Credit Youth

 

Taking a positive approach to credit youth in the cost of living crisis

What is Credit Youth?

The Credit Youth fund will offer access to up to a maximum of £45.60 per month per person (the cost of the UK average mobile phone contract) on the understanding that any funds offered will help individuals cope with external pressures so they can continue to achieve positive purpose in their life, as defined by young people themselves.  While only the Government has the resource to deal with rising fuel and food costs, we can do something to support young people to cover other necessities – thus the focus in Credit Youth on basic assistance to cover the cost of a monthly mobile phone bill or equivalent, recognising the importance for young people to stay positively connected and focused at this time. The investment is based on trust and belief in young people's value to bring good to life. 

How will Credit Youth work?

The fund will be paid to young people in advance over periods of 4 months, subject to ongoing need monitored through a conversation with the individual before each payment. Young people are invited to ask for whatever they need to cover their chosen bill, up to a monthly cap of £45.60.  The only requirements to access the fund are:

• Evidence to prove someone’s monthly contract fee (either from a contract or bank statement)
• Confirmation of what an individual hopes to continue focusing on to achieve purpose in their life – eg, any particular project, enterprise or activity they are involved in or aim to be involved in, for which assistance with financial pressures will offer support;
• Agreement from the individual to engage in a 4 monthly review to reflect on the impact gained from the assistance.  

 InspireChilli is committed to support Credit Youth for a trial period of 12 months, benefiting a small cohort of young people overcoming social disadvantages who  have some existing relationship with InspireChilli’s work (either through InspireChilli's Team Young People initiative or a partner project where young people are seeking to overcome experiences of disadvantage through their enterprise and talents). 

How will a donation support impact?

Money donated to Credit Youth will be directly matched by InspireChilli to double its  impact and reach.  The initial funding target  seeks to provide meaningful credit to support a cohort of at least 5 young people, rising up to 10 or more should the stretch target be met.  Impact on these young people will include supporting their mental wellbeing, sustaining positive belief, and assisting them to make progress with personal goals. While the beneficiary number is low, learning from Credit Youth will be used to influence others of the virtue in making future grants like this, promoted as positive forms of investment to release potential rather than being negatively presented as ‘hand outs’. In the longer term, Credit Youth can help many other young people benefit from positive investments in their potential.

How can you help to credit youth?

Please visit the Credit Youth crowdfunding page before the end of October to leave your support - see https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/credityouth

Time to Pay

 

It’s time to end the cruel practice of charities and funders expecting people to contribute value to projects, programmes, reports and consultations, without any recompense for their time and insights.

It’s an act perpetuated by far too many of our great and good, who treat both those deemed to be 'their beneficiaries', as well as those like myself operating as 'expert consultants', with complete disregard to our true status. We can not just be expected to exist to serve within the not for profit sector unless those with the power of funded resource are willing to treat the time, views and stories of others they value with the respect that payment affords.     

And no, a shopping voucher, coffee paid on your company credit card, or entry to a prize draw, will not always do. Sometimes these are welcome and sensible, but only when they meet the litmus test of whether we would be happy to receive the same for what someone is being asked to give. Imagine what it would feel like to find your monthly salary replaced with an amazon voucher or the slim chance to win a car you can't even afford the driving lessons for?

While no one forces those like myself to contribute - and I for one am always grateful to be given the chance to influence any decision making - the ability to volunteer often depends not just on the good will of individuals but their financial stability to be able to offer free time.  That is a luxury and privilege that not everyone can support. 

The generous #leadership that I, and the young people I work with, respect most of all is that which looks to invest in the capacity of others, proactively nurturing rather than just taking. The day I find an email offering me funding to invest in young people's talents will be the magical moment when I know the world has finally turned #AdvantagedThinking.

If this is a sector that really cares about #equity and power sharing, it must look to its own practices to be more generously empathetic in interactions with those external to itself.  It’s easy to spot the difference between those who exploit and those who empower. Which one are you?

