i-people
Issue 3 Summer 2012 At last!
Film, event and sport reviews By young people for young people.
Spring Into Action Review of the new Independent People Involvement Programme
Cool cookery... NEW in a very cool kitchen
Independent People’s Quarterly Magazine
CONTENTS 3...A True Community Hero One man - two awards.
4...Legends
Music inspires a makeover at Kingsley Hall
5...Cool Cookery
Young people getting their fingers in all the pies!
This magazine is produced by
young people, volunteers and staff at Independent People. Please forward it on to as many people as you can!
6...INTERVIEW - You’re Hired
Get in touch anytime...
7...Leonardo da Vinci Programme
Freephone for service users: 0800 731 72 13
Jazmin tells us about her experience of apprenticeships. Tyrone goes to Italy
8 - 9...Spring Into Action Review Review of the first Involvement Programme
10...Ask Josh
New feature - Josh gives advice.
11 - 13...Opportunities
Big Issue, Upfront and Grow Club
14...Sold Out
Danni and Ed’s film is shown at the Arnolfini
15...Take a break Make like a cat...
16...Bristol 10K - Done
Review of this year’s Bristol 10K
17...Get your name in the paper
Truth About Youth invites you to write for the Evening Post
18...FOOD
Cheap as chips - but nicer.
19...Useful Numbers
Head Office Kingsley Hall 59 Old Market Street, Bristol, BS2 0ER 0117 317 8800 enquiries@1625ip.co.uk South Gloucestershire 23 The Parade Coniston Road Patchway Bristol BS34 5LP 01454 865 732 sglos@1625ip.co.uk St Georges House 101 St Georges Road Hotwells Bristol BS1 5UP 0117 927 6600 sgh@1625ip.co.uk Go to our website www.1625ip.co.uk Please donate! Find us on Facebook “Independent People” Follow us on Twitter #1625ip
2
A
true
Earlier this year, one of our Peer Educators Michael Fautley got a double-dip round of recognition for all the outstanding work he has done in the community.
Mike not only won a South Gloucestershire Community Hero Award, but was also selected for a Lord Lieutenant’s Award for valued services to community life in South Gloucestershire. Go on Mike! Mike’s been volunteering with us for quite some time as a Peer Educator, going into schools and youth settings to talk with other young people about the realities of leaving home. He and the other Peer Educators are effectively preventing homelessness. Dame Janet Trotters is the Lord-Lieutenant for Gloucestershire and South
Community Hero
Glos (the Queen’s representative in the area) said about Mike... “...A winner of winners...an outstanding young person who has worked against the odds to support his peers who are thinking about leaving home at a young age. This work has mushroomed and from unpromising beginnings Michael has turned his life, and many others, around.” Mike is a champion, in the real sense, but also a Money Skills Champion. As part of the new Barclays Money Skills Champions project we’re involved in, he’s been trained to talk to other young people about their issues handling money and finances. The most common reason young people end up homeless again is through not paying their rent. Let’s face it most young people would rather talk to Mike than a Bank Manager or their landlord! Just recently he promoted the project to his local MP Jack Lopresti in South Glos. Jack was so impressed by him he gave him his card and invited him to the
House of Commons. Priceless. We can’t help note the first thing Mike said when he told us about his awards. “Maybe now someone will give me a job” We really hope this story helps to dispel the myth that young people who are out of work are just not trying. It’s telling that someone so intelligent, bright and able - clearly demonstrating a willingness to work and being publicly recognised for it - is finding it hard in this climate.
Well done Mike and all who won awards that night. This issue of i-people is focusing on volunteering, jobs and generally getting involved. If you’re young and have spare time, don’t sit on it. Come and see us.
“Maybe now someone will give me a job?”
3
LEGENDS Just recently our Activity Room and kitchen have had a makeover and all sorts of shenanigans are goin’ on...
Rachel Goodchild runs Art Express,
bringing art and creativity to groups of people of all ages. She has already run some fabulous art workshops with us and was very happy to come, with a young apprentice Niall, to help us revamp our Activity Room.
Filton College Construction
Apprentices were hired to prepare the room as part of their course. They prepped, plastered and painted to a very high standard! A perfect blank canvas for a group of young people to do what ever they wanted with it. Danni and Tiffany tell you about it...
