Community Services

In addition to our educational programmes, Toranj Tuition has a range of community services on offer. Often delivered in collaboration with the Iranian Community of Hull (ICOH) at Toranj Learning Centre (TLC), these services are designed for those from ethnic communities and disadvantaged households.

Numerous members of our staff are fluent in second or third languages, including Persian, Arabic and Russian, who are on-hand to assist migrant newcomers.

Services Description
Community Centre
Toranj Learning Centre, which is run in collaboration with ICOH, offers numerous community services to our beneficiaries. These are: access to internet, computers and printers; recreational activities (including a television and board games); kitchenette usage, and; a small library to borrow books. TLC is in a central location, less than half a mile from Hull Paragon Interchange.
Community Events: Cultural Celebrations
Delivered from TLC, we host events for a range of cultural celebrations including Halloween, Christmas, Iranian New Year and Diwali. These are open to people of all cultural backgrounds and are intended to allow the sharing of traditions and customs. We ask participants from the cultures which celebrate these holidays to partake in planning the event, preparing traditional foods and/or delivering the entertainment.
Community Events: Healthy Cooking and Traditional Dancing
Run with ICOH, this event teaches healthy and traditional Iranian-style cooking and Middle Eastern dance. Iranian cuisine has many healthy ingredients and great flavour. Furthermore, high-intensity dances common in Iran have been shown to be as beneficial as jogging, swimming or biking with the added bonus of being fun. This combination is designed to help participants become healthier and active.
Community Events: Memory Care for Migrants
People from ethnic communities are at greater risk of developing vascular dementia, yet memory care is not always suited to this demographic. With ICOH, we deliver this art-based project, where elders teach young generations their language and culture by sharing traditional poetry. The workshop is delivered by a dementia advisor and community assistant familiar in the participants’ first languages.
Community Events: Socialisation Mixers
Run with ICOH from TLC, we host open events in our centre where people from all backgrounds can meet to socialise – tackling the common problem of isolation and loneliness amongst our beneficiaries – network with settled residents and potential employers, and encourage beneficiaries to learn about British culture.
Food Bank
Run with ICOH from TLC, this was delivered between 2020 and 2021 during the worst period of the coronavirus pandemic and while our centre was formally closed to the public and our staff. We provided food and toiletry parcels to over 100 child and adult beneficiaries from TLC, which were collected outside, as well as delivering parcels to isolated beneficiaries or those quarantined at home with coronavirus.
Heritage: Centenary of Women’s Suffrage
With assistance from Leeds Beckett University, this heritage project used art produced and images taken during World War One to commemorate the centenary and explore this shared heritage for people of multiple nationalities, especially those from former British colonies. Participants have previously been recruited from Humber All Nations Alliance (HANA) and the Hull Afro-Caribbean Association.
Newcomer’s Helpdesk
Run with ICOH from TLC, our helpdesk offers one-to-one assistance with form filling, CV writing, job searching, understanding UK work culture and employees’ rights, interview skills, opening a bank account and managing household finances, securing educational / employment placements and other specialised job-related assistance. This is both a physical helpdesk located at TLC and a virtual forum.
Translation and Interpretation Services
Numerous members of our staff are fluent in second or third languages, including Persian, Arabic and Russian, who are on-hand to assist migrant newcomers with translation and interpretation. We also have connections with local translators if another language is requested. Additionally, through ENIC, we can translate or recover lost educational qualifications.