Community Engagement
Community Engagement in the work of Kids Inspire.
The Community Engagement team at Kids Inspire are dedicated to supporting children, young people and their families in local communities, building relationships, and raising awareness of our services. Our team are:
Carla – Community Engagement Manager
Clara – Deputy Community Engagement Manager
What do we do?
Our Community Engagement work covers:
Relationship Building with Schools: Collaborating with local schools to support students through assemblies, workshops, and more
Community Events & Partnerships: Engaging with local communities through events and partnerships
The Voice Youth Group: Empowering young people to grow in confidence, develop social skills, and make new friends in a safe, supportive environment.
What is Community Engagement?
Community Engagement is about involvement and active participation in initiatives that promote the welfare of the community. At Kids Inspire, we focus on:
improving resilience in local communities
raising awareness of Kids Inspire and our services
supporting young people and their families through our work
Our approach
We follow an asset-based approach, focusing on what’s strong within communities. Our collaborative mindset helps us work effectively with others to extend our reach and impact.
Community events
The Community Engagement Team identifies areas where children and young people (CYP) need support and partners with local organizations to deliver events that benefit the community. We focus on:
raising awareness of Kids Inspire services
delivering free wellbeing events for families
partnership working with community groups to identify gaps and needs for young people.
Where we work
We work in targeted vulnerable communities in Essex and Suffolk. particularly through school engagement and community outreach.
Young people in Essex and Suffolk
Kids Inspire supports young people across Essex and Suffolk by reducing isolation and loneliness. We help build confident, connected communities through creative expression, physical activity, and relationship-building—bringing people of all ages together.
Upcoming community events
PROM-Unity 2026
our free prom dress and suit giveaway is back for its third year at our office in Great Baddow, Chelmsford.
Dates
Wednesday 1 April
Wednesday 8 April
Monday 13, 20 and 27 April
Assemblies and workshops
Discover more about what our Community Engagement team can deliver at your school in Essex or Suffolk.
If you’re interested in learning more or booking any of our assemblies or workshops please get in touch with communityengagement@kidsinspire.org.uk.
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We currently can deliver these in Colchester or Ipswich.
Our free* interactive assembly and Year 6 workshop aims to focus on spreading awareness about what we do and how we can teach young people to manage their emotional wellbeing.
We do this by providing opportunities for young people to have meaningful conversations with the community engagement team and their peers.
Feedback received from schools in Essex and Suffolk on our primary school assemblies and workshops:
“The interactive element of the assembly was great and several children have come to talk to me today about their worries (inspired by your assembly)”
“ The children loved using Lego to understand more about their emotions”
“ The children really enjoyed the Year 6 resilience workshops and were heard talking about them at the school gate to their parents/carers”
(Currently focussed on Colchester and Ipswich based primary schools)
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The Weight of our Words workshop (up to 75 mins)
We can currently deliver these to secondary schools in Chelmsford, Colchester or Ipswich.
Your school can book our student led workshop which explores topics, such as:
bullying,
empowerment
peer pressure
and resilience
All with the underlying message of how words can impact our wellbeing, positive and negative.
This workshop has been co-produced by a cohort of Year 8s at a secondary school in Ipswich.
Kids Inspire will deliver this workshop to a limited number of chosen students who are keen to make a difference around mental health and bullying in their school.
The students will then go onto deliver this workshop to their peers.
NB: Free assembly/workshops are only available to schools with students on pupil premium in areas identified. If you are reading this and are from a school with no pupil premium, our fundraising team may still be able to deliver a Year 1 to 6 assembly to you. Please enquire via fundraising@kidsinspire.org.uk
Please read our full booking information and terms and conditions for schools.
Holiday Clubs
Holiday Clubs are full of fun activities
Impact of Prom-Unity 2025
A look back at last year’s PROM-Unity event
Building community connections
Our Community Engagement team in Suffolk
Page updated: 4 March 2026