We came up with the idea of
painting the faces of dead music icons and a musical theme. We tried to choose a broad range of people with different musical styles. The rose was a copy of Danni’s tattoo and the dragonfly was a copy of a pendant I was wearing. We used a projector to get the outline images on the wall and then painted them. We also got to choose the floor colour. I really enjoyed doing it and I think it looks good. Tiffany P
I chose the music theme because
4
“Music is how we express ourselves” music is really important to me. The legends we painted inspired a lot of people in different ways. Music is how we express ourselves and these have a place in young people’s hearts- they speak the truth. I chose the words love, peace, soul and music because they are meaningful to me, they are comforting. We put the silhouette of me and Tiffany up because we wanted to show we were part of it, making the space comfortable and nice for young people.
Danni H
I so enjoyed working with the young people, they had such
incredible ideas and are so talented! Niall really enjoyed the experience working with you guys. He has now decided he really likes teaching so is applying to do a degree in painting and then onto a teaching qualification – this is good news! So thank you. Rachel G
The Activity Room is open to Independent People Service Users Mon- Fri 9-5pm. Late night Thurs till 7pm.
Cool
cookery Our spanking new kitchen at Kingsley Hall is
! ’ n i k o m
h h ss
(Don’t worry we also had the mother of all extractor fans fitted too)
Service users can come to
cooking sessions every Thursday evening 5-7pm at Old Market. Each week you can learn how to cook healthy, two-course meals that you can repeat at home. The group then eats together and there are usually plenty of leftovers so you can take some home too.
The sessions are run by Melissa who is a
‘Cooking has allowed me to
be able to be self sufficient in the kitchen. It has given me confidence and brought out my creativity’ Kennedy N
‘I enjoy running the cooking sessions.
Everyone gets along, it’s a fun environment and a service user/volunteer and is studying catering at college. She recently coordinated the menu, good place to learn’ preparation and service delivery of a four course Melissa H fine dining evening to thank funders who have supported us in setting up the kitchen.
“I
n e v i g t has
me c
” e c n e d fi n o
5
YOU’RE HIRED!
Last year Independent People advertised for an apprentice to work in our Reception and Admin Team. We lucked out in a massive way. Jazmin has worked in our reception for the last few months and has now been taken on full time. Hear about it from Jaz, 19.
Tell us how you got an apprenticeship at Independent People...
I went to the national apprenticeship website and applied: http://www.apprenticeships.org. uk/ Did you need any experience or qualifications? Skills required were computer literacy, verbal and written communication. No specific qualifications were needed.They asked for personal qualities like commitment and enthusiasm to learn the job requirements and to work with young people, such as a flexible attitude and embracing diversity. They also gave a reality check that it’s a very demanding role in a very busy office environment. They weren’t wrong there.
6
Did you get paid? Yes I did get paid but it wasn’t the national minimum wage as apprentices start on a lower salary, as you’re not qualified.
What sort of things did you learn on your apprenticeship? I learnt a lot of things on my apprenticeship and have developed a lot of skills including how to work in an office environment, customer service skills and housing knowledge.
Would you recommend other young people to go down the apprenticeship route? Yes definitely! In the current climate there’s not a lot of jobs around and education when you’re over 18 is a lot of money. That is why an apprenticeship is a brilliant route to take as you’re learning and working at the same time. What was it like when you first started? The hardest bit was to get used to how the office worked. The best bit of my apprenticeship was meeting the people. And now - what’s next? Well I was offered a permanent position here being a Receptionist Administrator. That’s the good thing about apprenticeships at the end there is a chance you could be employed.
Leonardo Da Vinci Programme Service user Tyrone went to Sicily for a month to do conservation work with the Leonardo Da Vinci Programme. Tyrone met up with the other lads he was going with in a Birmingham hotel. Tthis was the start of the various adventures, including missing their flights, however they eventually got to Sicily...
So Tyrone, why did you go to Italy? Because it was free. I want to travel the world, it is a start I guess. What did you enjoy most about the trip? Getting a sun tan in December. Getting on and off the aeroplane (I had only flown once before to Spain).
