Action Acton aims to promote community and economic regeneration for disadvantaged communities in West London by delivering employment, education and training.
Ealing borough is home to over one-fifth (22%) of West London’s children dependent on worklessness benefits. In Acton, the biggest social housing estate in West London adjoins private houses valued at over £1/2 million. In South Acton ward 37% of residents experience worklessness, 3485 residents are classified as being ‘income deprived’ and 35% of children are dependent on workless benefits. Unemployed refugees, lone parents, excluded young people, offenders, older people and families experiencing poverty live 5 minutes walk from rich communities. In recognition of these extremes of social and economic exclusion, Action Acton aims to provide education and training, employment and business start-up skills to local communities.
Action Acton is committed to developing a community focused, entrepreneurial approach to social innovation through linking with extensive networks and forming partnerships with infrastructure groups, key players and funders. Moreover, the organisation has been successful in establishing social enterprises such as Acton Street Market. This project provides 80 trading opportunities each week winning a national DTA award for 'excellence in community enterprise and community cohesion'.
In 6 years Action Acton has scaled up and expanded from Acton to the whole Borough of Ealing, and then to 2 other adjoining West London Boroughs. The number of participants has increased from 50 to over 700 per year and over 50% of staff are recruited from the local area. The organisation engages local volunteers and young trainees from disadvantaged target groups; plus interns from Romania, China, Poland, and visitors from South Korea who transfer their experience and knowledge of social innovation back to their countries.