Earlier this year, we commissioned independent research into opportunities for innovation on the theme of independent living. Over 20 people were interviewed via telephone including commissioners, social investors and innovators. Before releasing the final draft, we wanted to know your thoughts in response to the key emerging questions that were coming out of the research […]
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Running out of money
The chancellor announced the government’s spending plans for the next three years recently, and many people in central or local government seem to have responded to the smaller increases (or cuts) by turning their back on innovation and getting on with protecting their existing service provision and creating cost savings. Surely this is not the […]
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Mind the gap
I attended an interesting ACEVO dinner for ‘Young CEOs’ a couple of weeks ago. Phil Hope, Minister for the Third Sector, gave an excellent account of himself and shower himself to be just as well informed and insightful as his predecessor.
Discussion inevitably turned to commissioning and the challenges facing those of us trying to […]
Making connections
Opportunities have never been better for social enterprises to really make a difference in primary and social care for people who find it difficult to access services. The DOH has just published the first stage of the Darzi review of the NHS. They are particularly interested in new models of primary care to address health […]
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Our heroes
The week before last I was lucky enough to see Trevor Baylis speak at the Social Entrepreneur Show at Olympia. He was, for me, the epitome of both an inventor and innovator. White-mustachioed, gesticulating wildly, and quoting himself on successive power-point slides, it seemed as if he had just, after several years, burst out of […]
... moreExcluded Young People
Research paper - Innovation for excluded young people (by Margaret Bolton)
Earlier this year, we commissioned independent research into opportunities for innovation on the theme of excluded young people. Over 20 people were interviewed via telephone including commissioners, social investors and innovators. Before releasing the final draft, we wanted to know your thoughts in response to the key emerging questions that were coming out of the […]
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Gun Crime: the Third Sector can offer a ‘better fit’
“Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime” (Tony Blair, 2004).
The Prime Minister’s words still resonate today. Unless we tackle the causes as well as the consequences of crime, we will not grasp the root of the problem. The answer has to lie in action centred on communities and those at risk.
More police, tougher […]
Call for innovators - tackling unemployment
Innovation is being actively called for by the government and employment agencies in finding new ways of helping people back into work, particularly those most excluded from the jobs market. Gaining employment is a key goal for many people seeking to live independently and part of a service offered by many social enterprises, charities, and […]
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Back to the drawing board
When people speak about this topic (and I’ll skip merrily past any attempted definitions of “excluded” or “youth”), they often refer to the lack of activities / centres for young people to get involved in. Not just politicians, but people at the grassroots who live and work across the UK.
So what is needed? Are youth […]
Other recent blog posts
One of the issues that animated conversation at our Festival of Ideas last week was the issue of helping young people who have dropped out of education, employment or training. One participant at the event, the Private Equity Foundation, is now actively looking for a small number of ‘ambitious third sector organisations’ to work […]
“The desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world” wrote espionage novelist John LeCarre. Yet since the rise of the ‘knowledge economy’ that is where most leaders stay, locked away by organisational priorities and packed schedules. This can be an effective approach when we already know what needs to be done and […]
Thank you so much to all those who attended our Festival of Ideas yesterday and contributed so generously. As with last week, it felt to me like a real success. However, what matters is what you the participants thought. We would hugely value your feedback through this very quick feedback form and […]
What is the problem you are working to solve?
Studio+ will help reduce the number of young people in London who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).
It will help support NEET young people back into education, training and employment.
It will help young people to gain qualifications that are vital to their chances of getting […]
What is the problem you are working to solve?
Involving NEET and excluded/disadvantaged young people in new forms of learning. In particular:
Engagement in diverse contexts (our work has happened on the streets, in youth clubs, community centres, hostels, shopping centres …)
Exciting young people in learning via introduction to cutting edge technologies
Building trust by giving young […]