What did you enjoy least about the trip? There was not enough work in the last two weeks. The first few weeks were fine, we had stuff to do, but then we ran out and only had a few little things to do. When there was work, we ploughed fields, built a polytunnel, even scrubbed a shop floor on our hands and knees! Not quite what I thought we’d be doing. But it was very laid back and chilled out. I liked coming back to England, but had to sign on again, and had got bank charges while I had been away, I was not happy coming back to no money. (Word of warning - get this sorted before you go!) Would you recommend the programme to others? Yes, but make sure you do what your programme tells you to do, stick to the schedule or list you are given. I was told that I could go back and work there for accommodation and food. The programme paid for everything, travel, food and accommodation. Did you learn any Italian? Si (yes), Ciao (hi and bye!), collina (hill town) , pampino (vine leaf) ... And what for the future? I want to backpack round the world, but I need a decent pair of walking boots, a big rucksack and some cash. Anything else? There were aliens on the hill in Sicily, I didn’t see them, but there was light on the hill and the animals acted weird.
The Leonardo Programme is part of the European Union’s Lifelong Learning Programme. It supports UK vocational education and training (VET) organisations, staff and learners to work together with European partners to improve training, skills and employability. The next round of funding for the programme is in Autumn 2012 so if you’d like an opportunity to travel abroad and learn some new skills and perhaps get involved with a community project, keep an eye on this website www.eiluk.org 7 or call ECORYS on 0845 199 2929
You might have heard about Independent People’s ‘Involvement Programme’ which ran this Spring... It was a chance for our service users to learn new skills and gain new experiences whilst designing their own activities programme. They could choose what they wanted to do, learn new stuff and meet new people. Did you see the ‘Spring Into Action’ activities flyer? Well the whole thing was made by a group of young people from Independent People. Eight young people joined. They spent three weeks planning and organising the programme. The group learnt how to budget, risk assess, make bookings, negotiate, fill out and prepare important documents, organise files, design fliers, advertise, speak publicly, cook and ultimately work as a team and build confidence. Then, over the next six weeks, they got to go on all the activities they had organised: paintballing, swimming and football, @Bristol, rock climbing to name a few. You might have gone on some of them yourself. Over the 10 week period they have all completed their ‘Involvement Packs’. They have
filled out their hours to get their V50 certificates, have a long list of skills recorded for CV’s and job applications. Recently they had the chance to go on to start apprenticeships and other courses. This is what some of them had to say.
88
“I found the whole process good fun and a challenge. It was great meeting and mixing with new people. Good fun doing the activities and good working in a team and working toward a common goal.” (Matt) “Really enjoyed the rock climbing as it was good exercise, good competition and a new experience!” (Sami) “I really enjoyed getting involved and organising the activities. I especially enjoyed the paintballing and meeting diverse people interested in getting the most out of life like me.” (Justin) “The Involvement Programme was a good way to learn new skills and meet new people. The experience was fantastic and I cannot wait for the next programme to start!” (Ed) “It was fun, nice to organise something. It was a good experience and I’d do it again. I met some new people- really supportive and friendly.” (Mike) “It was amazing! I met loads of new people and set up activities I knew young people would want to do. It was a big achievement - we did everything ourselves. We were an amazing team!” (Danni)
The next programme starts at the end of September.
If you’re interested in doing this kind of thing then look out for more opportunities like: The Forum, Skills Kitchen, Youth Board, Money Skills Training, The Peer Support Group and Peer Education to name just a few.
Learn new skills, build confidence and make Independent People even better.
