Spent tonight organising resources for those running the tuck shop. We met and discussed matters today and so tonight, using Google drive I have placed relevant documents for part D (Running an Enterprise) in their folders so they can get the details written up. Their enthusiasm remains fantastic and they are keen to get started again but they are a bit more reluctant to write up the details. I know this because they told me!
They are doing everything right, keeping a tally of expenditure and income, trying to balance the books each week and just you try and take something without paying!
On a serious note they are trying to balance SEQ against a busy programme of school study, music lessons, rehearsals and everything else.
A great effort by all concerned.
Monday, 15 September 2014
Monday, 1 September 2014
Delivering SEQ at Aston Villa Football Club by Debbi Rawson, Aston Villa FC Social Enterprise Academy Coordinator
The past 10 months have been a fantastic journey, working with 7 different groups from 2 different schools on the Aston Villa Social Enterprise Academy. I met the young people back in October 2013, when they started to learn about businesses and the idea of a Social Enterprise. As young people do, they had many opinions about social and environmental issues that affect us every day, and were quite passionate about the issues they felt they would like to support. From there we looked at how we could develop a Social Enterprise to help these causes.
The start of our SEQ journey involved a fair amount of learning and evidencing, I didn’t want the students to see this as just another lesson in their school day so I needed something to inspire them. It was then that I took them out of the classroom and got them to see a real-life, successful Social Enterprise. We went on a visit to Frost and Snow bakery, a small café in Birmingham City Centre, which had started out as a small business selling cupcakes. Frost & Snow now have their own premises, adjacent to a homeless shelter which is ran by Midland Heart, and they train people that have been taken off the streets to work in their bakery and café. Seeing this gave the young people the inspiration they needed, they could clearly see how a small Social Enterprise business could help and support and how it could expand. It is definitely something I would advise to other mentors, I only wish I had more time to go and see different Social Enterprises as I think it would have been a great opportunity for the students!
Getting back to the classroom, I saw a spark in the students to get started on their planning for their businesses and the ideas started to flow. Staff from our marketing department came down to the schools to speak to them about marketing their businesses, which again set the students off which a range of ideas. The trading activities took place during May and June 2014, we had a range of business ideas, with smoothies, baked goods, fitness DVD, crushed ice drinks, world cup themed goods and clothing & jewellery, the students made their businesses successful and some are also looking to develop them further in the future.
Working within the football club was a fantastic advantage for the academy, we had a film crew, restaurant, marketing department and so much more on offer to use to support the students. One key piece of advice I would give is to work closely with partners, I was lucky to be working in such a big business, but if you don’t then link up with a business that you could use to support, it really does make such a difference and helps give the students something real they can relate to. Involving other people within the SEQ to speak to the students and taking the students on visits was also very beneficial. All of these things will help you (as mentor) and students along to delivering a successful, fun and engaging project!
Debbi Rawson – Aston Villa FC Social Enterprise Academy Coordinator
The start of our SEQ journey involved a fair amount of learning and evidencing, I didn’t want the students to see this as just another lesson in their school day so I needed something to inspire them. It was then that I took them out of the classroom and got them to see a real-life, successful Social Enterprise. We went on a visit to Frost and Snow bakery, a small café in Birmingham City Centre, which had started out as a small business selling cupcakes. Frost & Snow now have their own premises, adjacent to a homeless shelter which is ran by Midland Heart, and they train people that have been taken off the streets to work in their bakery and café. Seeing this gave the young people the inspiration they needed, they could clearly see how a small Social Enterprise business could help and support and how it could expand. It is definitely something I would advise to other mentors, I only wish I had more time to go and see different Social Enterprises as I think it would have been a great opportunity for the students!
Getting back to the classroom, I saw a spark in the students to get started on their planning for their businesses and the ideas started to flow. Staff from our marketing department came down to the schools to speak to them about marketing their businesses, which again set the students off which a range of ideas. The trading activities took place during May and June 2014, we had a range of business ideas, with smoothies, baked goods, fitness DVD, crushed ice drinks, world cup themed goods and clothing & jewellery, the students made their businesses successful and some are also looking to develop them further in the future.
Working within the football club was a fantastic advantage for the academy, we had a film crew, restaurant, marketing department and so much more on offer to use to support the students. One key piece of advice I would give is to work closely with partners, I was lucky to be working in such a big business, but if you don’t then link up with a business that you could use to support, it really does make such a difference and helps give the students something real they can relate to. Involving other people within the SEQ to speak to the students and taking the students on visits was also very beneficial. All of these things will help you (as mentor) and students along to delivering a successful, fun and engaging project!
Debbi Rawson – Aston Villa FC Social Enterprise Academy Coordinator
Wednesday, 2 July 2014
Didn't realise it had been so long since my last post. Portland Rocks CIC has been very busy with various projects so the fact that the young people running our tuck shop are managing it so well is great. It is quite entertaining every week watching them try and balance the weekly account making sure the opening balance plus what they sell on the night adds up to the money they have in their pot. Strange thing is they nearly always seem to end up with more money than they should. The weekly tally sheet is usually covered with their calculations in a variety of colours! The tuck shop is entirely self funding a testament to the efforts of the group that run it. They need to decide what to do with the small surplus they have made.
Over the summer I would like them to work on other aspects of the course so need to prepare suitable resources to give them. I have tackled SEQ in a different way with this group in that we set up the enterprise first and will then move on to other parts of the course. With this group I think this has been the right approach, all keen musicians, most are 15-16 but the financial manager is 13.Plan is to have their work moderated in the autumn.
Over the summer I would like them to work on other aspects of the course so need to prepare suitable resources to give them. I have tackled SEQ in a different way with this group in that we set up the enterprise first and will then move on to other parts of the course. With this group I think this has been the right approach, all keen musicians, most are 15-16 but the financial manager is 13.Plan is to have their work moderated in the autumn.
