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A group of young people stand with an older man in a suit in front of a bright blue wall with drawings across it

Campaign Project Event

Featured Project

Realise!

In January the highly anticipated list of finalists for the South East’s Reaching for Gold competition was announced. And in a classroom at Manor Green School in Maidenhead, 10 students were able to cheer that they were one of them. The group named Star Helpers are taking part in Creative Junction and Accentuate’s Realise! project which aims to nurture the entrepreneurial and enterprising skills of young disabled people through a series of development opportunities, including: mentoring, workshops, competitions and work placements. 

The Star Helpers are one of five Realise! groups around Berkshire. They meet every Wednesday to develop their ideas which put making people happy at the forefront of their business plan. They are eager to provide a service to local residential homes where they feel they will be able to brighten someone’s day.  The young people are aware that sometimes older people struggle with living on their own so they have thought of different ways they can lend a hand both physically and emotionally. Their ideas range from, sitting and chatting with the people, making tea, playing games, arranging day trips, assisting in gardening and helping with any basic woodwork. They hope their service will benefit 50-100 people. Their expected profits: to make elderly people happy.

The group has been paired with corporate mentors, Kathleen Healy from Groundwork Thames Valley, and Subha Bhattacharya and Sean Sorohan from PwC, who will help them develop their project and business plan. The Star Helpers are preparing a pitch for a panel of judges at Vicar's Hall, Windsor Castle on the 15th March.

Campaign!

The Campaign! Project is currently working with 4 different groups of young people; St Catherine’s School in Ventnor on the Isle of White, The Orpheus Centre in Godstone, Freewheelers in Leatherhead and The halow project in Guildford. These groups are working with artists to find exciting ways to communicate their campaigning ideas that audiences will want to watch and engage with. The halow project are focusing their campaign on barriers facing young people with learning disabilities and difficulties to finding employment. They are presenting the ideas in their campaign using stop start animation and have already created a terrifying looking job centre, out of plasticine, and got to grips with using a blue screen. 

During half term workshop at Haslemere Youth Centre the young people taking part in The Campaign! Project hosted a performance from learning disabled theatre company Evergreen Theatre Company and a visit from Mr David Hodge, leader of Surrey County Council, and Mr David McNulty, Chief Executive of the Council.

Mr Hodge paid tribute to halow “I think the work halow is doing is wonderful – these young people have much to offer and it is up to us to respect that and offer them the chance to express themselves as individuals.”
Mr Hodge was interviewed by the young people and filmed and this will be part of the ‘making of’ section of their Campaign! film.

Please find out more about the impact these projects are by clicking on the Case Study page of our website:
http://www.accentuate-se.org/resources-case-studies


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