The Academy is based on a concept that originated in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA. It works with young African Caribbean boys who are referred to the Academy by their head teachers, based on demonstrated leadership traits.

The Academy’s goals are to instill tenets of success in young leaders at an early age, to create an awareness and understanding of the opportunities that exist in their lives.

The Academy is an educational and leadership developmental organisation. It does not operate as an alternative to school but works alongside schools, offering some 40 boys who meet four times a week (Monday to Wednesday after school and Saturday mornings) complementary education and mentoring in partnership with the business community.

The Academy’s ultimate aim is to produce the next generation of black leaders.

The trust’s grant was made to Premier Christian Media Trust, the principal activity of which is the promotion of the Christian faith through media activities.

Through London Christian Radio, which operates as Premier Christian Radio, Premier Christian Media Trust broadcasts in the Greater London area on medium wave, throughout the UK on various digital platforms and on the World Wide Web.

The huge growth in the number of households with high speed broadband encouraged Premier to launch its new internet-based television channel during the first half of 2006.

It is predicted that by the end of the year half of the population will have access to broadband. This would mean that Premier.tv would be available in almost as many homes as satellite and cable combined, at no additional cost to the viewer.

The Fellowship was established some 25 years ago as an organisation of volunteers who had a heart to bring the love of God to people in prison as well as to their families on the outside.

Over recent years the Fellowship has taken a more proactive role in developing programmes that address the issues that cause people to offend.

The Fellowship has developed an excellent relationship with prison governors and helped them to meet their victim awareness and restorative justice needs for prisoners.  Research carried out by Sheffield Hallam University confirms significant attitudinal changes in offenders who have taken part in the Fellowship’s very successful Sycamore Tree programmes.

All of the initiatives undertaken by the Fellowship are designed to meet its objectives, which are the furtherance of education for people in prison through the teaching of Christian values and the running of programmes designed to reduce offending behaviour, to work with released offenders and prisoners’ families and to train volunteers to undertake the work.

SPEAR is a project of The St. Paul’s Centre, which was established in 2003 in partnership with St. Paul’s Church, Hammersmith.

It operates an eight week programme for 18-25 year old unemployed young people in West London. The highly interactive course is run by experts in change management, education and youth work. The course addresses the most common causes of underachievement such as the absence of motivation, life skills, qualifications and opportunities.

SPEAR’s mission is to ignite a vision of the possible in unemployed young people, to build their confidence and ability to effect life-changing choices and to develop their leadership potential within their local neighbourhoods.
Students are recruited to the course, on which there are six intakes a year, by referrals from various partner agencies.

In 2005 45 students graduated and in 2006 SPEAR anticipates working with more than 90 young people. Some 75% of those who have completed the course have gone on the further education or employment.

The Centre is a Social Work Project of the West London Mission in the West London Circuit of The Methodist Church.

For over 30 years it has been helping people to make the transition from street life or insecure housing to secure accommodation. In most cases this marks a deeper change from feelings of powerlessness with unstable, often chaotic lifestyles, towards confidence, hope and self-worth. Sustained work on life issues such as debt, relationships, offending, addiction and health is often needed before resettlement can take place.

The Centre operates an “open door” policy. One third of its clients are rough sleepers, one third live in hostels and one third are re-housed but look to the Centre for support.

The Centre sees around 90 people every day and at least 1,000 individuals in any six month period. More than half of these use the Centre’s advice and referral service.

The City of Westminster College runs a DIY training course at the Centre, offering clients the chance to learn new skills, and other courses are planned.