PCG Seminar

NDotM was at the seminar on freelancing organised by the PCG (Professional Contractors Group). Fascinating research from Australia on the happiness ratings of people who work for themselves – far higher than people who are employees. Also interesting input from European colleagues on different models encouraging freelancing while providing social and welfare support. Consensus was that self employed and freelance entrepreneurs are vital to economic recovery but the need for business and financial advice, mentoring on social and networking skills badly needed.

Much discussion about how to actively encourage a “feel the fear and freelance anyway” attitude and the vast differences between people who go freelance after a career as an employee and young people who know from the start they want to work for themselves… particularly artists and creative types which  reinforced NDotM’s Creative Survival report earlier this year. FSB to announce their campaign for recognition of self employment soon.

A valuable exchange of experience, opinions and  research.

Jo Phillips | Wednesday, 14th July, 2010 at 9:02 am | Blog, Uncategorized | No comment


New NDotM Video

We have a new video! It includes interviews with some of the people New Deal of the Mind have placed into jobs with London Metropolitan Archives. Please do take a look.

Our thanks to Jenna Jovi who not only did a great job filming, producing and editing the piece, but also turned it around very quickly.

Karen Freyer | Friday, 9th July, 2010 at 11:26 am | Blog, News | No comment


NDotM Summer Newsletter

Winners & Losers

As I write, the World Cup is in its final stages, with the England team who slunk back home to see the remaining flags of St George flutter forlornly — tattered remnants of dashed hopes and broken dreams. Everyone seems to agree on the need to invest in home grown talent if England is to have any chance of ever being in serious contention for the World Cup and investment is not purely financial; it’s about practical support and encouragement. The suits that run the FA, and indeed the England squad, would do well to sit in on one of the training courses we’re running with an inspirational outfit which, rather ironically, is called GOALS whose remit is to encourage personal and social responsibility, self motivation and enthusiasm. GOALS are currently working with the scores of young people who’ve just started their job placements with the Notting Hill Mas Band Association. This was is what our chairman, Richard Greer, blogged after watching a training session.

“There were about 20 young people there, all of whom had come through the Jobcentres. I guess most of them came from disadvantaged  backgrounds; young people for whom the possibility of getting any employment was bleak, even before they could begin finding something that might give them a chance of doing what they wanted to do. The experience of listening to them talk about their  aspirations,  and  the  hurdles they faced, but which they were determined to overcome, just made it clear how important is the task of NDotM. It was pretty inspiring.”

Just over 180 jobs with various arts and cultural institutions across London have been filled and we expect the rest to be in place within the next few weeks. Sixteen people started work with Stratford Circus and NewVIc in East London a few weeks back and 10 have been taken on by the London Metropolitan Archive while others are working in theatre, dance, production and design jobs across the capital.

Tomorrow…the World

Well, maybe not quite. But we were delighted to have had 500 national jobs approved and funded by the Government which means the good work of NDotM is moving across the country.

These latest jobs will be with PANDA in Manchester and the North West, Brighton & Hove and the East of England. We hope some of them will boost our Digital Domesday project which will help to digitise the vast untapped archives of this country. We’re talking to, and working with, a range of people, including the writer Barney Hoskyns who runs Rock’s Backpages archive about projects that could be absolutely massive in terms of local history, creative opportunities and jobs.

Coalitions — All the Rage

We’ve  got  our  own  new  coalition  going with Ixion Holdings, an independent,  not-for-profit  organisation, owned by Anglia Ruskin University that  provides  training  and  other  support  services to organisations like A4e, Barnados, Shaw Trust and others that help people into or back into work. We’re jolly pleased to be working with them and think there are loads of exciting things we can collaborate on.

Talking of coalitions, we hosted a terrific Open Salon on election night (which seems like years ago) at London’s Southbank Centre. A late bar, giant TV screens and sofas full of interesting people, our event was free and open to anyone  –  an oasis of democracy in the midst of all those ticket and invitation  only  events  on May 6th. Laurie Taylor, Jude Kelly, David Buckland, Catherine Meyer, Philip Blond, David Seymour and people from the audience took their turns on the sofa with Martin Bright and frankly, we think our event was so much more fun than being stuck on a boat with Joan Collins and Andrew Neil. Our thanks as ever to Jude Kelly, Martin Colthorpe, Phil  Nichol  and the technical crew at Southbank who made it not just possible, but also easy to do.

Crossing the Bridge

We’ve  bade  farewell  to  the Hut and moved across Waterloo Bridge to Somerset House which is quite possibly one of the nicest places to work in London. An amazing building absolutely steeped in history which is home to  an  eclectic  set  of creative entrepreneurs and social enterprise organisations.  Our  co-tenants range from Editorial Intelligence,
Music  for  Youth, LCACE, Sorrell Foundation and Clore Leadership Programme to the scarily beautiful (and extremely tall) people from the British Fashion Council. We’re already working on collaborative projects and, although we miss Southbank, we are immensely fortunate to still work alongside talented and creative people who are totally committed to supporting, encouraging and producing art and culture that one might argue is even more valuable to the UK as an extremely mediocre national football team. Sorry boys.

Enjoy  a  summer  of  music,  art, performance, literature, festivals, architecture, museums and galleries — at least until the proper football season gets going again!

As always, thanks for your support. And in case you missed it, you can read Martin’s article in the Observer on New Deal of the Mind here.

Best wishes,
Jo

Jo Phillips | Thursday, 8th July, 2010 at 4:44 pm | Blog, Newsletter | No comment


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