I’ve spent more than 20 years working with children who have been abused and neglected. Often children describe shocking assaults on their dignity, but the most striking and painful part of these conversations has been children telling me that not having been chosen for love and protection has hurt them the most. It is the children who have taught me the importance of love in helping them recover and regain mastery over their trauma. Once they experience loving care, they fear losing it and begin behaving with greater caution towards themselves and others.

Love is difficult to keep in a jar, to capture and define, and because of its ephemeral quality it has been pushed out of the public space. So you can imagine my delight when brain researchers came along and explained that love and attachment builds the brain and chronic lack of it presents in scans as cavities; black holes evidencing the emotional depletion. The scientists also tell us that reparation can be achieved, love can replenish, compensating for the bleak emptiness. It is not neuroscience that is impressive, the extraordinary part of all this is the power of love, and now we have the opportunity to capture its impact through scientific research.

Please help the thousands of vulnerable children we support by joining my own group in our new “PEACE OF MIND” campaign. Clink on the link to my group below and sponsor a neuron or two at £5 each, spread your unique link to your Neuron (you’ll receive it when you get your Neuron) amongst your colleagues, family and friends so they can all join in too.

The 1.5 million children in this country who are surviving abuse and neglect are waiting for us to believe what they have always known – love is the missing link – link it and let’s give vulnerable children Peace Of Mind!

www.kidspeaceofmind.org/Camila

Thank you so much, I’ll see you in our brain…

Lots of love

Camila

Kids Company has joined the new social benefit entertainment experience, Conspiracy For Good to secure presents for the 2,000 vulnerable children who spend Christmas day with us as they have nowhere else to go.

Kids Company is joining the experience created by Emmy award winning storyteller and “Heroes” creator Tim Kring, and powered by Nokia’s Ovi platform, which allows participants to become part of the Conspiracy For Good story and find tools and clues to move the narrative forward both in the online and real worlds.

On July 24, Conspiracy For Good’s storyline will be interwoven with a live event to benefit Kids Company. Together we are asking members of the public to contribute to a unique installation by donating a new toy for a child this Christmas. The event will also promote Kids Company’s Peace of Mind campaign www.kidspeaceofmind.org which uses a virtual online brain to raise £5m to change the way vulnerable children in the UK are supported.

Members of the public can participate by bringing a new toy to The Old Truman Brewery car park, Elys Yard, Old Truman Brewery, 15 Hanbury Street (off Brick Lane) London E1 6QL on Saturday July 24 between 10am and 4pm.

Alternatively they can purchase a toy from the Kids Company Christmas wish list on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/wishlist/2NZ512VT71O9R

Camila Batmanghelidjh, founder and chief executive of Kids Company said:

‘We are thrilled to team up with the amazing people at Conspiracy for Good to ensure that our kids have the best possible Christmas. For many children and young people Christmas can be a time of loneliness, isolation and shame as their parents are unable to adequately look after them due to their own challenges including drug and alcohol abuse and mental health problems.

‘We step in to put on a Christmas Day party on a mammoth scale and rely on the generosity of thousands of wonderful individuals and companies to make Christmas special for the capital’s most vulnerable children.  We hope people will be part of this unique event.’

Leading toy manufacturers who have kindly donated toys for the Kids Company and Conspiracy for Good event so far include JAMES GALT, LEGO Games, BANDAI UK and FLAIR.

On the 14th July from 6:30-9:30pm Kids Company will be taking over the Banqueting House to hold our annual Achievement Awards ceremony – a celebration in honour of the amazing achievements of our children and young people. Don’t miss out on the chance to join us for this inspiring evening event. You can buy individual tickets or a table for 8 – perfect if your CSR team would like to come along. Contact your Kids Company Account Manager or suzie.curran@kidsco.org.uk to book your seats. Canapes and non-alcoholic beverages will also be complimentary throughout the evening.

COMING SOON

The Kids Company overseas challenge season kicks off with the Mt Toubkal Morocco challenge, a trek up the highest peak in North Africa, on 23rd-26th September. As well as enjoying amazing views of the Atlas Mountains participants will have the opportunity to explore the city of Marrakech after the challenge. Contact your Account Manager or Chloe Hill (chloe@kidsco.org.uk) who is co-ordinating the event for more details or to register. Friends, family, spouses, and clients are also welcome to take part.

