Trevor Blackman helps local schools broaden the horizons of their pupils

Trevor Blackman is the partnership manager for local charity Edmonton Community Partnership

According to Trevor Blackman, schools are about more than simply teaching, textbooks and exams.

For the past three years Trevor has been a driving force in Edmonton, building connections between local schools and the community and helping schoolchildren to feel empowered.

Joining Edmonton Community Partnership (ECP) initially as a partnership manager, Trevor is now the charity’s chief executive. “My main motivation is improving the life chances of children,” he says. “We work with an alliance of 18 schools, helping families who need additional support. I want to open the school gates and get back to schools being at the heart of the community and having an obligation to support people.”

Trevor champions what he calls “the four pillars” for schools, focusing on enrichment of education itself, such as by introducing a greater variety and depth of role models for students to look up to; extra-curricular activities to divert children away from negative influences outside school; early intervention and prevention initiatives; plus building partnerships with the local community.

“We need to broaden the experiences and opportunities for young people, particularly in places like Edmonton,” says Trevor.

Beyond his work with local schools, Trevor has helped support vulnerable communities in Edmonton and improve their access to local services. This includes the area’s large Bulgarian population which in recent years has needed to navigate the complexities of Brexit, while also finding themselves on the wrong end of unfair treatment from the government regarding benefit sanctions.

Another project Trevor has been involved with in recent months is Pymmes Park Visitor Centre, where there are plans to develop it as a space for young people. “We want to give kids something to do,” he says. “We are working with the partners that are already there and working with young people to create a youth zone.”

Outside of his work with ECP, Trevor is also a podcaster, radio presenter and social activist, saying he is driven by a philosophy of “supporting, encouraging and providing all individuals and communities with the opportunity to be all they can be”.

This article is the latest in our ‘Enfield Community Heroes’ series, sponsored by Edmonton Green Shopping Centre. Dispatch readers are welcome to nominate their own local hero – someone who has gone above and beyond to help support the local community. Simply email your nomination to [email protected].

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