Mobile TMC at Leicester's Skyride

Mobile TMC was on Abbey Park on Sunday (August 28) to support Leicester's Skyride event.

During the day we had dozens of young people join us for fun activities including story telling, a film screening and lots of games too!

See some of the photos from the day below:



Watch, AD, TMC's Journals Manager, talking about Mobile TMC.

Update from work experience placement Arushi

                                                        Arushi Patel
Arushi Patel joined TMC over a month ago as an enterprise assistant work placement.
So far, Arushi has worked across the team helping out with everything from spreadsheets to facilitating Mobile TMC at Leicester's Skyride event.

The fine art graduate will be staying with TMC until she jets off on her travels in February 2012.

Here's what she's been up to in her first month with us:

"I’ve been with TMC for about a month now and have been enjoying my time very much from meeting the team, being part of the environment and learning new things.


I’ve learnt quite a lot coming into the office here at LCB Depot and really love to be around the creativity that surrounds the building. It brings back a comfort from when I was in art school so this is something special for me. It’s been nice to know what each member of staff do and how their role keeps the TMC running.

My proudest and most exciting thing to have learnt so far are spread sheets in Microsoft Excel! This may sounds strange but with a background in art, I’ve never had to do anything like that before so it was great to put together so much information and in a professional and organised structure. I could look back at it when I filled out the table with appropriate colour schemes to ensure a pleasant and subtle outcome (attention to detail you see!) that I was able to do this all by myself.


I also spent a few hours in a meeting about the TMC APP with the communications team and Karen Birch, Director of Sector Development. It was intriguing to be part of a decision making process and exciting to see what may be a success for the future of TMC. I was made to feel very welcomed and appreciated for any ideas I had which gave me a lot of confidence especially when some of my ideas were good enough to be involved in the final drafting! That felt really good and I think confidence building is so important when doing something new as I’m realising more of my potential and how far I could to take it.

I’ve also gained more of an understanding to how the team work and what TMC are all about and their passion to make sure they do their best because they believe in what they do more than anything else. I really appreciate that attitude and hope to find this when I start my career."


This week sees the start of the new term for schools across the country. Arushi tells us about her experience of going back to school:
 
"This is always an interesting time of the year. It used to be two months of waking up late in the morning, no plans for the day but to watch cartoons and wear whatever it is I would like to wear! Freedom I believe is what they called it.

But the sooner the summer holidays came, the sooner the time came to returning back to school, which was scary and daunting because you didn’t know what lay ahead. Which of your friends remained and who was going to be teaching you? My memory of starting University for instance, an institute where absolutely none of my school/college friends were going to be and everything was new and I had no idea what to expect.

I dealt with this by making sure to have had a good night’s sleep and a filling breakfast, all to ensure I was wide awake and fully alert for my first day. I approached people with a smile and kept positive because feeling positivity inside, brings a positive vibe outside and makes others feel comfortable and happy around you."

Thanks Arushi!

Introducing TMC's Participation Manager - Ben Kingston-Hughes

"Six weeks in post I’m finally getting my head around the incredible work TMC does with children and young people. I’ve seen first hand the profound impact that TMC projects have and the lasting benefits they have inspired. I have also discovered how much food can be bought in and around the LCB depot and am now spending a fortune on snacks.


My job as Participation Manager is to ensure that children and young people’s opinions are heard and acted upon and that young people have an opportunity to make a difference at every level of the organisation. This has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember and being able to help realise this in an organisation such as TMC is a fantastic opportunity.


My background is originally in adventure play. I went to do a six week summer play scheme whilst studying for my first degree and ended up staying for thirteen years. This was not due to any particular love of the job but because in my first week a child stole my shoes and I was unable to leave. I eventually found my shoes and went on to become a Development Coordinator for a National Charity with a remit to support children and young people across the UK managing several projects and delivering training and consultancy.


I was asked to lead consultation exercises for several Local Authorities and National Companies and was immediately struck by how much of an afterthought these consultations seemed to be. In many cases the opinions of the young people were merely a justification after the fact. Once I was even asked to steer a consultation to make sure the young people agreed with what had already been decided. Needless to say I refused!