Do it Justice - thoughts from Next Gen Fest.

 

Thoughts from the Next Gen Fest in London, May 26^th, 2022

 

‘Just Do It’ is one of those popular phrases whose full significance is not always understood.  It might be the slick marketing message of a Nike, or the rallying cry of Social Entrepreneurs on stages such as this month’s excellent Next Gen Fest; but it also marks the boundary of possibilities for those struggling to overcome far deeper challenges in their work and lives. 

 

After all, lest we forget, Nike’s marketing slogan was first inspired by the last words of a troubled 37 year-old facing a firing squad at Utah state prison in 1977. 

 

Next Gen Fest was a day of inspiration arranged by Launch It and Enterprise Nation through funding from the Government’s UK Community Renewal Fund. Highlights included insights from the wonderful Dhillan Bhardwaj, CEO and Founder of Ratchet Clothing; and a final round of pitches from young entrepreneurs benefiting from Launch It’s business development support and Enterprise Nation’s online resources. Disclaimer, I’m the evaluator for the programme being delivered by Launch It and Enterprise Nation so I do have a vested interest in its positive impact. 

 

Over the day, I noted repeated phrases from the stage that talked about the enterprise ‘journey’, the importance to be ‘authentic’; to ‘feel the fear’ and face up to anxiety; to achieve ‘balance’; focus on one’s ‘purpose’ and ‘why’. And most of all, the urge to just do it – to get started, learn from experience, burst the bubble of perfectionist doubt and get out there.  All of which I whole heartedly believe in. 

 

I couldn’t stop thinking, though, about those young people for whom ‘just doing it’ is as terrifyingly difficult as facing a firing squad. I’m talking about the context of those dealing with systemic injustices reflected in their negative experiences of mental health, the pressures of caring for other family members, and the grim reality of trying to get by in survival mode with diminished opportunities to express their true talents. For those people, the idea of ‘just doing it’ can feel like a pitch from another planet, against which they are more likely to feel unfairly inadequate and personally flawed. ‘The game is rigged against us,’ as one such young person confided in me; ‘And when you are clever enough to see that, you know you are truly fucked, because then there ain’t no slogan you can believe in beyond revolt’.  

 

But there are some programmes and organisations trying to change the game – including Launch It, who are also one of the delivery partners for the aptly named Opportunity Fund, a pilot initiative I helped develop with Blagrave Trust and Paul Hamlyn Foundation. This initiative offers young people a guaranteed income payment equivalent to two days a week at living wage over 18 months, along with expert guidance and supports (sourced through Launch It and another charity partner) providing the space for individuals to progress personal and social impact through a business venture or campaign.  Even this approach is no simple panacea to re-own the phrase ‘Just Do It’.  For starters, the pilot programme is a rare example of alternative funding – it is not the norm available for most young people.  Furthermore, it still exists within an ecosystem of support where the organisations on which it depends, such as Launch It, have to fight for their own survival through the short-term funding reality which the charity sector ultimately depends on. 

 

For example, I might be the person lucky enough to be in a position to capture the learning of the Opportunity Fund and Next Gen for others, but I only know that Inspirechilli can continue to ‘Just Do It’ for another 12 months after which, like too many organisations, I have no idea where the endless dance of contracts and lucky breaks will lead InspireChilli to.  Compared to some young people, even knowing that is a privilege. 

 

How on earth can a system made up of valued organisations and individuals fighting for their own survival be expected to provide the security of support and innovation so urgently required by those struggling with the ‘game’? How many consultation conversations can we be expected to contribute to without anything back to invest in our value? Why longer-term planning matters is brought home to me every time someone I’ve worked with back in my early years at Inspirechilli contacts me to ask for help or simply to say hello to someone they trust. Once you are older than 25, like they are, too many charities and funders offering support close the door on saying hello. 

 

Faced with a firing squad of funders and commissioners, my last words at Inspirechilli would be: ‘Do it Justice’.  

