Tuesday 1 October 2013

What we aim to do



(Above: a project making beach art and discovering shoreline ecosystems; Lincolnshire)

What we do: since 1985, for public benefit, we have endeavored to
advance understanding of

  • welfare, well-being, quality of life, happiness and enjoyment.
  • equality,equity & ethical communities; social, environmental & economic welfare
  • the arts and cultural heritage
    • landscape and natural heritage.
    • wildlife and animal welfare.
    • responsible, compassionate and sustainable lifestyles .
    • climate change and eco-philosophy. 
    • enterprise and volunteering.



    (Above: seeds for the future. Photographed by a supporter)

    Our vision



       “Educate to Rejuvenate: to aid & benefit our communities”

    (Our vision is from concepts associated with Juno: iuvare, “to aid, benefit”, iuvenescendo, “to rejuvenate”.)
                                       

     (Above: our peacock mascot, photographed by one of our Nottinghamshire volunteers)

    We implement our vision through:

    • Our responsive, accessible approach, made possible because we are a small organisation.
    • Valuing the volunteers on whom we rely. 
    • Delivering work that is quality assured by our extensive expertise and experience and by measuring impact and demonstrating our accountability and success.
    • Co-operation & collaboration. We are an independent charitable association, delivering projects alone & co-operatively; with for example: Dawn Chorus Educational Initiative since 1992,  (which offers infrastructure support & programme management within the community) http://dawnchoruseducationalinitiative.org.uk/ ; EWKET (who work with adoptive families) www.ewket.co.uk ; www.Yorkshireadoptionagency.org.uk (support with publicity to promote adoption and training); Kirkby Pet Welfare (who rescue, care for and re-home pets) www.KirkbyPetWelfare.org ; Ashfield Voluntary Action and many others.
                           

    (Above: a child learning about growing food; Lincolnshire)

    Where we work: throughout England and Wales in areas such as the East Midlands (Nottingham & Nottinghamshire; Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire and Rutland); Northamptonshire, South Yorkshire & Staffordshire. Our stakeholders are our local communities.

    We share best practice & learning with some of the poorest communities in the world, Native American communities & people in Pakistan & Africa (especially Ethiopia) where we work primarily with women & children.

    Our name: people ask what inspired our name, it derives from the Goddess Juno who is associated with women’s enterprise, regeneration & peacocks. Peacocks appear in our logo with Juno, Cupid (social engagement) & Silvanus (the environment, nature) .

    (Below top: children in Pakistan painting a peacock,"Percy" our mascot. Below bottom children in the UK enjoying creative learning. )




                                           
    Our volunteer Andrew says: 
                                                           
    "the benefits we deliver are seen in our work; meeting people's needs & 
    making a difference in communities"


    Our activities



    (Biodiversity projects. Above: a peacock butterfly photographed by a volunteer walk leader, Leicestershire. Below: a dragonfly photographed by a volunteer species recorder, Nottinghamshire)




    We deliver community learning & skills development in order to enrich lives and help people into the labour market in exchange for fair pay, security & dignity.

    We work with communities, discussing & exploring how their own resources & destinies can be secured; fostering the understanding that life resources, such as water, needed by plants, animals & humans, should be affordable, accessible to all, uncontaminated & sustainably managed.

    We offer learning in organic plant based food growing, seed saving & propagation, pollination, composting and soil management. We encourage the development and sharing of innovative low technology solutions by networking information.

    (Below: healthy growing, healthy eating, photograph by supporter)



    We work with communities to stimulate cultural enjoyment & enterprise
    through participation in activities in heritage & history, the arts & crafts, such as the visual arts, ceramics, music, words and language, needle crafts, cooking, plant crafts & traditional wood skills.

    We cooperate with indigenous communities in specified international locations, respecting their right to seek inclusion in international agreements among nations, thus giving them a voice; indigenous people must be on an equal footing with other people & nations.

    We create opportunities & support for all, helping people meet their needs & fulfill their ethical aspirations, showing that enterprise is rooted in & responsible to communities & future generations. We work cooperatively, especially with women headed households and children leaving care, to create positive community business models, favoring self management & worker ownership.

    (Above: projects inspire future generations and create sustainability. Photograph by a supporter)

    We understand that places have special meaning to communities & that places have irreplaceable habitats, ecosystems & beauty, that should not be desecrated by exploitation.



    (Projects to improve habitats. Above: swans photographed by a volunteer, Nottinghamshire)

    We support access to cultural heritage that respects human, animal & environmental well-being, for the benefit of society.

    We assist in the understanding of democracy & foster skills for participation in decisions that affect communities & impact on our lives & economy. We encourage accessible local democracy, encouraging collective responsibility, to help assure that the basic means of life, growth & development are available for all.

    We help communities protect & conserve the life-sustaining systems of the planet; extending understanding & helping to bring about positive behavioral change. 



    (Above, Patrick Harry raising awareness of deforestation & promoting plant based food growing)

    We nurture respect for :

    human communities
    the natural environment
    wild plants and open-pollinated heirloom plants
    habitats and ecosystems
    ecological communities 
    all animals
     
    All are too precious to be made commodities, be harmed or exploited; all should be free from suffering, neglect & cruelty.