Civic Engagement London
Join civic engagement groups in London and make an impact

Balancers Community Volunteering - Goodge Street
Thu, Jul 23, 5:00 PMHi Balancers, We believe community is about more than meeting new people. It's also about showing up for those who need support. As part of our ongoing partnership with Refugee Community Kitchen, we're inviting you to join us for a special evening helping distribute summer care kits to people experiencing homelessness in London. We'll be working alongside the Refugee Community Kitchen team during their evening meal service in Archway, helping hand out essential care kits to those who need them most. **💛 What to Expect** \* A meaningful evening giving back to the local community. \* Work alongside the Refugee Community Kitchen team during their meal distribution. \* Help distribute summer care kits to people experiencing homelessness. \* Meet other Balancers who want to make a positive impact. **📍 Meeting Point** 6:00 PM Outside \*\*Goodge Street Underground Station\*\* We'll begin with a short briefing from the Refugee Community Kitchen team, who will explain how the distribution works and answer any questions. The process is simple. Camden Council requires a short form to be completed for each care kit distributed, and you'll be shown exactly how to do this during the briefing. No previous volunteering experience is needed. 🔹 Stay connected: [Join our WhatsApp group \[here\] for last-minute updates.](https://chat.whatsapp.com/HYbCWaNidNV9aYK3TW9WGm) 🌱 **About Refugee Community Kitchen** Refugee Community Kitchen is a grassroots, volunteer-led organisation that has served over 3.5 million meals to displaced people and those experiencing food insecurity in the UK and northern France. Their mission: to serve warm, nourishing meals with dignity and build community through food. 👉 Learn more: [refugeecommunitykitchen.org](https://refugeecommunitykitchen.org) *** 💡 **Can’t Make It This Time?** You can still contribute: * **Donate directly (100% goes to RCK):** [https://www.justgiving.com/charity/refugeecommunitykitchen](https://www.justgiving.com/charity/refugeecommunitykitchen) * **Volunteer with RCK:** [Sign up here](https://rck.my.salesforce-sites.com/outreachvolunteer/) * **Spread the word** to others who’d love to join in Let’s keep showing what our community can do when we act with heart. See you there 💛

Free* English conversation class at International café
Sun, Jul 12, 1:30 PMDiscover the World at International Cafe! We are a group of Christian volunteers set out to create a friendly community that welcomes everyone! Come and practice speaking English with our English speaking volunteers. You will learn more about British culture and discuss life with NEW topics each week. We also include a Bible story at the end of our sessions. At International Cafe, we start our meet up with Tea & Coffee and continue in engaging conversations. Each week, we'll look at NEW topics about British culture and history, so you can learn and socialize. Best of all, it's a free event and open to everyone! So mark your calendars: 🕕 Time: **Sunday at 2:30 PM** 📍 Address: ECIR OEA, Inspire at St James Questions? Text Organiser at 07708228436.

Balancers Community Volunteering - Archway
Wed, Jul 15, 4:30 PMHi Balancers, We believe community is about more than meeting new people. It's also about showing up for those who need support. As part of our ongoing partnership with Refugee Community Kitchen, we're inviting you to join us for a special evening helping distribute summer care kits to people experiencing homelessness in London. We'll be working alongside the Refugee Community Kitchen team during their evening meal service in Archway, helping hand out essential care kits to those who need them most. **💛 What to Expect** \* A meaningful evening giving back to the local community. \* Work alongside the Refugee Community Kitchen team during their meal distribution. \* Help distribute summer care kits to people experiencing homelessness. \* Meet other Balancers who want to make a positive impact. **📍 Meeting Point** 17.30 PM Outside \*\*Archway Underground Station\*\* We'll begin with a short briefing from the Refugee Community Kitchen team, who will explain how the distribution works and answer any questions. The process is simple. Camden Council requires a short form to be completed for each care kit distributed, and you'll be shown exactly how to do this during the briefing. No previous volunteering experience is needed. 🔹 Stay connected: [Join our WhatsApp group \[here\] for last-minute updates.](https://chat.whatsapp.com/HYbCWaNidNV9aYK3TW9WGm) 🌱 **About Refugee Community Kitchen** Refugee Community Kitchen is a grassroots, volunteer-led organisation that has served over 3.5 million meals to displaced people and those experiencing food insecurity in the UK and northern France. Their mission: to serve warm, nourishing meals with dignity and build community through food. 👉 Learn more: [refugeecommunitykitchen.org](https://refugeecommunitykitchen.org) *** 💡 **Can’t Make It This Time?** You can still contribute: * **Donate directly (100% goes to RCK):** [https://www.justgiving.com/charity/refugeecommunitykitchen](https://www.justgiving.com/charity/refugeecommunitykitchen) * **Volunteer with RCK:** [Sign up here](https://rck.my.salesforce-sites.com/outreachvolunteer/) * **Spread the word** to others who’d love to join in Let’s keep showing what our community can do when we act with heart. See you there 💛17