 

This idea formed the main focus of a key note speech I made a few years ago at the Living the Dream conference in Australia, (https://youtu.be/dAT11ueLOQM). I’d urge you to watch it, but at 20 minutes it falls far outside the timespan our lives and work afford us for new ideas.  If you do open the link, my voice might sound frail on the recording coming as it did in the week following my mother’s death in 2016, but you’ll find the content is richly relevant. 

 

If we want young people to live the dream of ‘just doing it’, we need to be doing so much more, so much better.  As I say in the speech:

‘The more our sector continues to ‘just do it’ by putting young people into policies and programmes where they can only survive and cope, the more we put those young people and ourselves in front of a firing squad with no real sustainable future to what we do. In other words, we can only truly do it justice for young people and the charity sector when we can do more than just help young people to cope with systems that aren’t working’

 

Which brings me back to the Next Generation programme: an investment in young people’s capability to establish a business venture or secure an employment opportunity offers one important jigsaw piece, however small, to fit together the puzzle of our modern transition into adulthood.  It may not be the driver to systemic change, but it still serves as important inspiration to get on with other forms of revolt to remove the blocks in the game. For that, I’m grateful to Launch It, Enterprise Nation, the UKCRF, and all the voices who contributed to Next Gen Fest.

 

For further information:

Next Generation: https://www.enterprisenation.com/next-generation/

The Opportunity Fund; https://www.blagravetrust.org/our-work/

Launch It: https://www.launchit.org.uk

 

 

Adventures in Advantaged Thinking

 

2022 launches the Foyer Federation’s 30^th birthday celebration with the publication of ‘Adventures in Advantaged Thinking’  - a work in which we have brought together the asset-based best practice, insights and voices from the first decade of Advantaged Thinking into a beautiful resource, shared for free thanks to support from Your Housing Group and the spirit of generous giving that continues to characterise Foyer Federation’s Home for Advantaged Thinking.

 

I have been really grateful for the opportunity to work with Foyer Federation and Your Housing group on this collaboration, and appreciated the creative freedom I was given in my writing. Advantaged Thinking might be the approach I founded, but no one ever works alone.

 

'Adventures in Advantaged Thinking' was the original title for a blog I first established in 2011 – ‘to find the places, people, opportunities, deals and campaigns that harness the talents of all young people. Wherever in the world, the aim as an 'advantaged thinker' is to breakthrough the deficits and disadvantages limiting human potential. And to do so with courage, wit and style’.  That old blog had its moments of notoriety, from my critique of a Prince’s Trust funding poster in Hackney, to the crazed Advantaged Thinking performance of ‘A Night of Bananas’ at a London theatre in 2014. But the new publication goes far further to achieve a long-held dream for the DNA of Advantaged Thinking to be accessible as a road for everyone to travel on.

 

In the writing process, I reflected on how important it was that Advantaged Thinking had so many brilliant supporters over the years – from funders such as Virgin Unite and Paul Hamlyn Foundation, through to the practice and policy innovations from Brotherhood of Saint Laurence and others in Australia, and the many young people I’ve worked with in this time, from various Foyers to my own Team Young People at InspireChilli and the amazing We Belong today.

 

Like all journeys, it’s also had its darker spots – the loss of Jane Slowey, whose spirit was certainly part of this publication; my own parents’ death; and, as everyone in the charity and enterprise sector will recognise, those experiences where you are stuck fighting for survival while trying to reach ahead to build the thriving world we wish for.  Ultimately, Advantaged Thinking runs on belief, and it’s that energy which has kept all those involved in its story connected together.

 

On a very personal note, when I get my printed copy, I will remember back to a moment shared with the wonderful Lorna Sage at one of her memorable parties at UEA, where we made a drunken pact that she would write Bad Blood (a book of tremendous power), and I would do ‘my postmodern thing’ which I was still too innocent to define. As someone who passionately believed in the transformational power of language and narrative, Lorna would have recognised that Adventures in Advantaged Thinking was the 'thing' she first signposted me into the world of teaching to discover.  

