My first week at South London Cares...

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Our new Projects Officer, Charlie, joined the team this week to start leading on Social Clubs. Here, she explains what struck a chord when it comes to South London Cares' purpose.

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I am lucky enough to have grown up as part of a big family in a village with a strong sense of community. Before I moved to London, I took my support network of family, friends and neighbours for granted.

When I came to London for university, the city’s vibrancy and constant buzz were all my childhood dreams had imagined, but I also experienced quite an unexpected culture shock. Our capital is innovative, cosmopolitan and thriving: all fantastic things to enjoy with friends, but on the flip side, those aspects of the city can quickly become intimidating and alienating to those who experience social isolation.

As I started off my London life in a tiny little room in a big tower block, filled with strangers all too busy with their studies to socialise, I felt overwhelmed and alone. Fortunately for me, that feeling only lasted a few weeks. But for some people in London in our neighbourhoods, loneliness is a daily experience. For Londoners old and young alike, feeling disconnected from the bustling city in which you live can feel as isolated as living in the middle of nowhere.

That’s why I wanted to work for South London Cares. The interactions created by each social club and Love Your Neighbour friendship provide moments which can lift day-to-day experiences from just about bearable to glorious, fun, and full of meaning. Young people in their 20s and 30s who have some spare hours in their week, fortnight or month, can make a difference to an older neighbour by simply hanging out and sharing company. In my first week at South London Cares I have already bonded with Elsa over the trials and tribulations of waitressing jobs gone by, found a shared love of reggae with Valerie and learnt to tango and cha cha with Adoration - just in time for Strictly!

At university, my dissertation was an investigation into the importance of community in the fight against some types of mental illness, including depression and anxiety. A whole variety of anthropological and sociological studies have found that social interaction reduces loneliness across all age groups and can in many cases reduce the development of mental and physical illness too. South London Cares is building a community network to bring people together across social and generational divides to enrich daily life.

There is always something new and unexpected to come out of a chat with an older neighbour, and I feel privileged to be able to spend my days connecting our young volunteers to older people they might never have encountered in any other situation. I can’t wait to continue my South London Cares adventure!