BritBangla presents London Bengal Walk
Sat, Jul 11, 1:00 PMTickets need to be bought from: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/london-bengal-walk-by-britbangla-tickets-1990716057316 A heritage walk uncovering London–Bengal histories, revealing hidden stories of empire, migration, community resilience, and cultural legacy **LONDON BENGAL WALK: City of London & the British Empire by BritBangla** **Meeting Point: Duke of Wellington Statue - Royal Exchange (Bank Station)** Uncover the City’s hidden architecture of empire — from East India Company power to the Bengal trade that fuelled Britain’s wealth. Follow alleys, warehouses, and trading sites linked to muslin, indigo, tea, coffee, silks, and cotton, and meet the ayahs, lascars, and migrants who shaped these streets. We end in Brick Lane, tracing the Bengali community’s journey from struggle to Banglatown. BritBangla is a forum for advancing the empowerment and leadership of the dynamic Bengali community. It provides a platform to reflect the views and aspirations of British Bengalis growing up within a dual culture. BritBangla is the only existing professional network for British Bengalis in the UK. British Bengalis who are proud of their culture, heritage, and success. About the Walk Lead: Taryn Khanam BEM Taryn Khanam BEM is a heritage researcher, community leader, and Chair of BritBangla, recognised for her work exploring the intertwined histories of London and Bengal. As a researcher on the East India Company Monuments Trail at St Paul’s Cathedral, she has spent years uncovering the stories of empire, trade, and migration embedded in the City’s streets. Her guided walks bring together rigorous historical insight, community memory, and a commitment to making hidden histories visible. Taryn’s work centres British Bengali heritage, amplifying the voices of ayahs, lascars, merchants, activists, and early settlers whose presence shaped London long before modern migration Part of Tower Hamlets South Asian Heritage Month \* Bengali Professionals London is publicising this event and is not the organiser of the event\*

Sanjay's Birthday Picnic @ Richmond Green - Donation to Cancer Research
Sat, Jul 18, 2:00 PMHi All, **No host fee, but a mandatory donation for cancer research. If you don't attend the event, you can of course still donate. After all, it's for a good cause, and I doubt it will break your bank. No cards or gifts, just donations, thank you.** **Donation Link - [https://www.justgiving.com/page/sanjay-patel-6](https://www.justgiving.com/page/sanjay-patel-6)** **I'll try to have a QR code for on-the-day donations. You don't need to wait till the day to donate 😀** Why not come along after the Richmond festival to sit & relax, and mingle with others, which isn't easy to do at the festival. All picnics are weather-dependent, so I may need to change the date in the worst case or change to an indoor event. I will confirm nearer the time. I'll let you know what I'll be wearing and my number nearer the time. The location is on the corner of Richmond Green near the pubs The Prince’s Head and The Cricketers. As per the location pic. All previous picnics have been popular, so come along to enjoy the beautiful weather while it lasts. Get a dose of Vitamin D, have a good old chit-chat, and enjoy some food & drinks with friendly people. Bring your own food and drinks, thought I'll mention it just in case someone is expecting me to provide a 5\* luxury picnic complimentary 😂 Welcome to bring a speaker 🔈<= yes that's a pic of a speaker 🙈 And yes, more bad jokes to come on the day. 🌞😎💃🕺🧺🍺🍸🥤 Cheers, Sanjay