 

It’s remembering the contributions from everyone, alongside the next wave of new innovators, that keeps the Adventure that is Advantaged Thinking alive in us all.

As the forward to 'Adventures in Advantaged Thinking' says, ''For all those who share our passion for Advantaged Thinking – now and in the future – we hope this is a gift that will keep on giving. Please add to it, make it your own, and promote its ambition to others'. 

Download your free copy now at: https://www.foyer.net/adventures-in-advantaged-thinking

Inspiring Always - an end of year review

 

Another year at InspireChilli

'Despite all the computations, you can still dance with Inspirechilli's station'

 

2021 started on a high in my new role as chair of the extraordinary We Belong. Over 2021, this award-winning youth-led-and-run charity has achieved many successes including expansion of its work into Manchester, reaching new audiences through a Panorama documentary, and a historic commitment from the Home Office to half the 10 year route to settlement for eligible young people from migrant backgrounds. I have also served as a trustee for Sounddelivery media in its first year as a charity and was delighted to assist in the shortlisting of applicants for its brilliant Spokesperson Network programme.

 

Celebrating the 10^th anniversary of Advantaged Thinking was a major personal highlight for me - https://inspirechilli.blogspot.com/2021/05/advantagedthinking10-5-takeaways.html

 An online event held with the Foyer Federation and Your Housing Group attracted over 100 participants from around the world, with an extra-special t-shirt to mark the occasion designed by Ranae Kiara from InspireChilli’s Team Young People. Alongside this, I generated new writing to draw together all the learning from Advantaged Thinking into an exciting publication with Foyer Federation and Your Housing Group to be published in the new year - watch out!

 

I worked alongside a dream team of academics Sean Creaney and Samantha Burns to produce, with Peer Power Youth and their team of Peer Experts, the excellent ‘Co-creation and participation in the youth justice system’ report  https://www.peerpower.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Long-Report-YJB-Design-by-Lizzie-Reid-final-1.pdf, including my section on ‘Strengths not offence: taking a strengths-based approach in YJS’.

 

I produced an ambassador manual for Clarion Futures, offering various practice insights to support young people to make a transition from a volunteer into a sessional worker or employee.  In a year of resource development, I also played a key role to support the development of Homeless Link’s Being Strengths Based Toolkit and stimulating Community of Practice sessions https://www.homeless.org.uk/being-strengths-based-collected-resources

 

Overseas, I completed the first round of re-accreditations using the new Foyer Accreditation Framework I designed with the Foyer Foundation in Australia (https://foyer.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/AFFAF-2020-v2.pdf)  including a successful programme to train and support the Foyer Foundation’s first assessors. Australian Foyers continue to lead the way in developing an innovative offer for young people, and the new accreditation system allows a stronger focus on meeting expectations for young people, including those from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds.  I was particularly delighted to see how the new system made it easier to include young people representatives on the Accreditation Panel for the first time, an important step forwards.

 

Staying on an international theme, I delivered a keynote speech on my Advantaged Thinking journey for this year’s World Teacher Day event in Victoria, Australia; and I appeared alongside Sean Creaney and Peer Power experts to share findings from our youth justice work (see above) at this year’s World Congress on Justice with Children in November.

 

Working with youth-led States of Mind, I produced an evaluation report for the impactful Connecting Minds mental wellbeing programme (https://inspirechilli.blogspot.com/2021/03/connecting-minds-learning-report.html) securing investment from the National Lottery Community Fund to scale up this excellent initiative to more young people and staff across Foyers in England over 2021-22. 

 

I continued to support Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Blagrave Trust with the progress of the innovative Opportunity Fund, capturing learning from the first cohort of young leaders completing the programme this year, with some outstanding achievements from individual entrepreneurs and campaigners supported by the work of Launch It and Peer Power.  On the same theme of youth leadership, I also developed an effective new model for supporting youth involvement strategies which I have shared with organisations working with me as a consultant on youth governance and involvement approaches, one of my favourite topics. 

