Make Your Mark Blog

The Sheila McKechnie Foundation is offering three awards for young people:

Shout Out! sponsored by the City Bridge Trust
This award is aimed at 15-18 year olds living in London encouraging them to get involved in community action by developing their campaigning skills. Young people will be considered if they are at the campaign vision stage – meaning they have had an idea but not started taking action.  It’s even better if they have started their campaign, but we will consider young people at both stages.
Five awards will be granted to individuals or groups (of up to five people).Each award winner or winning group will receive:
*       a campaign skills workshop
*       a campaigning resource pack
*       a coach who will advise them on how to plan their campaign
*       advice sessions
*       £100 bursary to further their campaign.

Young Activist sponsored by the YMCA and Foyer Federation
This award supports young campaigners, both individual and in groups, aged 16-24 living anywhere in the UK, who are campaigning on community issues to which they are personally connected. We want to encourage applications from those who have limited experience of campaigning but who have the drive and passion to change something in their community.

*       Each award winner and winning group will receive a package of support including:
*       a comprehensive assessment of their campaign objectives
*       advice from a senior campaigner about how to take forward their campaign
*       the chance to work through shared challenges with other campaigners
*       mentoring sessions reviewing the progress of their campaign.

Global Action in Memory of Guy Hughes Award is for students aged 18-24, who are working on International campaigns around global justice, challenging the root causes of poverty, international conflict, environmental destruction or human rights abuses. This award was established in 2007 in memory of Guy Hughes who was an inspirational campaigner, former Head of Campaigns at People and Planet and founder of Crisis Action.  The support programme for this award is similar to what the people receive in the Young Activist award.

To apply for this award and to read about last year’s award winners, please check out our website www.sheilamckechnie.org.uk . 

Saturday saw 4 nervous students from 4 schools in Wakefield competing for the title of Junior Amateur Chef of 2008. 

Pulled together by the PCT and partners and culminating at Brasserie 99 a local restaurant in Wakefield students prepared the menu they had submitted to a recent competition. The heat was on in the kitchen for just over an hour before revealing their dishes - which were judged by the Deputy Mayor Jaqui Williams, food writer Polly Brown, Food Writer from the Yorkshire Post, Natalie from SUMA foods and Paul from Brasserie 99. Eagerly awaiting the results parents, friends and family (some so nervous unable to watch!) saw Josh Angell from St Wilfirds High School given the title! His ‘Toad in the air’ dish (pheasant wrapped in bacon with sausages in Yorkshire pudding) followed by rice pudding pot.

The whole event had an amazing atmosphere and everyone was impressed at the standard and innovation the students showed! The talent and flair in the presentation of each dish was amazing - every student should feel very proud of their success - role on Junior Amateur 2009!

We’ve be given 100 tickets to the UK’s biggest FREE exhibition.
When? April 25– 26 April 2008
Where? Excel, London Docklands.
What? It is recognised as the single most important event for pre-start and early stage businesses, and entrepreneurs in the country www.bstartup.com The show is made up of four parts: Business Start-up, Social Entrepreneurs, Business Opportunities and Start-up Overseas shows. Over the two days there will be 120 free seminars and key note speakers include Levi Roots, James Caan and Caprice Bourret. There will also be 250 exhibitions for new and developing businesses…so plenty of information and advice to be found!
If anyone is interested in going to this event or would like more information on it (there is plenty more going on!) just email charlie@makeyourmark.org.uk

Arriving hot on the heels of the government’s forthcoming response to January’s select committee report, Music Tank are hosting a think tank which will explore the conflicting viewpoints of managers, resale agents, promoters and the general public, asking whether effective self-regulation is desirable or even plausible in the murky world of secondary ticketing.  Date:   Tues 18th Mar ‘08Time:   18.30 - 21.00 hrsVenue:  MCPS-PRS Alliance, 29-33 Berners St, London, W1T 3ABPrice:  £20 MT members | £25 Ind. concession | £30 Full.  Tickets incl. drinks Tickets MUST be booked and paid for in advance - no walk-up on the day.

A fabulous opportunity for 5 graduates to learn what it takes to work in a really innovative place. Here’s what they’ve got to say about it:

We’ll be taking on five shiny new graduates into our commercial team this year. You’ll spend the first three months with a personal coach being put through your paces learning sales skills. After that you’ll be given a a proper role in the team, managing seven of our customers. We’ll support you with great managers and lots of classroom training to sharpen your commercial skills. After 16 months on our grass roots programme you’ll be ready to accelerate towards becoming one of our future leaders in the UK, Europe or the world. Blooming marvellous.

Take a peek at http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/us/grassroots/

The British Library has another one of its brilliant Inspiring Entrepreneurs events on March 17th. Hear from five fantastic female entrepreneurs in what is the month of International Women’s Day. Includes Jessica Huie who won one of our Enterprising Young Brits awards last November . She’s definately one to watch. She’ll be joined by Sam Roddick of Coco De Mer fame, and daughter of Anita Roddick - who was one of Britain’s best loved female entrepreneurs.

Sign up for the event here…

http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?agency=BRITISHLIB&organ_val=25385

More on Jessica…

http://www.makeyourmark.org.uk/inspiring_stories/jessica_huie

I caught the end of a new programme on Channel Five on Monday night - Breaking into Tesco - where people try and develop products to be sold in their stores. I missed the beginning so I’m not sure how or why they chose these particular people but I was rather bemused that a woman was trying to invent a new chocolate muffin for them. Surely they don’t need another muffin recipe - especially when she didn’t seem to be able to cook a muffin. It looked more like a stale cake. Ah well you have to admire her persistance, I guess there’s a market out there for more than you might think. If she gets it in-store I’ll eat my hat, or should that be muffin?

At 7.30 on Friday I set off from Euston to Manchester, arriving in plenty of time to get lost trying to find Manchester Met Uni. In the entrance for smart building there was an igloo. Yes an igloo, it was fully kitted out with an inspirational DVD and lots of info on how to turn ideas into reality.

Students were intrigued and wanting to know more, there were some great ideas posted on the wall, from the self cleaning toilet to an espresso machine that made alcoholic drinks. The best ten pitched to Alex Tew and a panel of judges with the winner a ski lock that secured and helped you carry your skis, receiving £150 for his idea and a chance to win £2000 at the National final.

Well done to all who took part and good luck for the National Final.