Nova is thrilled to be partnering with Byline festival this year. Since 1983, we have been positively impacting people’s lives in North Kensington and beyond. On the grassroots level, we offer adult education and advice for people to find new opportunities in life and a family programme with fantastic experiences for children, parents and carers. In parallel, our innovative Social Change programme includes regular events that bring people together across boundaries to build connections and learn about and from one another including TEDx Ladbroke Grove and The School of Humanity.
Our mission is to build a more inclusive and socially cohesive society and a better world for all.
“Their support is on another level…never seen a helpful organisation like Nova in my life”
This year’s Byline Festival takes place in the heart of North Kensington down the road from our office. North Kensington is an area famous for its creativity and vibrancy, but it is also a neighbourhood of extreme inequality and growing poverty. Local people have been profoundly impacted by years of injustice: austerity, the housing crisis, the refugee crisis, social and political polarisation, the Windrush scandal, Covid-19 and the Grenfell Tower fire.
In this context, Nova has been more determined than ever to ensure our communities can access high quality cultural and educational opportunities. That’s why we’re so excited to be working with Byline Festival.
This weekend you can check out The School of Humanity, our pop-up school, where lived experience and personal perspectives reveal our common humanity through powerful conversations.
Our Living Subjects are extraordinary people often defined by a generalised label (e.g., Transgender, Refugee, Anxiety, Abuse Survivor, Wheelchair user) volunteering their time to share their personal life stories. Come along and check out our living syllabus of multiperspectivity - be ready to connect, share and shatter preconceptions together!
We would love for you to join our journey - there are many ways that you can support our growing portfolio of work.
Donate: We run on a shoestring; every pound makes a difference. Become a Super Nova to donate a from as little as £10 per month or if you’re super generous you can become a Nova Visionary and join us on our mission for better tomorrow with a gift from £5,000.
Volunteer: Join our community of brilliant people who share their skills and time to deepen and broaden our work. From writers to social media support, leading trips with families to helping clients with employability, get in touch if you’d like to put your experience and passion to good use.
Make us your choice for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion programmes which...
Encompass highly interactive and experiential learning at their core
Provide opportunities to connect with people from diverse grassroots communities,
Have deep emotional and practical impacts
When you work with Nova, you access a broad community of people who will help upskill your organisation to address unconscious bias thereby solving real problems. Any profits we make are reinvested, supporting Nova to help more people.
@nova_newopps
Panels organised by NOVA:
BLM, where are we now? Saturday, 1pm, Media Circus.
Lee Lawrence
Lee is the author of “The Louder I Will Sing”, an inspirational speaker, influencer, social change advocate, a qualified mediator and Restorative Justice facilitator, looking to share his story and the benefits of alternative dispute resolution. He founded the Cherry Groce Foundation to make a difference to the lives of ordinary people who are faced with extraordinary challenges.
Lee Lawrence was 11 years old when he witnessed the shooting of his mother Cherry Groce by police, sparking the 1985 Brixton uprising. When she died in 2011 Lee campaigned to obtain justice, culminating in a full public apology and accountability by the Metropolitan Police.
Donna Murray-Turner
Donna is founder of community group Another Night of Sisterhood; chair of Croydon’s Safer Neighbourhood Board and former speaker at TEDx Ladbroke Grove. Donna has a degree in child development; and works with London’s City Hall on reducing violence against women and girls. She is currently researching community engagement and the role of place in public trust and confidence in the police.
Inequality Panel. Sunday, 10am, Flyover Forum.
Alex Coackley – Head of IAG Services, Nova
Alex Coackley is Head of Information, Advice and Guidance at Nova. This is his tenth year at the organisation, having originally joined as a volunteer tutor, he now works to support Nova service users towards employment and education goals. Alex’s role involves tackling issues around inequality, seeing at a grassroots level the impact of food and fuel poverty, the benefit cap, high rents and unsecure housing across London.
Matthew Bishop
Matthew Bishop is an award-winning author, UN advisor and global leader in sustainable development. Matthew was a writer and editor at The Economist for over 25 years, including a decade as the magazine’s New York Bureau Chief. He later joined the Rockefeller Foundation to lead the Bellagio Center. He cofounded the Social Progress Index and #givingtuesday, and is a visiting fellow at the LSE Marshall Institute.
Marcus Begg
Marcus Begg is a locally based learning and behaviour specialist, youth worker, mentor. He is also an accomplished musician, specialising in delivering music therapy sessions aimed at students with additional needs. He is passionate about the charitable sector, championing and enhancing the lives of those marginalised in society. Marcus accessed Nova for advice on the next step in his career, he is currently working for Play Association Hammersmith & Fulham, a charity offering respite and social support for SEN/PMLD families in West London.