Monday, 19 May 2014
The Portland Rocks tuck shop is now well and truly established and making a tidy little profit for the young people involved. They believe most people and staff who attend each week buy something and it helps to create a more sociable atmosphere at our workshops. Tonight we spent some time sorting out the weekly finances so they can track their profit and loss each week. They also need to consider what they want to do with the profit.
Saw some good ideas from the social enterprise art strand tonight. Some really simple broaches made from recycled materials that could be made simply by the young people and sold.
Saw some good ideas from the social enterprise art strand tonight. Some really simple broaches made from recycled materials that could be made simply by the young people and sold.
Thursday, 8 May 2014
Update. 8th May 2014
For a whole host of reasons things have gone quiet recently, mainly to do with the machinations of Mr Gove and his view of arts subjects in the curriculum but we are still battling away. The young people are now firmly in charge of the tuck shop and it is a weekly feature of our workshops. Our volunteer book keeper and myself have been trying to get the financial processes in place using Google docs as all our young people have chrome books given to them by IPACA the local academy they attend and where I teach.
We have helped them set up an on-line spreadsheet where they can monitor their expenditure and profit, and profit though small there certainly is. They were given a £20 float to start and gave it back to us a long time ago.
They are very keen but essentially come to Portland Rocks to make music and socialise so pinning them down on financial management has been a challenge but we are getting there. The group of five who started this enterprise is now basically down to three although others do help with serving.
We have helped them set up an on-line spreadsheet where they can monitor their expenditure and profit, and profit though small there certainly is. They were given a £20 float to start and gave it back to us a long time ago.
They are very keen but essentially come to Portland Rocks to make music and socialise so pinning them down on financial management has been a challenge but we are getting there. The group of five who started this enterprise is now basically down to three although others do help with serving.
Monday, 24 February 2014
Social Enterprise driven by young people.
Thought I had to post tonight as I've just come from a really productive Portland Rocks Session. We are launching our social enterprise art strand at the moment and James Kimber ( art leader), Laura (trainee) and myself sat around with young people discussing their ideas:
Tonight they were trying out ideas in tapestry using off cuts of material and we discussed our first event. They will be producing pieces of art work out of recycled items and putting on a sale combined with live music and refreshments provided by the tuck shops crew who are also artistic and musical
I went through all the paper work for their tuck shop and how to evidence it for gold SEQ. They have really taken ownership, are starting to understand what sells, how to manage stock and beginning to get a grip on the ethical consideration as of what they are doing. They have made a small profit already. We discussed the SWOT analysis and they discussed the limited audience to whom they sell, just people attending the weekly workshops though some did help with refreshments at our concert with the mini Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra on Saturday.
We have set a provisional date of mid July for a combined art and music event where we will also provide refreshments. This gives us us time to generate art to sell, decide on which refreshments to provide , decide the venue, rehearse the live music. We will also be offering any local artists the chance to take tables for a small fee at our event to promote their work and raise money to support our CIC.
We currently have artist Podi Lawrence coming to our workshops to sketch the musicians as they work a great experience for our young people.
Tonight they were trying out ideas in tapestry using off cuts of material and we discussed our first event. They will be producing pieces of art work out of recycled items and putting on a sale combined with live music and refreshments provided by the tuck shops crew who are also artistic and musical
I went through all the paper work for their tuck shop and how to evidence it for gold SEQ. They have really taken ownership, are starting to understand what sells, how to manage stock and beginning to get a grip on the ethical consideration as of what they are doing. They have made a small profit already. We discussed the SWOT analysis and they discussed the limited audience to whom they sell, just people attending the weekly workshops though some did help with refreshments at our concert with the mini Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra on Saturday.
We have set a provisional date of mid July for a combined art and music event where we will also provide refreshments. This gives us us time to generate art to sell, decide on which refreshments to provide , decide the venue, rehearse the live music. We will also be offering any local artists the chance to take tables for a small fee at our event to promote their work and raise money to support our CIC.
We currently have artist Podi Lawrence coming to our workshops to sketch the musicians as they work a great experience for our young people.
Thursday, 20 February 2014
Week beginning 17th February
Just realised there has been a massive gap in my postings. We've been very busy over the last few weeks delivering a project with the mini BSO (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra) and Dorset Music Services. On Monday 10th February the mini BSO performed in three different schools on Portland and each session was followed by a 'have a go' session on woodwind instruments led by music service tutors. Over 600 students saw the performance and around 90 students had the chance to try playing an instrument.
On Saturday 22nd February the mini BSO are giving a another concert for the community in a local community centre, a late morning event. Although not SEQ focussed our young people have helped with promoting the event via social media, re tweeting, distributing posters etc. They will be helping with refreshments and running a raffle.
This is the third fund raiser since November so now we will discuss with the young people what they would like to spend some of the money on, we always try and reward their efforts by purchasing some much needed equipment. Much of what we have is begged, borrowed or donated.
The tuck shop is now a permanent fixture at our weekly workshops and we officially launch our social enterprise art strand on 24th February.
On Saturday 22nd February the mini BSO are giving a another concert for the community in a local community centre, a late morning event. Although not SEQ focussed our young people have helped with promoting the event via social media, re tweeting, distributing posters etc. They will be helping with refreshments and running a raffle.
This is the third fund raiser since November so now we will discuss with the young people what they would like to spend some of the money on, we always try and reward their efforts by purchasing some much needed equipment. Much of what we have is begged, borrowed or donated.
The tuck shop is now a permanent fixture at our weekly workshops and we officially launch our social enterprise art strand on 24th February.
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