Launch of Asian Mentoring Network in Scotland

Posted 29th August 2008 15:19pm

The Scottish Business in the Community (SBC) Asian Mentoring Network is an innovative programme designed to encourage Asian business people to become mentors across all racial and faith boundaries. The SBC Asian Mentoring Network will encourage Asian professionals to share their experiences through motivational speeches to pupils and teachers at role-model presentations, mentoring, volunteering and work placements. Supporting the SBC Asian Mentoring Network is one way in which Asian professionals can contribute to building the next generation of successful leaders and communities can further develop their mutual understanding and respect.

The programme was launched at an event at the Glasgow Science Centre on Tuesday 19th August 2008. Samantha Barber, Chief Executive of SBC, said “Asian professionals will bring a unique perspective and understanding of the challenges young people face in making the transition from school to work. By harnessing their experiences and presenting success stories to youngsters SBC knows, from experience, that we can raise aspirations amongst young people. The businesses also benefit from their engagement with youngsters with increased understanding of the communities in which they work”

Scottish Business in the Community has 26 years experience working with businesses and building links with schools and community groups. By harnessing the success stories of some of Glasgow's most successful Asian professionals SBC believes the programme will help to raise aspirations and increase access to education and employment amongst young people.

L to R: Kirk Ramsay, Chief Executive, Glasgow Science Centre,Mohammad Sarwar, MP, Malcolm Thomson, Operations Director, SBC, Richard Rutnagur, Director, KPMG

The Prince's Regeneration Trust welcomes new Chairman

Posted 29th August 2008 15:08pm

The Prince's Regeneration Trust, the charity of HRH The Prince of Wales which focuses on heritage-led regeneration, has appointed Ian Marcus as its new Chairman succeeding Andrew Hamilton who chaired the Trust for three years.

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of The Prince’s Regeneration Trust, said ‘I am delighted with Ian’s appointment as Chairman and believe he will lead The Trust onto a very exciting future. Ian brings a wealth of experience and leadership from the property and financial sectors.

We look forward to working with Ian who we know will be an inspirational Chairman, building on the excellent work that Andrew Hamilton has done in the role over the past three years.’

Ian Marcus is Chairman of the European Real Estate Investment Banking Group at Credit Suisse, based in London and has been working in the banking industry for 28 years always focusing on the property industry. He is the Immediate Past President of the British Property Federation, Past Chairman of the Investment Forum and Chairman of the Bank of England Property Forum.

Ian Marcus said: 'It is a great honour to chair the PRT and build on the outstanding work of Andrew Hamilton. The Charity fulfils a vital role in ensuring many cherished and iconic properties are brought back into functional use. Even in these challenging times for the industry we need to ensure that regeneration remains at the forefront of the decision making process for owners, occupiers and developers'.

Young IMI interns meet challenge to improve Birmingham beauty spot

Posted 20th August 2008 09:28am

Young volunteers from as far afield as USA, Poland and Germany are set to spruce up a Birmingham beauty spot this week (18-20 August), in a community challenge organised by IMI and Business in the Community. The twelve young people, aged between 16 to 24, are part of IMI's intern programme and are visiting the Birmingham-based company to see what it has to offer them. During their stay they will also have the chance to get to know each other while undertaking a variety of team building exercises.

The interns will spend three days at Plantsbrook Nature Reserve in a project organised through Cares, the national employee volunteering initiative of Business in the Community, which gives employers the chance to make a positive impact in their community.

Under the supervision of Plantsbrook's rangers, the young volunteers will carry out a number of activities to support the eleven hectare nature reserve, which features open water, wetland and meadow. Among the tasks the interns will do are cutting back trees and vegetation, rebuilding a pond dipping platform, constructing a floating island for birds and building picnic benches and bird boxes.

