Village Raw - ISSUE 9

VILLAGE RAW
COMMUNITY
WITH.
NOT FOR.
Pushing boundaries, changing
attitudes, building an
accessible creative space
for all. Wave Cafe, a social
enterprise that promotes
inclusivity is widening
its reach.
Words by Kate Wilson.
Photos by Sindri Swan.
Wave Cafe - an acronym for “We Are (all) Valued Equally” - is a
social enterprise reframing our attitudes towards learning disabilities.
The project provides an opportunity to develop friendships
with one another, often through the arts, crafts or music,
and embrace people as part of a group in an inclusive relaxed atmosphere
with no pressure. The aim is to feel free to be together
naturally and valued equally - all of the time.
Attending a Wave Cafe event at the recently renovated United
Reformed Church in Muswell Hill, the level of interaction was immeasurable.
As I spoke with Ben Sudell, Development Director of
the organisation, it was hard to ignore the positive impact which
he, his co-workers and volunteers were having on the numerous
people attending - and vice versa. Many of the visitors were
weaving in and out of our conversation - popping their heads in to
make their presence known. A shared appreciation of the experience
was felt all around.
Stephanie Buckingham, who was attending the event, reinforces
this: “Wave Cafe is just what our family was looking for. It is
a very friendly and inclusive space which means that my severely
autistic son can take part in activities alongside his brothers. We
can all just be ourselves without needing to worry about others’
reactions. Wave Cafe is a ray of hope, breaking down barriers.”
Ben explained more about the organisation: “’Cafe’ is the
name but it’s really a community. The cafe is the vehicle by which
we are doing it - coffee, food and the creative activities. But really
it is all about bringing together people with or without learning
disabilities.”
In society it is common for people without any learning disability
to help others. There are, of course, needs that require
specific attention and these services are clearly necessary. But
alongside this Wave Cafe aims to provide a space to do things
together, where people from every part of society get something
back. Unfortunately, this can sometimes prove to be difficult.
Ben explains: “One of the real challenges we have is attracting
people without a learning disability or who have no experience of
learning disabilities. People can often feel nervous or have preconceptions.
Perhaps we are also working against their previous
experiences of ‘inclusion’ being much more ‘us and them’.”
Running for two years, Wave Cafe has taken its vision into the
wider community - currently holding weekly art workshops on
Thursday evenings at the Birchwood Centre, N10 and a series of
pop up events at various venues while welcoming local artists and
crafters to lead enjoyable, original and creative activities. These
include mosaics, screen printing and clay sculpture. A daytime
community arts cafe will also be running at the United Reformed
Church every Thursday from 23 January until 12 March 2020.
Still being established, Wave Cafe would like a permanent
space to be able to grow and offer a drop in while still maintaining
the creative activities, workshops and events. “Being visible,
having a face. That’s what we want to change,” says Ben.
Administrators, trustees, treasurers and volunteers already
operate a successful business model but money remains an
issue for the viability of Wave Cafe. Ben says: “It’s the thing we
are learning about. Applying for grants, pitching at funds where
money is pledged. To maintain what we have we must balance between
the charitable work and something sustainable.”
Wave Cafe is open to all ages and all capabilities, with or without
learning or physical disabilities. Sitting in the midst of such
company evokes an incredibly powerful atmosphere. Another attendee
concludes: ”It is the people at Wave Cafe that keep me
coming back. It was the craft activities that got me there and the
people that keep me there. It’s as simple as that!”•
You can find out more about Wave Cafe on their website: www.wavecafe.org
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