Pick of the Month – March 2023

With February passing as swift as ever, we're back with March's Pick of the Month. This month features a Trustee from one of the country's leading Cancer charities, an entrepreuner finding innovative ways to engage with disdavantaged communities, a charity leader building vital skills for employability for individuals across Leeds and, finally, a Senior Fellow with diverse experience across the arts now working to support cultural output in Margate, Kent. They each have something distinct to say, but they share the same innovative and enthusiastic spirit. Do read on!

 

Trustee of the Month – Anabel Fielding, Target Ovarian Cancer 

Target Ovarian Cancer is the UK’s leading ovarian cancer charity, and the only ovarian cancer charity working across all four nations of the UK. It works with those affected by ovarian cancer and health professionals to transform the future for everyone in the UK who is living with ovarian cancer and thousands more who are yet to be diagnosed. It champions and raises awareness about early diagnosis, funds research and provides a variety of other forms of support. 

 

Anabel told us about how she got involved with Target Ovarian Cancer: 

“I was previously on the Development Committee of Target Ovarian Cancer and was extremely impressed by how well run the charity was. There was an obvious sense of passion and commitment and an impressive level of organisation, consideration and support throughout the Trust, so I was delighted to be asked to step up and join the Board.”

 

On what she brings to the Board, Anabel said:

“I like to bring creative thinking and fresh, fun energy to campaigns, culture and fundraising initiatives. I am big on brand and particularly interested in helping the Trust widen their talent pool and further their diversity initiatives.”

 

Finally,  Anabel shared what she’s learnt over the last few years: 

“It has been a challenging couple of years for the sector. Staff retention, increased governance and reduced fundraising have added pressure on to Trustees already tasked with safeguarding the business. Quality strategic planning with digital at its core will be essential in helping to future proof your organisation as well as doing short term, long term and crisis planning for the bumpy road ahead. It is important to be realistic above all about what you can achieve - you are only human! - and to celebrate the small wins that help to keep moral up and teams engaged.” 

 

Find out more about what’s going on at Target Ovarian Cancer on Twitter at @TargetOvarian.

 

Social Entrepreneur of the Month – Adil Mohammed Javed, Alchemy Arts

Based in Manchester, Alchemy Arts is a media and arts social enterprise that uses innovation and imagination as instruments for social change. With a unique philosophy of ‘Support without Stigma’, the organisation works with a variety of underrepresented groups with a focus on the individual. Adil Mohammed Javed founded the organisation in 2012, and the organisation draws on Adil’s own personal experience to help people build confidence, foster friendships, learn new skills and feel included.

 

Adil spoke to us about what motivated him to establish Alchemy Arts:  

“I was working as an artist for many organisations, but I had a different vision and ideas flowing through my mind and I wanted to lead on them. As a young person I knew I had a different style of learning and I wanted to create an alternative, more creative learning style, so I developed what is now the Alchemy principles and the ‘Support Without the Stigma’ delivery style. I also wanted to empower, educate and inspire my community to make positive transformational changes in their lives too.”

 

He also told us about one of its current projects:  

“We are currently in the middle of delivering our new initiative ‘Muslim Artists Academy’. This is an incubator space for Muslim Artists that need a space to follow their dreams without compromising their faith and ethics.” 

 

Finally, we asked Adil what advice he would give to aspiring social entrepreneurs:

“Setting up an organisation can be lonely, and you have to really be confident in your decision making. It’s really important that you stay true to the reasons you set up the enterprise. It’s also really important to be conscious of the people you spend most of your time with as it will influence your mindset and goals. When you’re lonely and finding it difficult to overcome certain challenges, you’ll find you look for allies that may not always be the best people for what you need. Surround yourself with experts with specialist advice and skills that are needed to complete a task – otherwise, it's the blind leading the blind.”

 

Stay up to date with Adil and the work of Alchemy Arts on Twitter at @Alchemy_Arts.

 

Fellow of the Month – Jan Ryan, Cliftonville Cultural Space 

Jan Ryan is a Creative Producer and Festival Director with more than 40 years’ experience of presenting work that is diverse, inclusive and socially engaged. Since setting up UK Arts International in 1992, she has worked with venues of all scales – from village halls to the West End, collaborating with organisations such as the Barbican in London, the Edinburgh International Festival, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC and the Market Theatre of Johannesburg. In November 2020, she co-founded Cliftonville Cultural Space, set up to repurpose the former Margate synagogue as an arts and cultural centre for the local community. 

