The build up to Christmas at Kids Company is a truly hectic time as we prepare to receive 2000 children and young people on Christmas Day. These children come to us because, due to poverty, substance misuse, mental health problems and other issues, their families are not able to provide for them. Without our party on December 25th, many would be left to spend Christmas alone and desperate.
We provide food, games, gifts and a warm, welcoming atmosphere for every child and young person who comes. Our aim is to be able to give each child a sack filled with presents, so we have been spending the last few weeks frantically calling around shops begging for gifts and putting out pleas to our supporters to make donations and send in gifts.
At Kids Company Head Office we have been hosting amazing teams of wrappers who come in every day to volunteer their time to wrap and sort the presents ready for the big day. Without their energy and enthusiasm we just wouldn’t be able to do it.
At our centres, our staff team are working with children to complete wish lists for Santa, so that we can get them a gift that they will really love. We are also working with their families to gather the names of those coming so that we can book transport to and from the party and arrange chaperones for young children coming on their own.
Our safeguarding team have also been working hard to put a robust staffing rota in place over the Christmas period, to ensure that even on the days when our centres are closed, there is always someone for the children to turn to for help.
In previous years the Christmas duty team have taken a high volume of calls from children in crisis, including girls made homeless due to family disputes and unable to access statutory help at this time; children struggling with loneliness, depression and suicidal feelings; young people who have witnessed traumatic incidents. Through our duty phone number these children and young people can access help at any time of the day or night; some just need someone to talk to, while for others our staff will go out to them to provide practical and emotional support in person.
To help promote the needs of the most vulnerable children this Christmas, we have been working with the advertising agency AMV BBDO, who have donated their time for free to create a unique and powerful poster campaign drawing attention to the number of children who will find themselves alone in London this Christmas. The campaign asks people to donate by text to help fund our Christmas activities – a very exciting development for us as this is the first time we have been able to receive text donations.
Click here for our Winter newsletter with more information about what we’ve been up to recently.
