people contacted us and offered their help or were looking for some. We see a need for solidary neighborhood help also outside the lockdown extreme situation. With the donations we want to support sustainable systems of neighborhood help in the coming year. We want to connect people with different resources and skills in the neighborhood and contribute to more community besides the individual support. We are currently counting on about 500€ budget for small purchases and reimbursement of expenses for our volunteers. The remaining 1.500€ are part of the salaries of the CHW positions.
Neighborhood Café - 5.000€
As soon as it is possible again, the polyclinic should also become a place for the neighbors to meet. We would like to open an uncommercial neighborhood café to get to know more Schönefelder*innen and their stories. With the donations we will mainly create the necessary infrastructure and can thus ensure that everyone can afford a visit to the café regardless of their financial situation. For this we plan about 2.000€, the rest of the donations will go into the pot from which the salaries will be paid.
Kids Space - 2.000€
"I'd love to come for counseling, but I can't take my little one with me." - Yes, we can! Our services and rooms should be designed so that children feel comfortable and can be cared for. Therefore we want to buy new furniture for children as well as toys and books. For the books we have already collected and received some ideas, here it is important to purchase discrimination-sensitive books.
For the equipment we plan 500€, the remaining donations we use for the salaries of the CHW positions.
Therapy materials - 2.000€
One of the Community Health Work sites works with occupational therapy methods. These are already found in many of the other donation needs, e.g. in the area of handicrafts, neighborhood help and the relaxation group. Beyond that, however, we still need some additional materials for the work, for this we plan with about 400€ - the rest goes into the salaries.
Office costs - 2.000€
For our offers we always need a basic stock of office materials: pens, paper, folders, stamps, etc. All this doesn't sound so exciting, but it is elementary for our work. Since we focus on sustainable and ecological products, the costs are a bit higher than they should be.
For the Community Health Work project we plan 500€, the remaining amount goes into the salary of the Community Health Workers.
Public Relations - 2.000€
To publicize our new Community Health Work project we need some materials for posters, flyers, info events, website or e.g. this fundraising campaign. The donations will go into the big budget for public relations in our association - proportionally we plan with about 500€, which we need for this. The rest goes into the salaries of the community health workers.
Further education - 2.000€
In order to ensure the quality of our services and to promote interdisciplinary exchange, we always want to learn new things and pass them on. We plan to spend about 500€ for further education and training for our volunteers and staff. The rest of the money also goes into the budget for salaries.
Safe work - 2.000€
We want to think about the topics of psychological and physical work safety at the very beginning. "I've got tendinitis again" or "I'm about to burn out!"
These or similar phrases sound familiar? Then you have probably not yet dealt with the topic of safety at work in such detail! Often it is only a few hand movements or a turn of your desk by a few degrees that make your work much easier.
For physiological workplaces we need about 700€ - the rest goes into our salaries.
Supervision - 1.500€
The polyclinic also needs support. Supervision is an important and health-promoting tool to prevent conflicts, expand our problem-solving skills and also reduce our workload. Together with ModeM, we are addressing this in order to ensure a space for exchange on a regular basis within our own structures as well. For the external support we plan 500€, the remaining donations will flow into the salaries of the CHW positions.
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