Interesting times.

After a well deserved Xmas break, the JH bods are back in the office and back at it.

These are interesting times. As we saw early last year. The public were restless and crying out for change. And with massive a turnout at the polling stations it was bye bye Brown, hello Cameron/Clegg.
Yay! Ding Dong, The witch is dead!
Erm.... No.

Since then students have been taking to the streets in droves to state their discontent. Big society hasn't panned out quite as we would have all hoped. The public are still restless and crying out for change. And Nick Clegg is now the Mel Gibson of politics.

So. What does this mean for JH Foundations? Not a fat lot to be honest with you.
We have always done things on our own terms, we are not complacent, we are never just content.

Real change is much more than who is in number 10, and we have no intention of stopping until that happens. *Hero pose*

JH Christmas shenanigans

Sorry, haven't blogged for a little while due to the madness leading up to Christmas.
Anyhoos.

We recently held the first annual "JH Foundations Christmas Karaoke Extravaganza™
Oh the shenanigans.
The party took place at the large Cafe Soya in Birmingham city centre, we had our own private room (clearly to spare the eardrums of other customers.) Full Chinese/Vietnamese buffet dinner and that dastardly Japanese party invention.....Karaoke.
It wasn't long before the JH Divas were in full swing and taking control of the party.
 "STOP! TAMARA TIME!" being a particular highlight. It all went nuts after that.
Jay trying to hit supersonic frequencies and bothering all the dogs in a 30 mile radius was rather painful.

It was a great night out, and a celebration of some of the work we've done and achievements we've made throughout the year.

So as we continue to grow, thanks to those who came and boooooooooo to those who didn't ;P (Just kidding, we love you really). and until next time take care.

Ki.

Boys & Girls (warning - may not come with instructions)

As the festive seasons approach we in JH land are looking at warmer horizons and thinking about our upcoming projects for the spring/summer.Our young people are looking at how this generation view relationships. They will be exploring themes such as is Chivalry dead? , Are Cinderella and Snow White really a little girls dream or does Jordan and Beyonce more fit the bill?
Does the media now inform what a positive relationship is? or do those values come from our parents and peers? Its a hot topic and we are all very excited to see what our mini researchers uncover.

In the meantime we have complied a mini survey to get the young researchers investigative flow going and to gather a view of what you the general public feel about the topic. Take 5 mins and complete the survey and let us know what you think. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/B7C8VYT

Ta Ta for now

Jay x

Safeguarding Young People training this morning, quite a heavy and ambiguous topic but an important one none the less, so a valuable experience for myself (Jen Foulds Resident Artist here at JH Foundations) and for the Jumpstart trainee youth mentors.

The scenarios covered in the training highlighted for me that abuse can be a very grey area, one that needs to be handled with much care and with a vast awareness of the situation in which it occurs.  Abuse happens everywhere, regardless of class, race, gender or intelligence.

The most important message from today though was that by listening, you can change a young person’s life. 

Within our work, JH Foundations aims to provide a safe environment for young people to have their voice heard, whether that is by literally talking about their experiences, thoughts and feelings, or by communicating them in creative ways through music, performance art or visual arts.

Another inspiring and mind-expanding week in the land of JH.

Jen :-) 

This is an Iron_turtle Blogjacking! RE: illequipped for Xmas

Serious business. I have about 5 minutes before the sugar from the Juanita's Xmas cookies kick in and I start running round the office like an idiot. Clock is ticking...

Spent the day sorting out our brand spanking new über kewl online shop. illequipped.bigcartel.com
Keep an eye out for it. We'll be selling all sorts of arty curios and knick knacks from pretty much everywhere. Stay tuned, it's going to be bigger than blue smarties.

But anyway, Xmas is drawing near and the usual songs are on the radio already. (Note to self, dropkick radio.) While procrastinating on my Xmas shopping I've been reflecting on the year (Oh wait, Juanita already did that post.) Oh well nevermind.

It's been a good productive day in the office and I've eaten a whole bag of clementines.
So until next time.
Have fun, take care. Watch Tron.

-Ki.

Seasonal Reflections

So its that time of year again where we spy on our loved ones for what they want for xmas and dodge the secret santa syndicate at the office. I find this time of year as operations manager at JH, a time of reflection on what we have achieved this year and what we want to achieve for the coming year.

This year we launched Jumpstart a vocational youth work training programme for young people aged 19 + who had been long term unemployed or had a criminal conviction. The project was a roaring success so much so that we had to place our trained mentors within other youth work organisations. This was an unexpected outcome but it paid off as not only did we manage to obtain valuable vocational work for our mentors , We also enabled youth organisations to increase their capacity and support more young people a win win scenario all round !! and with placements like Barnardos, Blue River and Future First as well as JH we almost certainly hit the jackpot of opportunity!

This year also seen us showcase our Breach documentaries funded by the big lottery fund which show a whole variety of young people having their say on the issues that affect them most! Stay tuned to the JH website to see their unveiling for the new year. With topics such as Joint enterprise, Battle of the sexes ,Stereotyping and 21st Century Faith its definitely not one to miss!!

 On reflection the 2010 JH year has been a good one. We have moved out of the small home office into a  swanky new office and have moved from being the three musketeers to now having the most amazing new team. We have begun a journey of social impact that lets us know that all the dark hours in the bid writing or tender cupboard are worthwhile and that every pound that we earn by trading is a step towards changing the life chances of a young person for the better.

So all in all not a bad year but i'm not content resting on our laurels ..New year means new ventures and this time we have company. Our team of three is now eight and our portfolio of projects moved from one to six. So the word for next year is GROWTH more of it ...and hopefully we can continue to be proud that the world is a slightly better place because JH is in it .......

Jay :-)

New member of the family!

I am a new member of the JH family, a very lucky member to be honest, I never would have been here if it wasn't thanks to someone getting glandular fever (Thank You!) and JH needing a replacement.

I got thrown right in, starting work on a 'Vision Tree' for Sandwell Women's Aid with our very own Jen Foulds. It was a great experience, one I was very new to, but one I enjoyed. Go Team Tree!

Next up was ... well working out what was next. As I don't have many skills or qualifications we decided training was the way to go, cut to me designing flyers and newsletters, but not doing a very good job of it, but its all a way to teach me to use different computer programs like photoshop and illustrator. It was also a way to show me all the things flyers and newsletters need.

So, my new ID card just landed on my desk (Literally), with a bad photo just like everyone else, and now I feel like a real member of the family.

So I'm off now, lunch time. BYE!

Zoe :D