 

Jan explained to what her role at Cliftonville Cultural Space entails: 

“My work at the moment is about taking the organisation through to opening. This involves developing the capital and revenue fundraising strategy for the next five years; building Cliftonville Cultural Spacs’s governance structure and working with the Trustees to develop and implement the organisation’s business plan; managing, supporting and growing the team; ensuring development and delivery of a series of community engagement projects; and working with the design team to deliver RIBA stages 2 and 3.”

 

Jan noted the cultural opportunities in Margate: 

“Our biggest opportunity is the resurgence of Margate as a holiday destination and the fact that regeneration in Thanet has been arts-led. The town has received Levelling Up money and the plan is for this to attract other funding, which we could, in theory, benefit from. Driven by the success of Turner Contemporary, and the relatively low cost of accommodation (although that is changing) a large number of creatives have moved to the area. This means we are operating in a very optimistic local climate, with an engaged artistic community.”

 

On the Senior Fellowship Programme, Jan remarked on the development opportunities available: 

“I’m looking forward to setting some time aside to focus on an important and specific area of my work; to sharing ideas with and learning from the other fellows; having new ideas; learning and understanding best practice; applying what I learn to writing funding applications; and being able to creatively diversify the organisation’s funding streams.”

 

Regarding the future, Jan hopes for a more equitable cultural sector: 

“I would like to see greater socio-economic diversity throughout the sector. The last two and a half years have forced the re-evaluation of how organisations operate and stay relevant. Who accesses cultural resources has become increasingly important. However, there are still groups (particularly those from less privileged backgrounds) who are under-represented in all areas of the arts. I would like to see this situation redressed so that all those aspiring to work in the sector are offered the necessary support to enable them to do so, creating diversity at all levels – including on the Board.”

 

Learn more about Jan’s work at Cliftonville Cultural Space on Twitter at @SaveOurShulMar1.

 

Charity Leader of the Month – Rudolphe Solentini, Learning Partnerships 

Rudolphe Solentini is the Leader of Learning Partnerships, a Leeds-based charity that has over 30 years’ experience in ‘making the unemployable employable’. The charity enables disadvantaged individuals, who are often isolated with low levels of English and poor mental or physical health, to progress into learning and employment. As an organisation, its mission is to increase access to education, employment, training and volunteering to reduce deprivation, enable success and improve wellbeing.

 

“I believe a job is only worth doing if you can feel the impact you are having on others. Over the years I have held different roles in Higher Education and the Health sector. I have worked in both UK and European universities – at Leeds University as a Training Manager for Wellbeing Safety and Health and at the University of Nantes (France) as a Director of Lifelong Learning. I also worked in Health & Safety and Business Development consultancy.”

 

Rudolphe explained his motivations to work with Learning Partnerships:

“On one particular project, I supported refugee populations with their social and professional integration into European territory. I oversaw the development of their bespoke learning programmes and worked with HE, the third sector and political partners to help refugees succeed. With this project, I witnessed the transformational impact that learning can have on people’s aspirations, wellbeing and quality of life. It inspired me to want to be part of a team that helps improve people's lives through learning and the provision of the right support at the right time.”

 

He reflected on his experience as a Charity Leader under the current climate: 

“Some may say that it was the worst time to join the third sector. Indeed, there is a lot of turmoil in the charity world now. Rising costs, falling income, uncertainty and increasing demand. Nonetheless, I believe that despite today’s political and economic crisis, there are countless opportunities for growth in the third sector by bringing the right people together around incredible ideas and good business models. Whilst there are many things we cannot control; I believe there are some that we can and must. The assurances we can offer as leaders, the support we give or make available, the way we communicate and the synergies we develop can make a considerable difference to the way people feel and perform.”

 

Discussing the future of Learning Partnerships: 

“The charity’s main challenges are how it can reinvent itself over the next 6 months to be more visible, diversify our revenue streams and engage with our audiences. In the future, we believe there may be an opportunity to develop a community hub which would offer a home to the charity’s activities and provide Harehills with a unique platform to connect, seek, support, and engage local communities in learning and innovation. The newly developed building would become a source of pride and inspiration for the Harehills community which, as one of the most deprived areas in the UK, often suffers from a bad reputation.”

 

Keep up with Rudolphe’s work at Learning Partnerships on Twitter at @LP_Leeds.