I operated as a critical friend for Dublin’s Northside Partnership to accelerate their impressive leadership journey with Advantaged Thinking, including mentoring for internal champions and training sessions with partners.  In the vein of friendship, I have continued to serve as a lead partner for Foyer Federation, supporting its important work to deliver on the Home for Advantaged Thinking Strategy (https://www.foyer.net/homeforadvantagedthinking)

 

A year wouldn’t be the same without being part of the organising team for another 'Room for Young People' event with partners LiveWest, Clarion Housing Group, Foyer Federation and the Housing Association Youth Network, overseeing the judging of Inspiration Award entries through inspirechilli’s Team Young People to showcase another amazing range of stories from young people and staff demonstrating resilience and commitment across the youth housing sector (https://inspirechilli.blogspot.com/2021/11/make-more-room-for-young-people.html).  I was also proud to attend the event alongside Ranae Kiara, who designed the winners’ certificate and tshirts in her usual cool style, marking what proved to be the most youth-led event yet.

 

As the year closes, I’m looking forward to future opportunities over 2022, including:

 

-       Further progress with We Belong’s community organising and policy influence work

 

-       The potential development of a new housing and support model that frees young people to explore work options without the usual restrictions from high rents; and work to support the development of a new Foyer model in Hong Kong.

 

-       Critical Friendships with charities looking for expertise to guide their work

 

-       New writing to explore the topic of ‘authenticity’ through some radical thinking 

 

-       Offering training sessions and resource tools to accelerate asset-based approaches

 

-       Opportunities to benchmark performance between youth provision in the UK and Australia through my involvement in both sets of Foyer Accreditation programmes

 

-       Potential innovations with Foyer Federation from the launch of our new Advantaged Thinking publication, to hopefully turn some of the concepts introduced in its chapters into new programmes and approaches

 

-       Further evaluation and learning work, including a report for Connecting Minds and other exciting new programmes currently in development

 

-       Like everyone else, more chances to connect in person with missed friends and contacts both in the UK and overseas – including my own Team Young People

-       All the exciting unknowns that I leave space to explore each year… which could include you? Do get in touch with me at hello@inspirechilli.com with any new year inspirations : )

Make More room for Young People

 

This week saw the 4^th annual Room for Young People Inspiration Awards, a showcase for inspiration from young people and staff in the youth housing sector. The event is run as a collaboration between LiveWest, the Foyer Federation, Clarion Futures, the Housing Association Youth Network, and the smallest fish in the partner pool, InspireChilli. What made this year’s event the best yet was the degree to which young people were leading proceedings – from the choice of award topics, to the award judges, to the design and organisation of the event and the team of Molly, Jess, Jonas and Uche who kept us brilliantly entertained throughout.  As a ‘room for young people’, it proved to be an inclusive, welcoming and supportive space, with phenomenal stories of impact.  

 

The 18 winning nominations for the Inspiration Awards this year had 5 characteristics:

 

·      83% were from Foyer services 

 

·      66% were focused on people progressing education and employment outcomes

 

·      61% were people using skills and experiences to benefit others in their community

 

·      A third had overcome mental health challenges, showing tremendous resilience

 

·      All evidenced a determination and passion to achieve.

 

As InspireChilli’s Team Young People judges shared with me, ‘each example lives up to … the identity of an ‘inspiresider’ – someone or something that brings inspiration to life’.  

From these 18 winners, 6 ‘top champions’ were identified as those who inspired most of all. 

 

These included the following award stories: 

 

Duck to Water Award:   Mitch Snell - Recognised for throwing himself into Foyer life at Torbay, taking part in all its activities, being a valued member of the Foyer’s work with local organisations, giving permission for the Foyer to share his song about the life of his deceased grandfather, and positively progressing career goals, all while showing his supportive nature to other residents.

