Innovation at TMC is a springboard...

...for young people to support economic recovery in their world....a space to play and venture to develop skills ... a rehearsal for the real world...a place to work on ideas to take action....

We want to work with young people so they are in a position to say...

“...now I can get a job and start in my business...if I need further nourishment, I can go back and discover my skills with The Mighty Creatives.”

To help us get it right, we would love to hear from you in a few words, a story or an image that tells us.......

Where do you want to be in 2020?
How could TMC help you get there?
Who does TMC need to work with?
What skills do young people need to get where they want to be?

What do we do with wonderland?

During the conversation with Becky and Sarah about innovation, enterprise and skills on 15th July, we hit on two themes we wanted to explore further; how can we use stories to capture the journey of ideas and how we craft ideas into shape (pan for gold)?

Thinking about these two themes, we talked about the importance of space. It can be hard to find or be given the space to dive into an idea once we decide we have struck gold. The journey of an idea can be difficult and we need to be able to try things out, get things wrong and see things in a new way.

Aha, we thought, just like Alice in Wonderland! Alice is determined to follow the curious white rabbit, not knowing or even thinking about where it would lead. She enters Wonderland and her little world of experience is turned upside down.

Nothing is as it appears to be, or as she thinks it should be. Everything is new and unexpected. Butterflies are bread and butter flies, caterpillars talk, and we celebrate unbirthdays rather than birthdays. It can be daunting and chaotic and there is often no rhyme or reason for why we follow an idea so faithfully. But the wonderland of ideas is also a place where anything is possible and we are given presents of things we already have, but didn’t know we have.

In Alice’s case, the adventure ends in her waking up from a strange dream “wake up Alice!” but you and I know that once we have had such experience, the way we see things and the things we want to do because of what we have seen, will never be the same again.

"it's black and white"...

A conversation with Pat Moores

With a background in business and the experience of working with schools developing and leading business and enterprise at the heart of education, Pat contacted The Mighty Creatives and myself to share her thoughts on the new business proposal for the unit.

We met in Northamptonshire on Friday 16 July to grab a precious hour and a coffee to share and exchange thoughts on the potential of business and enterprise work with young people in the East Midlands.

We discussed:

What is needed from adults to ensure an offer like this can thrive?
• Investment
• Commitment
• Leadership
• Collaboration
• Time
• Clarity of vision
• Community engagement

“In order for business and enterprise to work in schools particularly it must be woven throughout the fabric of the organisation. It is that simple – it’s black and white” (Pat Moores)

Where should the focus of enterprise be?
• Material wellbeing
• Job creation

“it’s about getting to what really makes a difference to young people – to the community, a real physical difference.”

Pat shared three things for consideration in building the plan:
• Business partners (real world connections)
• Learning (the skills)
• Accreditation (qualifications)

Positioning The Mighty Creatives at the heart of this work, as a bridge between business, education and qualifications.

Young people have the ideas...the key is who is listening? who is supporting? what’s changing? who is taking action on this?

What we need to understand to develop this approach?

• Who are the employers?
• What do business get?
• What do they offer young people?
• Are we supporting “young people into the framework of working?...”

What do employers say that they don’t get? Young people leaving school with life skills, communication, literacy...

We need to nurture an offer and support young people and their communities to “just do it!”

My sincere thanks to Pat for her time and inspiration during this conversation! We are now planning to take this conversation forward with a research bursary for Pat to scope the potential of this work for The Mighty Creatives...