Novice | 10-12pm July 11 Vortex upstairs
Sat, Jul 11, 9:00 AMupdate: full for vocals, drums, bass, lead instruments, 1 of 2 spots taken for guitar and piano **Please use this link to sign up and pay** https://tickts.co.uk/events/novice-10-12pm-july-11-vortex-upstairs (Note you must already be accepted as a member of this group, otherwise your ticket will be cancelled) There will be a delay in the attendee list here being manually updated - please always check tickts.co.uk link above which is always up to date for what instruments are available. full list of scheduled sessions: https://www.meetup.com/Practice-Jazz-Jam-Sessions/events/ **What is it** The novice rehearsal sessions provide an opportunity for people who are relatively new to jazz, to play in a friendly, low-pressure environment. With a short set list that attendees can prepare in advance, it becomes a little less daunting to play and get the most out of practising in a group. See below for this week's setlist. Please sign up before attending. Already full for your instrument? Please check back every other Wednesday, when new sessions go live. If you keep not being able to get a spot, please message the organiser (Xie). Location: Vortex upstairs **Who's it for** Anyone who has practised following the forms (chord progressions) of jazz tunes - maybe on their own at home - and would like to build up playing experience, expand repertoire and practice performing with other musicians. There are various introductions on how jazz jams work - see e.g. https://jazznightschool.org/pages/jam-session-basics You don't need to get all these details right for these novice practice sessions. The set list format should offer opportunities for those at different levels of developing their playing. While at the beginning one might struggle to follow/comp the chords or play through the melody, it gets easier over time and one can start to develop approaches to improvisation, harmonise lead lines, add intros/endings, work on communication between band members, and even listen to recordings together and pick up specific arrangements. Bass players are expected to be able to play a walking bass line on swing tunes, and simple bossa lines for bossa novas. Playing the melody, or "head" - the responsibility is shared between horns players (e.g. sax, trumpet, violin), guitar and piano. Feel free to discuss among the group before each song - different parts of the head or the starting / ending heads can be played by different players. Some melodies will better suit several voices at the same time, whereas others are sensitive to variations in how they are played and may prefer a single instrument at a time. **What it's like** A relaxed and welcoming atmosphere - please put aside any worries of making mistakes if you’re thinking of joining us for the first time. To ensure the group is accessible for those at different levels, I ask that each novice session should work on only the below four songs of the set list, unless each and every attendee feels they prefer to move on. Each novice session is limited to up to: 1 drummer, 2 bass, 2 keys, 2 guitar, 3/4 lead instruments. The tickts.co.uk page will have tickets available only for the instruments/vocals with spots remaining. **Tunes this week (Sat July 11)** * Tenor madness in Bb (Blake, Roberts) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SsRegn8IG4 * Corcovado in C (note odd number of measures) (Stan Getz) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5XTnAQqczw * Little Sunflower in Dm (Freddie Hubbard) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZBu0ARDGxs * Lullaby of Birdland in Ab (Chad LB) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPqqVjfK2f4 Everyone is encouraged to listen to a variety of recordings for each song, but please ensure you are familiar with the recording provided as a primary reference. (Note the recordings provide stylistic reference, but may not be in the key listed, with the latter based on common real books) **Tune preview - next novice session (Sat July 18)** * All of me in C (Sonny Stitt) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psUdIsccV9M * Like someone in love in Eb (Morgan, Jordan) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwv4KAw9h1g * On Green Dolphin Street in Eb (John Coltrane) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJBy3N7ZfRo * Adam's Apple in Ab (learn comping riff) (Dave Piero) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-Pfl_j9iZI **Preparing for the session** The chordal form of each song follow the iReal Pro app as a common reference, or you can use sheet music from Real Books. Resource for sheet music: https://www.seventhstring.com/fbindex.html http://therealbook.info/ Try to immerse yourself in the songs by listening to recordings by different artists on youtube, spotify etc. Learn the head (main melody) of the song if you can. Don't hesitate to let the band know you can play it so you can start things off **Playing well together** The rehearsal groups are often quite large for a jazz ensemble setting. Please follow the below arrangements, which are designed to help the group be mindful of each other's volumes, and to build good habits for playing as a group * Every tune should be played at least twice. Swap the bass, piano and guitar players between the two renditions (if there are two attending) * Only one guitarist should comp - i.e. play chords - for each rendition (both guitarists can solo, and comp without amplification) * After each rendition of the warm up tune, the whole group should take a moment together and help each other to check on volumes, including: \*\* Can everyone hear themselves? \*\* Are the drums too loud? \*\* Can everyone hear the bass? \*\* Is the guitar comping too loud? \*\* Is the piano loud enough? (staff at the office can turn this up) \*\* Feel free to revisit volumes after subsequent songs * For any song, if at least two people in the group feel it would be better, the guitar and piano should share the choruses for comping (instead of comping together) - e.g. guitar comps the first time through the head, then piano, then guitar, etc. **Equipment** there is a piano, drum kit (no cymbals or high hat clutch), bass and guitar amps, stands, and microphones. Drummers: please bring cymbals (none available for rental) and hi hat clutch **Percussion** Percussionists are welcome to join with their instruments, alongside the drummer. Feel free to sign up to any session, even one that says "full for all instruments" at the top, unless it explicitly mentions "full for percussion". **Vocalists** Singers are welcome, however please note that the songs have fixed keys, and some of the repertoire are likely not in the right key for your range. If you are an experienced singer, it may be possible to arrange sessions with repertoire catered to you - to explore this, please first come to the "Afternoon Open Jams" so I can get a sense of your singing. **Observing** Would you like to attend a session without playing/singing, to get an idea of the format or to get a sense of what to practise first at home? You can sign up as usual to any novice session, and send me a message that you'd like only to watch the session. When you feel ready, the fee paid can be carried over toward any future session where you join to play or sing at the rehearsal. **Cancellation policy** Please try to make it to any session you sign up to, as the jams are organised around a particular mix of instruments. However, if things do come up and you can no longer make a session, please send a message to the organiser, Xie, as soon as possible. Places are non-refundable if your plans change, but if you provide over 1 week notice it may be possible to carry over the fee for a future session. \-\-\-\-\- any questions do get in touch!
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