Voices of Hope
A Heritage Lottery funded exhibition celebrating 30 years of JERICHO
Balsall Heath, Birmingham
Balsall Heath is an area of Birmingham that lies to the south of the city centre.
In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s it was the red light district of Birmingham and an area of very high unemployment, particularly amongst young men.
Edward Road Baptist Church
At this time, and in response to the needs of their local area, Edward Road Baptist Church began operating a drop in session.
Initially this involved playing snooker in the church hall with unemployed young men but soon developed into a weekly session offering job search support.
By the late 1990’s Edward Road Baptist Church Project, as it was known then, had moved into a building a few streets away on the corner of Jakeman Road which remains JERICHO’s head office today.
Christine Parkinson, the founder of JERICHO, discusses how and why JERICHO began
Map showing the location of Edward Road Baptist Church in Balsall Heath, Birmingham
Social Enterprise Journey
We opened our first social enterprise, a small shop, in 1999 to offer paid work experience and training alongside personal development. By 2004, we were running four different enterprises- the shop, a little cafe, a fledgling print business and a textile project - however the focus was very much on delivering employability support through our job search suite. At this time, there were 10-12 staff and our turnover was about £400,000, 80% of which was government funding and only 10% came from our social enterprise activity.
In 2006, we appointed a new CEO, Richard Beard, and he set about making JERICHO more enterprising. This involved starting a number of new businesses including Jericho Repair and Maintenance, which would later become Jericho Construction, Jericho Design Studio and Jericho Catering, which at one point operated four different sites including the West Midlands Fire Service Headquarters. In total, we have operated 15 enterprises all with the aim of creating supportive employment, training and work experience opportunities for our participants.
In 2010, we found that a lot of our government money began to disappear as those contracts moved to big private sector, prime contractors. In the years that followed we worked very hard to grow our social enterprise money faster than the government money disappeared. By 2016/17, we were turning over £3 million a year and 80% of that was generated through our social enterprises. A big transformation in a short period of time.
Our CEO, Richard Beard, discusses JERICHO’s social enterprise journey
Meet the managers of JERICHO’s current seven social enterprises
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Jericho Catering
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Jericho Cleaning
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Jericho Construction
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Jericho Landscape
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Jericho Print
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Jericho Recycling
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Jericho Workspace
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ChangeKitchen CIC
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Miracle Laundry
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The ReUsers
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The Wood Shack
JERICHO Today
Today, we are a family of seven social enterprises that provide supported work opportunities for people facing challenges in getting a job.
Challenges could include trauma, insufficient work experience, health and wellbeing needs, education barriers and communication difficulties.
Currently, we primarily support survivors of modern slavery and young people.
Patrick Masih discusses JERICHO’s work with young people
Louise Gore discusses JERICHO’s work with survivors of modern slavery
Listen
*name has been changed
My JERICHO Experience
Social Trips & Wellbeing Activities
Our work opportunities are an important part of that journey but fulfilment in life means so much more.
Those participating in our Equiano project have been victims of exploitation, they are often fearful of others, may have limited experience of life in the UK, are often isolated and overcoming trauma, and may simply be adjusting to the freedom of being able to make their own choices.
We have built lots of activities into our Equiano project, from day trips and social activities to creative arts therapy and wellbeing. This offers an opportunity for participants to form friendships in a safe space, to have new experiences, grow in confidence and begin to focus on themselves.
We try to involve our participants in planning activities, including a recent trip to the beach at Barry Island! Many had never been to the seaside in the UK, and one of the women had never even seen hills here.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Art Therapy
Lichfield
Barry Island
Easter Wreath Making
Dudley Zoo & Castle
“My stress felt heavy but today that is lifted and I feel free, this is so so good”
“I feel fresh and stress free”
“Having counselling sessions at JERICHO helped me a lot as I had been queuing for the NHS for over a year, feeling hopeless and on the verge of taking my life and receiving this support was essential for me to get back on my feet. It was quite an improvement! Today I feel much better and on the right path, I have hope again for a brighter future.”
“I visited new places. I enjoyed [them] a lot and got some good memories from these trips. I am thankful to JERICHO for all that they have done for us. Thank you JERICHO!
A Family
“I wouldn’t have survived without them. They love and care, always asking if I need anything. All the things that I need are from JERICHO.
I am very eager to come to JERICHO every day because I feel like I am going to a family.
They are always there helping people, the ones like me who were very down before, but are not anymore.”
“My life now is definitely better than the past. The last two years I was in very dark places – I didn’t know where to go, I was so down. My previous life is gone now. They’ve changed me, they support me a lot, both emotionally and mentally.
You don’t even feel like they support you, you just feel like they are your friends and you can talk about anything. It’s very easy with them, even with English being not my first language, they just give you lots of attention. They are helpful and wherever you come from they’re always smiling. They’re like a family, your home.”
“I would definitely recommend an apprenticeship at JERICHO, it’s allowed me to develop lots of different skills and it helps you pursue your working life.
It’s not just a team but a family here. I fitted in really easily, and everyone gets on and has helped me a lot.”
Purpose
A Poem by Uju
Life was ticking away
Tick-tock it went
Seconds grew to minutes
Minutes turned to hours
Hours birthed days
Unspired, I lay in bed
Unsure what to do
Afraid to ask questions
Because the answer stared at me
In spite of my regular cycle
My life had become barren
Unable to conceive my wish
Desperate for purpose
I sought opportunities
In return I was offered lines
Filled with buts and no’s
Rejection had become a companion
Life lacked meaning and purpose
Tick-tock life rolled
Hopes and dreams slid away
A system which calls itself just
Kneels on the neck of my dreams
I cried for help
I sought consolation
Weeks arrived
Months followed
Years passed
Time seemed not to care
My life was sliding away
Tick-tock it went
Despair was setting in
Rejection begot depression
Mornings ushered no meaning
Nights provided little rest
Dear God help me I prayed
Send peace and hope and joy
His answer was a new friend
She swore JERICHO would help
Tick-tock life moved
I gave JERICHO a try
With fun and laughter and friendship
I joined in cooking change
My life was bearing some fruit
Tuesday mornings arrived with hope
New skills, gifts, support
Texts, emails, excursions
JERICHO sent isolation packing
I am no longer forgotten
I am visible again
A mere few hours a week
Is giving my life some purpose
JERICHO‘s Voices of Hope exhibition is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Thanks to the National Lottery players for making this exhibition possible.