I made a name for myself as someone who puts young people first in the consultation process and was subsequently asked to speak at conferences about participation and how important it was that children and young people had ownership over their projects. All of this through many plot twists brought me to apply for the position of Participation manager at TMC.


Ok that’s the resume – but what about the real Ben? Well I like to spend my time helping old ladies and pumping iron in the gym. Sorry that was the wrong way round, I help in a gym and….no forget that line of thought. In reality I have a quite dull life. I have a 3½ year old boy and another little girl due in September. I am failing to write two books and play league badminton for a team that loses more than it wins. I dabble in poetry and the odd bit of freelance work teaching adults how to play with children more positively.


So what can we expect over the next few months at TMC? A new group of young people will be appearing in the office on the 7th September to help steer the next phase of the participation strategy and to form an advisory panel for any projects that need access to young people. We also have several events planned with the My World Project and hopefully will be working with the comms team enabling young people to develop computer games to be showcased on the TMC website. So all in all a good start to the job and an exciting time to come – I just have to get over having a new baby in the house and the sleep deprivation that entails."

Ben Kingston-Hughes
ben@themightycreatives.com

Creativity and Science - two sides of the same coin?

With a record number of students facing a scramble for university places this year combined with the coalition government’s proposed overhaul of higher education, it seems young people in Britain are faced with uncertainty over their future now more than ever.


Inherent in the wave of change sweeping our education system is a greater focus on maths and sciences – funding cuts to the humanities and arts have raised fears that creativity and imagination are no longer being encouraged in our schools and have been traded in for rational thinking and logic. But why should science and creativity be separated in this way? Such artificial boundaries between subjects prevent children and young people from accessing a wider and more diverse learning experience In the view of many in the education sector, in order to meet the challenges of the coming century, this needs to change, fast. One organisation leading the change is Ignite!.

Ignite! is a not-for-profit organisation set up in 2006 to promote creativity in learning. Over the past four years, Ignite! has sought new ways to bring creative thinking into the teaching and learning of STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths) through its Ignition* programme, which it has delivered in collaboration with creative development agency The Mighty Creatives and with funding from the East Midlands Development Agency.

The principle is simple; by approaching STEM subjects in an open and inquiring way, Ignition* has broken down the invisible wall between the arts and the sciences and created a more nuanced approach to education.


The programme has been a vital part of the work done by The Might Creatives in preparing young people for a lifetime of leadership, innovation and enterprise. “As funding priorities shift, one thing remains clear: our children face an unknowable future.



Our biggest gift is to help them develop the right creative skills and capabilities to drive change that brings positive results for both people and the planet. Ignition* has been a powerful way to implement this,” says Richard Clark, Chief Executive of The Mighty Creatives.


This approach is rapidly gaining leverage in this country, and the evidence of four years intervention is that as more young people shift their perceptions of STEM, they are more likely to express a desire to take them as possible subjects in higher education and to seek careers with a STEM connection. As the government looks set to focus on maths and sciences as the subjects of the future, it is vital now more than ever these subjects are made accessible and exciting to students.

Rick Hall, Director of Programmes at Ignite! explains the philosophy behind the Ignition* programme as a way of taking education into the future:


“The majority of young people who enter the education system today will leave in the future to take up jobs that have not been invented yet. They will lead changes from this century onwards in a world that we can only imagine. The solutions that they find to the challenges of the time – social, economic and environmental – will require a combination of knowledge, skills and imagination.


“Many of the solutions and opportunities of the future will be found in the application of STEM subjects, but without imagination and creativity we will merely repeat the mistakes of the past. Ignite! promotes creativity in learning and works with partners to test new models of curriculum development and change.”


In the four years since it began, Ignition* has worked with over 20,000 pupils and young people, 80 scientists and artists and 50 teachers across the East Midlands to bring creativity and excitement to the sciences. One of the most innovative programmes created by Ignition* is the Lab_13 initiative.



Lab_13 designates a space within a school where children can let their imaginations loose. Run for young people, by young people, and based on the Room 13 art initiative in Fort William, Scotland, the lab provides an extra-curricular way for students to share their enthusiasm for experimentation and ideas by creating their own science projects. Six Lab_13s have been set up to date, and have proved a resounding success with pupils and teachers alike.