Sarah Jackson, IMI's Manager of Trainees and Students said, "Our interns come from all over the UK as well as from abroad. This community challenge at Plantsbrook Nature Reserve is a great way of bringing the young people together to work as a team. It's also a great way of doing something positive for the community, which is important to IMI."

David Darlaston, Regional Director of Business in the Community commented, "Plantsbrook Nature Reserve is a beautiful location and a fantastic resource for the people of Birmingham. I'm sure the local community will appreciate the hard work of IMI's young employee volunteers in improving Plantsbrook and I hope the interns enjoy their stay in the city."

New project from In Kind Direct and RockCorps helping charities

Posted 15th August 2008 16:29pm

In Kind Direct has teamed up with Orange RockCorps to create a unique volunteer experience. The project will involve 150 young people aged 16-26 sorting and repacking some of In Kind Direct’s donated products into packs ready for In Kind Direct to distribute to needy charities across the UK and abroad. The event will take place in North London on 16 August 2008. It is the first time In Kind Direct has used such a large number of volunteers to pack donations. In return for just four hours of volunteering the participants will receive a ticket for an exclusive gig at the Royal Albert Hall on 26 September.

The volunteers will sort and repack toiletries and sports clothes. Steve Murray, Head of Logistics at In Kind Direct, comments: "We are delighted to be working with Orange RockCorps to prepare items for the charities in our network to receive. Our charities need a good range of products for use in their work. It is fantastic that Orange RockCorps has given us the opportunity to get a large quantity of packages ready in a short space of time. Making sure charities access the goods we receive as soon as possible is always a key priority for In Kind Direct. This project will contribute to that goal. We want to thank our donor companies for giving quality products to us, and Orange RockCorps for getting the volunteers to help us support those charities faster."

It is free for charities to join the In Kind Direct network. Register online at www.inkinddirect.org

The Culture of Youth Communities

Posted 11th August 2008 10:20am

A lack of parent and adult role models is driving young people to turn to gangs and other peers for support, according to a report published by youth charity The Prince’s Trust.

The Culture of Youth Communities reveals that a third (34%) of young people do not have a parent who they consider to be a role model.

Fifty-eight per cent of young people claim that finding a sense of identity is a key reason for joining a gang, and almost a quarter (22%) say young people are looking for role models in gangs. More than half (55%) already cite friends and peers as role models.

Martina Milburn, Chief Executive of The Prince’s Trust comments: “All the threads that hold a community together – a common identity, role models, a sense of safety – were given by young people as motivations to join gangs.

“Our research suggests that young people are creating their own ‘youth communities’ and gangs in search of the influences that could once have been found in traditional communities.”

The survey of 1,754 14 to 25-year-olds also highlights how young people are twice as likely to turn to a peer (60%) with a problem as they are to turn to a parent (31%). The issue most likely to hold young people back is low self-confidence (32%) according to the research. This was followed by more tangible things such as lack of job opportunities (28%) and lack of training (14%).

Long-term supporter of The Prince’s Trust, The Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) has funded a £1m Trust-led project to help disadvantaged young people develop their confidence and skills by running community projects. The RBS Community Cash Awards encourage young people to interact with a range of people in their local area and employees from the bank volunteer on the projects, offering support and guidance.

Stephen Moir, Head of Community Investment at RBS comments: "The research shows that low self confidence can be a key factor in holding young people back. The impact of this can be significant with young people lacking the ambition or confidence to enter further education or apply for the job they really want.”

Milburn adds: “The RBS Community Cash Awards have brought about some life-changing projects, from drugs education classes to anti-knife crime workshops. Young people are incredibly passionate about their communities.”

The report also puts into context recent alarm over knife crime and youth crime generally. Only nine per cent of young people have spent time as part of a gang, three per cent “regularly” take drugs, and just two per cent carry a knife.

This month, The Prince’s Trust launched its Change the record campaign to help change perceptions of young people having discovered that 60% of media coverage about young people was negative. See princes-trust.org.uk/changetherecord