One Hand Cant Clap is a multi awards winning Capacity Building Organisation.
Developed in 2000 with a vision to tackle educational underachievement, valuing cultural heritage and promote social inclusion for all sectors of society; but especially for black and minority ethnic communities who still continue to lag behind in the educational, social and economical arenas.

Our activities lie in two areas:

Education - largely school-based programmes, aimed at re-engaging young people with their academic study, and improving their participation as a member of the school community. This is delivered through 12 sessions in the formats such as Breakfast Clubs, or as taught workshops to supplement the Key Stage 4 PHSE curriculum; achieving The Every Child Matters outcomes for schools and other learning organisations.

The other important arm of the business is the commercial aspect. In 2004 One Hand Cant Clap launched the innovative learning tool  ‘Things Mama Used To Say’ proverbs flash cards written in Jamaican ‘patois’ alongside a translation to facilitate effective learning, teaching  how to survive against all odds,and critical thinking by drawing on the rich philosophical significance of Jamaican proverbs.

The business is underpinned by two core values, which fundamentally shape activities and working methods. One is collective responsibility - the very name of the business is a proverb which has this idea as its definition. The education work undertaken by the business aims to help young people and adults translate collective responsibility into their own ‘life context’; the working practices of the business are also an embodiment of this notion, being comprised of a combination of paid sessional workers and volunteers.

The other core value is valuing cultural heritage - again, the proverbs cards are a tangible expression of this value, and the events delivered by One Hand Cant Clap are primarily aimed at exploring the enduring value of that heritage in a modern-day British/global context.