Ignition* has also run a series of STEM Fluency Labs, a five-day residential lab where teachers can work in collaboration with artists and scientists to breath new life into the teaching of STEM subjects. As one teacher put it, “the STEM Fluency Lab is possibly the single most influential course in my career to date, [it] has armed me with a great many skills for the classroom.”


Underpinning the range of activities in the Ignition* programme is a belief in the value of collaborations between artists and scientists. Placing artists and scientists in school in preparation for National Science and Engineering Week in March in a programme called Come Alive With Science has proved especially successful in engaging young people from all abilities and interests.


As well as promoting changes within the classroom, Ignition* has also provided support and funding for a number of exceptional individuals, or Creative Sparks. These young people have received support to follow a programme of personal creative STEM development, including travel expenses and residential creativity labs. In return, they have acted as role models and ambassadors to inspire their peers and raise their educational and career aspirations.


Courtney Williams is one Spark who has used her award to create a resource combining web design and writing to encourage more people to study physics.

“Through Creative Sparks came the revelation that I could, and had been, creative with science too. The concept of science being an innately creative thing, once so foreign to me, is now ingrained.”

Another Creative Spark, Sophie Jones, recently visited Brazil with her award to learn about sustainability in manufacturing, and is currently leading workshops for young girls to promote awareness of the role scientists and engineers will have in resolving environmental issues.


“There is a high awareness among young people of the importance of environmental issues such as climate change and renewable energy. However, they often do not see the role of engineers and scientists in finding the solutions. The national curriculum, sadly, often fails to communicate this to students and this is why organisations like Ignite! are crucial to ensuring that more students are attracted towards the STEM subjects.”


As Ignition* comes to the end of its current funding, the programme will be celebrating four fantastic years of creative STEM programmes and activities with a celebration event, to bring together some of the brilliant young people, teachers, supporters, practitioners and partners that have been involved.

The Celebration Event will take place over Monday 12th & Tuesday 13th September in Leicester.

PHOTOS: Dress the World Residential

Up to 30 young people from across the East Midlands joined The Mighty Creatives (TMC) for a three-day residential to develop engagement of three 2012 museum exhibits.


The residential at Quorn Hall saw young people, who have worked with museums across the three counties, come together to research and develop visitors experience to the Dress the World exhibitions.


Dress the World exhibitions will celebrate the global exchanges that have shaped, and continue to shape, fashion in the East Midlands.


The exhibitions will be held at Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery, Northampton Museum and Art Gallery and New Walk Museum and Art Gallery in Leicester.

TMC are working with Dress the World, which is part of the Cultural Olympiad, to ensure youth engagement is present throughout the projects.


Nottingham-based coaching company, Light Beam, led the young people on a team building treasure hunt for the first day of the residential last Friday (August 19).

On the second day, the young people were given a guided tour of Snibston Discovery Park and had the chance to explore the fashion gallery.
The young people developed the skills to enable them to curate and engage  visitors around museum exhibits.

 



somewhereto_

Are you 16-25?

Do you need a space or place to do the things you love?

Or are you a space-holder who has access to or influence over how a space is used?

The Mighty Creatives (TMC) is now delivering somewhereto_ in the East Midlands. To read the full press release and to find out more click here.

My World is Your World...

 

The Mighty Creatives My World Project


Creative sparks were flying when sixteen young people from Nottingham and Derbyshire met to take part in the My World Mighty Team project. For two weeks young people have been writing, directing, filming and editing their own films on the things that are most important to them.


The finished films covered subjects ranging from bullying and joblessness to gruesome horror and comedy. The experience was incredibly positive for the young people who took part and the finished films will be part of the My World website which is a platform for young people’s films to help change their world for the better.


“Making videos has given me confidence to talk about being bullied and through making films I can share what happened to me and help other young people who are being bullied.” Young person
 “R has really come out of his shell and has gained more confidence in two weeks of this project than a whole year of school.” parent


My World Mighty Team films coming soon!

TMC on the radio

Listen to The Mighty Creatives (TMC) chief executive, Richard Clark, and young board of trustee member, Hasmita Chavda, talking to Jim Davis on BBC Radio Leicester last week (Thursday August 18):



The 11-minute interview includes an introduction of TMC by Richard who explains how our mission is to develop creativity in children and young people to help them create positive change in their lives and the wider community.