9
Our Josh has been advising young people for years. He's a salt of the earth, no nonsense, no jargon, no bull kind of guy. If he can't answer your question he'll find someone who can. Hi Josh, I live in a room in a shared house. I don't know anyone in the house and I'm a bit scared and lonely - what can I do?.......SJ Dear SJ That sounds like a toughie. It takes time to get to know new people and some of them might not be your sort of person. The thing is... you really don’t know what they are like until you get to know them better. They may feel just as scared as you. The main thing is to feel safe where you are living. It’s probably best to start talking to people in communal areas first until you know you can trust them in your room. It can be hard to know what to say to a person you don’t know. How about asking them a few questions about themselves? If they’re Ok – they’ll probably answer and ask you about yourself and the ice is broken. You may prefer to meet people away from where you live. Ask your Support Worker about things you can do in your area. It might be a youth group or a short course. There may be posters at the local community centre which will give you ideas. If you’re nervous about going on your own – maybe you can get a friend or a Support Worker to go with you. The main things are stay safe, try things out, don’t get put off too easily, talk to someone. Good Luck! J :o)
Dear Josh, My mate is 19 and sleeping on my mum's sofa. Mum says she's got to go. Her parents have moved away and she hasn't got any other family nearby. She's run out of money. What can she do?......PG Dear PG Your mate's lucky to have you trying to sort things out. Firstly she needs to get some money. The best thing is to go to Connexions for some advice. If she’s at college she might get Income Support. If not she might have to claim Job Seeker’s Allowance (JSA) at the Job Centre. Next is the housing. She should go to somewhere like Independent People, a youth housing specialist to get some advice about her options. She might be able to apply for Supported Housing or get some help looking for a room in a shared house. They might also talk to her about finding someone else to stay with while the applications go though. You’d better warn her that it might not all get sorted straight away but it’s worth being patient, she should get somewhere in time. Hope that helps... Josh
Post your question to the address on the inside cover, send a text to 07797801655 (Standard rates apply) or email: enquiries@1625ip.co.uk. Make sure you give us your contact details if you want a personal reply and remember if you have a serious concern contact us straight away.
10 10
New Big Issue Opportunities for over 18s
In the past, The Big Issue has been linked solely with homeless and vulnerably-housed people. However, due to the current economic climate, they have widened that to include people who are "at risk of homelessness, unemployed, or in a financial crisis (e.g. high utility bills, etc)". They offer vendors the opportunity to earn a legitimate income and develop their skills in sales and money-management. Vendors buy the magazine for ÂŁ1.25 and sell it for ÂŁ2.50, keeping all profits for themselves. You can start selling immediately. Just contact your nearest office in person or by telephone and staff will be able to advise you on how to get started.
11
Opportunities Independent People Service Users can train to become Peer Educators through the Upfront project. Here’s what one Peer Educator feels about it... Why did you get involved in peer education?
To help other young people not end up in the same situation as I did, and to help young people understand the misconceptions of homelessness and leaving home.
How have you been involved with the project?
Since the start I’ve been involved with planning, running workshops, meeting with teachers to promote the project, involved with helping to train other peer educators and reporting to the steering group on the success of the workshops
What’s been your favourite thing about being a Peer Educator?
Seeing the facial expressions of young people when they realise how their misconceptions are wrong, especially young girls who think they can get pregnant and get a flat straight away. I also like feeling like I’ve made a difference to young people’s lives.
Which aspects of the Peer Education workshops do you think work best?
I like the budgeting activity as it helps them to realise how difficult it is to manage your money when you live on your own. Looking at the misconceptions of homelessness helps them to see how some of the things they think about leaving home are wrong, and we can then build on this.
If this is something you think you’d like to do get in touch with Lisa, our Peer Education Coordinator on Freephone 0800 731 7213 12
Opportunities
13
Danni and Ed’s film is shown at the Arnolfini...
Director Jess McCormack worked with two service users to make a film about modern homelessness.
To begin with we had to watch a
film about Cathy Come Home, all the poverty and the corruption they had to deal with, to see if we related to any of it...
It was shown as part of the Vex Dance Theatre production celebrating Ken Loach’s legendary film “Cathy Come Home”.
From there we had to story-board our ideas, think about what filming shots there would be and how
we would go about getting them. So we incorporated our own ideas into the mix so that it felt easier and more comfortable for us to be able to film. I (Ed) have known my filming partner (Danni) for a considerable amount of years so it just came naturally to brainstorm and talk about our similar childhoods. There was a group of six to start with but me and Danni decided because of our background we would work together on this project. Neither of us felt comfortable enough to work with people we didn’t know well enough to tell our stories to.
On the night our film was on at the Arnolfini, we decided to meet up outside the venue to have
a quick chat and a drink. We found our seats and saw that our film was first to be shown on the big screen. So we had a little crisis with Danni but soon everything was all good. The experience for both of us was life changing, after the show we had people coming up saying “Thank you for the night, it was an amazing film” and they really enjoyed it. One person said “When is the second film coming out?” to which we responded “Ha-ha thank you so much for the support!” I’m not going to lie - we don’t know, but we do want to make another one. After this fiasco Danni decided it was a good time to cry (typical).
