Right to Thrive

About Right to Thrive

The Right to Thrive initiative delivered a series of projects and activities between 2018 – 2024 which helped celebrate and protect diversity in London. Right to Thrive especially supported those at higher risk of unfair treatment and discrimination based on their identity, beliefs, or social class, and in some cases a combination of these.

Established in 2018, Right to Thrive has evolved and grown over time becoming a coalition of shared experiences of marginalisation and discrimination.

Between 2018-2024, with support and funding from the Mayor of London, we have invested more than £500,000 in grassroot and community led organisations engaging directly with Londoners at disproportionate risk for poor mental health and wellbeing.

The outcomes and impact associated with these projects demonstrate the value of community-based and culturally adapted interventions. Importantly, showing how a one size fits all approach cannot work for protecting and promoting the mental health and wellbeing of London’s diverse population.

Right to Thrive reached Londoners who experience discrimination, inequality and inequity. We hope that the values of Right to Thrive become embedded across the health and social care system to drive structural, systemic and cultural change.

Below is a snapshot of the projects and initiatives which took place as part of Right to Thrive between 2018-2024.

Right to Thrive Award Scheme 2023/24

In November 2023, Right to Thrive initiative invested more than £90,000 across 13 grassroot and community organisations on a range of projects which focused on supporting LBGTQ+ communities, racialised and minoritised communities, disabled Londoners and those with long-term conditions, and children and young people.

The following organisations and projects were supported:

Connect: North Korea; Promoting health and wellbeing in the North Korean refugee community

Diversity Living Services; Stand up for Better Mental Health

Gold & Silver Enterprises CIC; Better BAME Women’s Health

Hammersmith, Fulham, Ealing, and Hounslow MIND; Mind on Music

Home Start Bromley; Black Motherhood

Lewisham Youth Theatre; CYP Keeping in Touch

Micro Rainbow; Right to Thrive of LGBTQI asylum seekers and refugees

Mind in the City, Hackney and Waltham Forest; Rainbow Right to Thrive

Parent Skills2Go CIC; My Child and Me!

Powerhouse for Women; Powerhouse Wellbeing Project

Queer Diary CIC; Queer Diary Activities

The Albany & REZON8; REZON8

UpCycle LDN; Earn-ya-bike

Right To Thrive Impact Report

A selection of photos from Right to Thrive funded initiatives.

Read our Right To Thrive Impact Report (2023) which reflects on the first five years of Right to Thrive. It provides a snapshot illustration of our approach to embedding equity, disrupting accepted approaches to public mental health, and celebrating the innovation and resilience of London’s communities.

Explore the report.

Right to Thrive partnerships and activities

On Tuesday, 23 May 2023, grassroots and community organisations from across London joined together at Toynbee Hall to reflect and share activities from the Right to Thrive initiative. The conversations which took place were warm and supportive, as captured in our highlights video from the event.

The event offered an opportunity for organisations from across London to come together and celebrate their successes, showcase their projects, and reflect on the incredible work being delivered to their local communities. Each organisation showcased how this initiative and Right to thrive funding had really made a difference to people’s lives within their communities. Thank you to all the incredible presentations and to those who told their story.

Read more about the event.

Download a copy of the presentations from the event.

Community of Practice

In 2022, Thrive LDN commissioned The Ubele Initiative to facilitate a community of practice with Right to Thrive grant participants.

A community of practice is made up of groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis.

The community hopes to amplify voices, develop leadership, and redistribute power. The community of practice is a space to share knowledge, network, discuss ideas, and the issues and challenges relevant to participants’ experience of community and grassroots working.

The community is working in an iterative way and learning through the process. It’s an exciting development – if you’d like to learn more or get involved, please contact the Thrive LDN team at RightToThrive@Thriveldn.co.uk

Right to Thrive timeline

2018     

Keeping Londoners Well published. Research exploring the lives of a diverse group of more than 150 Londoners, taking a person-centred approach, enabling people to tell their own stories in their own words.

JUNE – SEPTEMBER 2019

Too Desi Too Queer. A series of film event & debate celebrating Asian LGBTQ+ community.

OCTOBER 2019

Too Black Too Queer. A one-night extravaganza celebrating Black LGBTQ+ experience and wellbeing.

Too Latino Too Queer. A one-night extravaganza celebrating Latin LGBTQ+ experience and wellbeing.

NOVEMBER 2019

A Journey Less Ordinary. An afternoon of short films, poetry and discussions exploring transgender experience and wellbeing.

MARCH 2020    

Never going to beat you. A film screening of a powerful film on domestic violence within the Traveller Community, alongside the launch of resources on empowerment, support and prevention.

MARCH 2020 – COVID-19 pandemic.

Economic Wellbeing Forum established

2020 – 2021       

Right to Thrive grants scheme funds 23 grassroot and community organisations.

OCTOBER 2020 – Thrive Together published

2021 – 2022       

Right to Thrive Innovation Fund  grants awarded to 14 grassroot and community organisations

AUGUST 2021 – Pandemic Stories published in partnership with Toynbee Hall and peer researchers

2021

OHID launch the Better Mental Health Fund to address the mental health needs  communities which had been exacerbated by the pandemic.

Supporting capabilities and leadership  

• Bid writing and Theory of Change training
• Peer support training sessions
• Radical self-care
• Debt Free Advice kiosks

2022

The London Health and Care Partnership (LHCP) launch funding to support delivery of six projects in line with the priorities of the London Vision.

OCTOBER 2022 – Thrive LDN launch cost-of-living response and OHID launch London Winter Resilience and Prevention Framework.

2022 – 2023

Building capacity for targeted engagement

• Spare Tyre: Covid Café
• Tramshed: Signpost! & Breathe sessions
• Spectra: Uni-T project and Trans Counselling
• Wild in the City: Hike for Health
• The Ubele Initiative: Community of Practice
• Bangladeshi Mental Health Forum: 1-2-1 culturally appropriate mental wellbeing signposting service

2023

The LHCP launch funding to support delivery of five projects in line with the priorities of the London Vision.

Hong Kongers Award Scheme 2023 launched as part of The Greater London Authority’s Hong Kong Integration Programme.

November 2023

Right to Thrive funds 13 grassroot and community organisations, with projects focusing on LBGTQ+ communities, racialised and minoritised communities, disabled Londoners and those with long-term conditions, and children and young people.