What is Creativity?
BBC presenter, Jim Davis, questions Richard to explain what creativity means for TMC.

TMC’s first young board of trustee member

Next up is 20-year-old Hasmita talking about her involvement with TMC and her new post as a board member.

Young people who work with TMC

Jim talks to Richard about what young people have achieved with TMC so far.

The riots

In the aftermath of the UK riots, Jim talks about the stigma attached to young people and asks the pair for their views.

Young interviewers
TMC is proud to say young people are always on the panel when recruiting new members of staff and Jim talks about how this must empower young people.

NCVYS Summer workforce challenge survey

NCVYS is seeking your views to help them shape a number of key products and services they are developing to support workforce development.

Your input is vital to helping ensure what they develop meets your needs.
From 2011-2013 NCVYS’s workforce development activity is funded through the Catalyst consortium, a NCVYS-co-ordinated partnership funded by the Department for Education.

The Summer Workforce Challenge e-survey will be open until the end of September 2011.


PHOTOS: Pupils' rural trail opened

The route of an historic trail from Fermyn Woods to Lyveden New Bield has been mapped with drawings, poetry and signs created by pupils from Meadowside Primary School in Burton Latimer as part of their Creative Partnerships project.

Last weekend saw the trail officially open.
Click here for more info or scroll down to see some photos from the launch.



Children & young people wonder and a-MAZE in Nottingham

Students at Nottingham University Samworth Academy created a giant maze-like structure that fashioned itself on a curious hybrid of fairground ride, carnival sideshow and art installation earlier this summer.

The Billborough based school worked with The Mighty Creatives on their Creative Partnerships project to make this quirky new temporary ‘learning environment’ which was designed to harness the curiosity and wonder of its pupils to boost their literacy levels.


The giant structure is 16ft wide and 32ft long and is constructed with more than 40 wooden panels each adorned with a fabulous array of the weird and wonderful covering the broad spectrum of the curriculum. However, instead of being divided up by strict subject areas, each panel features a display on a broad topic area such as communication, which looks at the use of heraldry through history, secret codes, the shorthand alphabet, hieroglyphics and early languages such as Hebrew.

Here are some photos from this inspiring project:

Inside, the maze was divided into a number of intriguing areas including the Realm of Science, the multi-mirrored Infinity Room and the Transformation Suite in which pupils needed to use a UV light lamp to reveal hidden words painted on to the walls.

A Wishing Tree offered pupils time for reflection by putting pen to paper to write down their wish and tie it to a giant tree, while a life size rendering of a lion offered budding artists the ultimate model and the chance to learn about form and perspective.

In the spirit of all good attractions, there was even a gift shop at the exit — pupils could build up credits for the shop by posting questions, contributions and suggestions into a box on the outside of the maze which were exchanged for items from the shop, such as small puzzles and literacy-based activity sheets.

Creative young people in Leicester show off their talents

Young people making a positive change on their lives and the lives of others. Watch this inspiring and creative film by young people from an inner city Leicester school.

Let us know what you think to this film.

WATCH: The Magic Butterflies



Pupils with Profound multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) held an interactive musical show early summer at Birkett House, Wigston, Leicestershire.

The pupils worked alongside practitioners from Enabling Electronicals, Bamboozle Theatre and House of Scattergood on a Sci-art Fusion project.


Sci-art Fusions, is a part of the Ignition* programme, which inspires, surprises and delights young people and wider audiences with the connections between arts, culture, STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) subjects and society.


The Beautiful Butterfly and The Magic Flower is an interactive musical story for children with profound and multiple learning disabilities that is created by the children via novel sensory communication technology.


The butterflies have been specifically designed to interact to movements similar to a Wii games remote.


Using this communication technology the children will be encouraged to participate and change the direction of the story, respond to events within the story and make the musical story ‘theirs’ and so create their own art in a unique and empowering experience.


Dr Sai Pathmanathan, programme director for Ignition*, said, “The Beautiful Butterfly and the Magic Flower’ is a fantastic project which merges creative communication and storytelling with cutting-edge technology.

The technology which develops from the project will have a real impact on the lives of young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities enabling them to communicate in new ways.”