DATE FOR YOUR DIARY

On Saturday 24th July at the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane Kids Company, together with the Conspiracy for Good and Nokia, are hosting a unique mass-participation event. We are asking the public to bring along a new toy that we will give to a vulnerable child this Christmas. All the toys will be placed in a giant brain installation that represents our current Peace Of Mind fundraising campaign which aims to change the way vulnerable children are supported in the U.K.

Watch a video message from Camila for an introduction to this innovative campaign.

IN THE PRESS

BBC’s Imagine series recently featured Kids Company in their Art is Child’s Play  episode, which looks at the influence of childhood on artistic expression and features our Shoebox Art exhibition.

Camila appeared on BBC’s Question Time  answering questions posed by the audience on topical issues.

In May, Kids Company launched Peace of Mind: One Neuron at a Time, an online campaign that aims to raise £5m. The funds will help us to continue our vital work and implement a pioneering research programme that will evidence the power of loving care. We will use the research findings to lobby for a change in the way that vulnerable children are supported in the UK, calling for our model of care and support for vulnerable children to be adopted nationally. The campaign revolves around a virtual brain in which you can sponsor a neuron for a donation of just £5 each. You can customise your neuron(s) with a picture and a message that you can send to all your social networking sites, spreading the Kids Company love to friends, family and colleagues!

COMING SOON:

Join 27,000 runners for the Great British 10k London Run on Sunday 11th July and see some of London’s most historic sites along the way. Contact suzie.curran@kidsco.org.uk for more details and to register.

DATE FOR YOUR DIARY:

Kids Company’s annual Achievement Awards will be taking place on Wednesday 14th July at  Banqueting House, Whitehall. More information will follow soon but it will be an opportunity to come and celebrate the achievements of our children and young people, with different category awards and various work by our young people on display. Last year was a huge success, acknowledging the development and accomplishments of our children is one of the most important elements of our work. We hope you can join us!

IN THE PRESS:

Kids Company was included in the 4 in10:End Child Poverty Project report, listing good practice in the battle against child poverty in London. In particular Kids Company’s first street level centre, the Arches II, was discussed with examples of the centre’s successful work over the past 3 years.

Watch some of the Kids Company young people give their views on what politicians should prioritize, looking at issues such as knife and gun crime, drugs, teenage pregnancy and unemployment on the BBC News Election 2010 .

Witness Kids Company’s Shoe Box Art Exhibition showcased  on the all-time children’s favourite Blue Peter!

The Metro launched our Peace of Mind campaign on Monday 17th May with a fantastic double page feature and online story.

Kids Company’s new campaign ‘Peace of Mind’ has been launched with the generous support of the amazing PR people at Salix Consulting and the fantastic digital agency, Untitled Ltd.
We would like to thank the unstinting voluntary work of Salix Consulting and Untitled Ltd., in making our ‘Peace of Mind’ website possible. This new campaign will enable us to fund pioneering research to improve and expand our support for vulnerable children.

To find out more visit: www.kidspeaceofmind.org

Enormous thanks to Salix Consulting and Untitled Ltd. for all their fantastic work!

To find out more visit: www.kidspeaceofmind.org

Enormous thanks to Salix Consulting and Untitled Ltd. for all their fantastic work!

To find out more visit: www.kidspeaceofmind.org

Enormous thanks to Salix Consulting and Untitled Ltd. for all their fantastic work!

On 30 April, over 200 employees from one of the UK’s leading PR and communications agencies Hill & Knowlton will be leaving their desks to spend an action-packed day helping children and young people across London with Kids Company.

On their annual charity day, H&K staff will be providing support with a range of activities from decorating and gardening, to music lessons and art workshops, reflecting the wide variety of help Kids Company provides children and young people every day.

One of the most significant activities that the H&K team will take part in is ‘Colour a child’s life’, which will see staff helping to redecorate a family’s home in order to create a happier and healthier environment for their children.

A massive thank you to all Hill & Knowlton staff!

Hill & Knowlton

Mug £7.99
Side Plate (20cm) £9.99
Dinner Plate (27cm) £14.99

Please visit our shop to purchase these amazing pieces of crockery!