 

Innovative Action Award: Herts School Outreach – Recognised for their tireless work to establish 4 new innovative projects over the past year: LEGACY, a free football club for children of families on benefit; PHONENIX, a programme helping children and young people to overcome experiences of trauma; OHANAMIND, an online club offering resources for families, carers and schools, to nurture young people’s mental health; and SHIELD, which supports young people at threat from criminal exploitation to lead a healthy life.

 

Superb Staff Award: Karola Hagenstede – Recognised for her outstanding impact on young people’s lives over 12 years at SAHA, always seeing the possibility in young people and striving for the best  – a champion of Advantaged thinking who is tenacious and passionate, reflected in the achievements of former residents she has supported, those who continue to contact her for guidance or to celebrate achievements, and the many successes of Newhaven Foyer which benefit from her work as its Deputy Manager.

 

Community Engagement Award: Starting Point Social group – Recognised for running a social group at YMCA Crewe in partnership with Cheshire East Council care leavers team to address the isolation and challenges experienced by unaccompanied young people seeking asylum, offering a safe space for social connection and fun, alongside weekly football sessions also open to other young people in the area that helps to address any community discrimination through a common love for football while also offering opportunities to invest in valuable life skills.

 

Flying the Nest Young leader Award: Charlotte Staves – Recognised for the inspirational journey she has taken at On Route foyer, initially working on her mental health by attending fitness classes before using her talent for craft making to lead activities for other young people, building her confidence from this to focus on practical goals to pay off former property arrears and secure a Foyer Federation talent bond to buy materials to set up her own future craft making business, for which she is now due to complete her level 2 Maths and English so she can enrol onto a business course at college having successfully moved on from the Foyer.

 

Personal Achievement Award: Ciara Nash – Recognised for the inspirational journey she made from a 16 year-old entering Hendra Lodge Foyer without any support network and limited cooking skills, to progress her mental health and engage with others, showing a natural talent to support young people that led her to undertake Peer Champion Training and become a volunteer youth mentor who now runs a local youth club. All this while attending college and gaining distinctions for her course work to complete a level 3 Forensics and Criminal Investigations qualification.  

 

From the judges’ perspective, the 5 members of InspireChill’s Team Young People all agreed how the nominations have a positive impact on them – that they learn from and are inspired by the people they read about.  This connected with my own reflections with the manager from Redruth Foyer the day after the event: that there is tremendous power for young people to learn from the experiences of their peers.  I certainly enjoyed being able to bring one of my team, Ranae Kaira, to enjoy the event this year, who loved seeing nomination words transformed into real people with smiles, as well as the brilliant designs she has produced for certificates and t-shirts proudly shown off by their winners. Perhaps a future for Room for Young People is to provide more opportunity space for other young people, earlier in their transition, to be part of the celebration each year, so they can take back its inspiration and accelerate their own potential to achieve.  If Room for Young People is the source for positive ripples, let’s make its audience even bigger.

 

#AdvantagedThinking10 - 5 takeaways

 

May 14^th was a day to look back on 10 years of Advantaged Thinking. As I noted in my introductory speech to the event, it was a time to Celebrate achievements, Reflect on learning, Inspire through and be inspired from our personal stories, Share and socialise with others, and Progress a collective vision to help young people achieve Power and Purpose.  While I’m not a regular fan of acronyms, ‘CRISP’ felt a good description of the event’s structure and pace.  Getting more than 100 people from around the world to attend an event on a Friday afternoon showed that the Advantaged Thinking 'crisp' has a popular taste. 