14
Watch the film: http://vimeo.com/40464768
Take a break... Q: What colour is a happy cat? A: Purrrple.
Q: How is cat food sold? A: So much purr can.
Q: What is a cat’s favourite dessert? A: Mice pudding.
Q: What do you get if you cross a hungry cat and a canary?
A: A cat that isn’t hungry any more.
Q: Why did the silly kid try to feed pennies to the cat? A: Because his mother told him to put money in the kitty.
Q: What do you call a cat who does tricks? A: A magic kit.
On average, cats spend 2/3 of every day sleeping. That means a nine-year-old cat has been awake for only three years of its life A group of cats is called a
clowder.
15
On a chilly, dark
Sunday morning
two bleary eyed young people emerged from St George’s House ready to join 15,000 others hitting the streets to run the
Bristol 10K.
s d ow
Marcus and Fay joined the weekly Independent People running club run by Support Worker (and not at all competitive) Sam Tajdin. For three months Sam put us all through our paces, training in the wind, rain and searing heat to prepare us for the challenge of beating him on the big day! The crowds were amazing, lining the streets in their thousands cheering and
16
r c e “Th were r i e h t n ” i s d n a s u o h t
screaming and, as we began “hitting the wall’ with sore feet and aching legs just a couple of km from the end, they came to our rescue screaming our names and clapping. With the finish line in sight and, checking that we were all ahead of Sam, we sprinted to the end to be rewarded with chocolate, t-shirts and most importantly our medals!
A massive congratulations to Fay and Marcus for being two of the youngest runners to run AND FINISH the Bristol 10K 2012. They are so dedicated that they are now training for the Bristol half marathon in September this year. If you’re a service user and would like to run it with them contact Sam Tajdin on Freephone 0800 731 7213 and join the running club. Next time it could be you in the photo! Written by Hayley Pert Social Work Student, St George’s House
Get your name in the paper. Help change people’s negative attitudes about young people. Are you aged 16-25 and have a positive or inspiring story you want to tell the world about? Truth About Youth can give you that opportunity. Every two weeks Truth About Youth run a special column for young people in Bristol’s Evening Post and they would love to hear what you’ve got to say. Articles or stories need to be about 400 words long and can be about anything that interests you, maybe something you’ve done or something you care about deeply. If you’re interested or want to find out more, email Gareth.roberts@princes-trust.org.uk or call Gareth on 07984022564 or Google: truth about youth bristol
Truth About Youth is the Co-operative Foundation’s project in Bristol, being run in partnership with The Prince’s Trust. It aims to challenge and change the widespread negative perceptions of young people.
17
Cheap FOOD as
chips but nicer...
. Y . .I
18
D
Dinners
Useful Numbers In an emergency for Fire, Police and Ambulance services dial 999 SHELTER 24 hour freephone number:
0808 800 444
SMELL GAS OR SUSPECT A LEAK? Call National Grid using a phone outside your home and then call your landlord’s repair line 0800 111999 POWER FAILURE- ELECTRICITY 24 hours 0800 365 900 Councils Bristol City Council (8.30am- 8pm) 0117 922 2200 Emergency Control Centre (24 hrs) 0117 922 2050 South Glos Council (Switchboard and out of hours) 01454 868686 Police (main switchboard) Emergency Hospitals and Health Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) Southmead Hospital Frenchay Hospital NHS Direct (24Hrs) GP / Health Centres
RSPCA (pets)
0845 4567 000 999 0117 923 0000 0117 950 5050 0117 970 1212 0845 4647 0845 4647 0300 1234 999
Useful Mental Health contacts: www.mind.org.uk tel: 0117 980 0370 www.rethink.org tel: 0300 5000 927 www.awp.nhs.uk tel: 01249 468 000 Avon and Wiltshire NHS: www.bristol.gov.uk/balp Bristol active life project
Why pay? If you’re a Service User use the FREEPHONE number to contact your support worker 0800 731 7213 If you need help, advice or want to talk about something that’s worrying you - your support worker will try to help you or will put you in touch with the right people. There’s always someone to talk to. Check the back of your Service User Handbook for other useful organisations and freephone numbers. 19
20