Ignition* is a partner programme of The Mighty Creatives, the young people’s creative development agency for the East Midlands.

Click here to see the full length film.

TMC launch text donation

The Mighty Creatives has launched a just text giving service to allow you to support creativity in children and young people.Together, creativity and culture give children and young people the tools they need to make change happen.

Simply text TMCS11 and insert from £2/£5/£10 or other to 70070 to donate.

Why fund us?

TMC believe all children and young people should experience and access the diverse range of cultural activity because these opportunities can enhance aspirations, achievements and skills.

Click here for more information.

Building a new bridge

The following is a statement from Richard Clark, chief executive of TMC.

Earlier this year, The Mighty Creatives was invited to join Arts Council England’s National Portfolio. Starting in April 2012, we will be working as a Bridge Organisation, providing support for their Goal 5: “Every child and young person has the opportunity to experience the richness of the arts”. Our aim will be to help build more coherent and consistent opportunities for children and young people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to access the arts in every corner of the East Midlands.


We will be working with our partners Arts Learning East Midlands to devise and deliver this important role. Initial activity will start in 2011 with briefing events to talk about what the Bridge will do and to learn about the opportunities and challenges facing the region’s arts sector. This will be followed by an audit of existing arts activity for children and young people in January/February 2012, and the start of the Bridge itself on 1st April.


Arts Council England has produced a briefing paper about the Bridge Organisations nationally. You can download it here. 

Running alongside these activities, The Mighty Creatives has a number of other important jobs to do:


1. Creative Partnerships has been a world-leading programme and we need to find out more about its impact and create a lasting legacy for its achievements. We’ll be working with our many partners in the Autumn to ask the all-important question: where will support for the next creative generation come from?
2. As a result of Creative Partnerships closing, The Mighty Creatives won’t be as big as we have been, and much loved team members will be leaving the organisation before the end of the financial year. We are currently managing a careful transition process that will determine the future shape of the organisation. We will have completed this process by 31 March 2012.


3. We are launching a rich portfolio of new creative activities for children and young people in keeping with our business plan, Planet TMC. Activities include The Bank of TMC, In-work and In-volve, MyWorld and our new Learning Service. You can read about developments elsewhere on this blog and our company website. We would love to hear from any partners interested in working with us, regionally, nationally and internationally. Connect here.


I’ll post more updates here about the development of The Mighty Creatives over the next few months. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.


Richard Clark, chief executive, The Mighty Creatives.



Preeya's first week at TMC

Last week we introduced 18-year-old Preeya Parmar who joined team TMC for a three-week work placement.
Preeya, who is currently studying for her A Levels in Accounting, Business Studies and Psychology at Beauchamp College, has been working with the TMC finance team.

Here's what she's been up to:

(From left to right) Celyne, Preeya, Katrina and Lila talking numbers

"I have recently started work experience at TMC and so far I have enjoyed it. Coming here, I have been given the opportunity to get an insight into a real life work environment and the accountancy processes within the organisation. Whilst being here, I have been working closely with the Finance team. On my first day, I was given an induction on the work building, the structure of the organisation and staff members within the team. Celyne, a member of the finance team, gave me a useful introduction on the main accounting computer system SAGE. I was then taught how to process supplier invoices into SAGE. Throughout the day, I was given some time to put what I had learnt into practice independently. This allowed me to gain a better understanding of how accounting processes work. Manisha, the Communications Manager, showed me what her job entails being in the Communications team. At the end of the day, Bev gave me a more detailed understanding of TMC itself which I found informative.

                               (From left to right) Preeya and Lila at the TMC office



For the next couple of days, I was taught how to print and record supplier invoices and schools into the SAGE system. This allowed me to relate my accountancy knowledge which I learnt in college to real life processes. I was also given information on how school grants worked within the system. Along with this, I was also given the chance to do some filing of invoices and bank statements. Meetings were also carried out with Lila to check on my progress and experience at TMC.


Staff members at TMC have been really friendly and helped me when needed.


So far, my experience at TMC has been very useful as it has allowed me to gain a wider understanding of the accountancy field in an organisation which can help me further in the future."

The TMC finance team (From left to right) Celyne, Preeya, Katrina and Lila