Who we are

A Chart of Fanon Services

Fanon Resource Centre – Merton / Community Development Work

Fanon service was established in 1992 as an African and African Caribbean culturally specific approach to mental well being.  The service is named after the first renowned Black psychiatrist Franz Fanon, who purported the theory that, due to colonialism, black people living in white societies will adopt the cultural identity of the majority and essentially distort their own mental psyche.

Fanon is a Recovery Focused organisation which works with Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) people living in London. The centres located in Merton and Lambeth host a dynamic range of services, including life and work skills programmes, training and volunteering initiatives, the Somali community engagement project, mental health support, outreach, drop-in, health and well being activities, access to talking therapies and women’s services. The centre in Lambeth is also host to the team of Community Development Workers who are part of the Delivering Race Equality Action Plan.

The community development work focuses on meaningful engagement that will ensure our mental health services are meeting the diverse needs of the Lambeth / Merton community.  Our work covers four key areas:  Criminal Justice, Substance misuse, Recovery and Cultural Competence which incorporates working with young people and faith groups.

Some of our key successes include:

• The annual Well-Being Week started in 2006 with the aim of raising awareness of functional and dysfunctional illnesses and a holistic approach to maintaining well-being.

• Happy Soul Festival – a festival of Asian, Black film arts and music exploring well-being. The partnership with Happy Soul Festival has resulted in the programme winning a regional health and social care award and being nominated for a national award.

• Recovery Report – research conducted within the BME community with specific focus on the Black male perspectives of Recovery. This research is unique in its approach as all researchers were people who were affected by mental ill-health.

• Scotch Bonnet – our social enterprise specialises in Caribbean catering and provides training opportunities for people with learning disabilities and mental ill-health. We have been contracted to supply buffets to a range of corporate and public services including supplying hospital meals to the NHS

• Fanon Film Group – a digital film making group which focuses on script writing, the art of film making techniques, expression and creativity as an aid to well-being. We have produced a short film “Hands Off” which explores friendship and loyalty.

• Fanon House a twenty bed unit in Brixton providing supported living for service users. It is home to the Fanon Resettlement services; Tenancy Sustainment Team, Fanon Young Women’s Hostel and Fanon Training Flats.

* Please feel free to contact us at the address below or even pay us a visit. *

Fanon Resource Centre – Merton

Justin Plaza Suite 1, 341 London Road, Mitcham, Surrey CR4 4BE

Tele:  0208 255 4033   Fax:  0208 255 6288

Email:  david@southsidepartnership.org.uk

Fanon Resource Centre-Merton (FRCM) has a range of services for people with mental health support needs from Black Minority Ethnic Communities.  The services provide 1:1 support and group based activities aimed at supporting people to recover control over their lives, develop independent living skills and where relevant to undertake training, education and vocational opportunities to build their readiness for work, we also provide some outreach facilities. FRCM aims to support people to link with a wide range of community resources such as other day services, health and leisure facilities, educational and job centres and to develop good personal support networks.  Referral needed.

Fanon celebrates and values the diversity of its service users and staff. Through policies and practices we work to ensure that all service users and staff are welcome in our service and do not face discrimination with regard to any aspect of their identity, such as gender, sexuality, religious/spiritual beliefs, refugee status, marital status, appearance, responsibility for dependants, HIV/AIDS/hepatitis status and disability.

Service criteria, the person:

• Must live in Merton
• Must be between the ages of 18 – 65
• Must have mental health problems or be experiencing emotional difficulties at point of referral
• Must be in need of short-term practical and emotional support
• Must be of African, African Caribbean of Asian origin

Opening times for Service users is Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 10:00am – 4:00pm for drop-in and other activities

Staff available Monday – Friday 9:30am – 4:30pm

On Mondays and Fridays Service Users can be seen by appointment only.

Fanon Resource Centre works with people from African, African Caribbean and Asian BME communities who may be experiencing emotional distress or mental health problems by providing practical, emotional and social support

• Live in London Borough of Merton
• Are of African, African Caribbean or Asian BME origins
• In need of practical and emotional support
• Aged between 18 and 65

Please fill in the following details so that we can begin to work with you

Your name……………………………………………………………………………

Address………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………Post code………………………….

Home telephone number…………………………………………………………..

Mobile number……………………………………………………………………….

Email address…………………………………………………………………………

Cultural identity……………………………………………………………………….

Please complete and return this form to

Fanon Resource Centre – Merton

Justin Plaza Suite 1

341 London Road,

Mitcham, Surrey

CR4 4BE

Olaudah Equiano, or, Gustavus Vassa, the African

According to his famous autobiography, written in 1789, Olaudah Equiano (c.1745-1797) was born in what is now Nigeria. Kidnapped and sold into slavery in childhood, he was taken as a slave to the New World. As a slave to a captain in the Royal Navy, and later to a Quaker merchant, he eventually earned the price of his own freedom by careful trading and saving. As a seaman, he travelled the world, including the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the Atlantic and the Arctic, the latter in an abortive attempt to reach the North Pole. Coming to London, he became involved in the movement to abolish the slave trade, an involvement which led to him writing and publishing The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa the African (1789) a strongly abolitionist autobiography. The book became a bestseller and, as well as furthering the anti-slavery cause, made Equiano a wealthy man. These web pages aim to reflect the best in Equiano scholarship. Click on the links below to find out more, and return to this site soon, as information is regularly updated.

DEDAN KIMATHI

Field Marshal Dedan Kimathi Waciuri was the head of the Mau Mau, a militant group that waged a guerrilla war against the British colonial government in Kenya. Kenya’s independence from British rule is largely attributed to the spirited fight the Mau Mau put up under the stewardship of Dedan Kimathi. The Mau Mau began as the Land and Freedom Army, a militant Kikuyu army out to reclaim their land that had been stripped from them by the colonialists. As its influence and membership widened it became a major threat to the colonialists. The Mau Mau movement sprung from Central kenya, home of the populous Kikuyu community. The movement, eventhough heavily Kikuyu, enjoyed nationwide support as it forced the colonialists to pay attention to Kenyan demands. The Mau Mau was outlawed in 1952, amid rising tensions in the Kenya political scene. The banning also saw a massive round-up of Kenyan political leaders, including Kenya’s first President, Jomo Kenyatta.