 

For me, there were 5 takeaways from the experience. They capture what I think Advantaged Thinking has taught me most over the years. I might be the founder of the Advantaged Thinking concept, but I’m as humble an apprentice of its asset-based philosophy as anyone else. There is always more to learn. While I can easily think of a 100 takeaways, I recall a past suggestion that had there been just 5 tests they would have been easier to remember on one hand. So, with that in my ever-ageing mind, these are my one-handed insights:

 

1)    It’s international.  Just follow the thread: Foyers originated in France, where the first steps to Advantaged Thinking were also taken in our 2009 writing on Open Talent. The first asset-based programme at Foyer Federation called Working Assets came thanks to a research trip in 2005 exploring asset-based provision in America. Advantaged Thinking was first uttered at a stage in Greece in 2011.  We learned a lot from the capabilities approach and thriving focus on assets in the work of the International Development sector. Some of the most innovative early practice in Advantaged Thinking was developed in Australia, following my 2 week secondment with an organisation in Melbourne, which led to the first Foyers to be designed from an Advantaged Thinking focus – with the latest service opening just this year in Sydney.  As we heard at the May 14^th event, the energy for Advantaged Thinking continues through the inspiring work of Colony 47 in Tasmania and Brotherhood of St Laurence (BSL) in Melbourne.  Following the return of a staff member from BSL to Ireland, Advantaged Thinking has now started to grow in Dublin, forming an integral part of Northside Partnership’s community work and strategy.  There has also been work in the Netherlands where the impact of Advantaged Thinking has stimulated various initiatives with young people from Utrecht to Groningen. The UK network of Foyers and allies are part of a global family. When travel opens up again, remember to go Advantaged Thinking class to connect with others in solidarity.

 

2)    It’s universal.  Danny Sutton from Colony47 spoke for many when he emphasised that Advantaged Thinking is not just an approach that works for young people, but something that applies to all people. The principles of believing in, investing in, working with and involving people while talking about and understanding them in positive ways applies to any community – and the point of test 7 is to keep challenging the status quo to make that our social norm.  Those organisations like Colony47 working to apply Advantaged Thinking across all their services promote an important truth that Advantaged Thinking in its broadest reference of positive capability should be the optimum condition for all life.

 

3)    It’s ambitious. What shone through in the presentations and conversations at the May 14^th event was the ambition that as people and organisations we have to do more and better – whether that means increasing reach and impact or trialling new innovation.  That passion wasn’t just down to individual practitioners. It was also evident in the language of funders and commissioners, whose experience of Advantaged Thinking and willingness to advocate for its funding was wonderful to hear. Advantaged thinking has always been about removing the bar to aspiration, not just raising it.  We’re all as ambitious for its impact as we are passionate about its cause. Bottling the ambition to share with others is an important part of the Advantaged Thinking campaign.

 

4)    It’s generous. More than anything else, what enabled Advantaged Thinking to reach out to so many people and organisations over the last decade was a generosity of spirit that came directly from Jane Slowey’s leadership, that the Advantaged Thinking IP should be built as an open road for pioneers to drive down rather than a toll-gate baring access.  Our one ask has always been simple: do good with it and remember to bring the good home. Most people have been true to that spirit. One or two organisations ran off to benefit themselves, but the majority have contributed back through the same generosity of spirit that our values-led sector thrives from. For those who keep returning, we salute your authenticity and spirit. 

 

5)    It’s purposeful.  Listening to the wisdom of Sufina Ahmad from John Ellerman Foundation on our funder panel, I was reminded of the importance of how strategy and tactics helps us to sustain good ideas. Advantaged Thinking always needs a clear purpose in mind, but it also depends on the purposeful action of sound leadership to invest in the right things that help to build for the long term.  It’s encouraging to see the Foyer Federation’s new Home for Advantaged Thinking strategy begin to do that. Which takes me to my final insight: Advantaged Thinking for me now is not about the last ten years, but the years that lie ahead.  Its future lies not just in the hearts of those enjoying the event on May 14^th but the hearts outside we are yet to know through new connections and adventures.  Advantaged Thinking will always bring abundance to life. It’s our now and tomorrow. Let’s do it!

       With thanks to Foyer Federation, Your Housing Group, and all the speakers and attendees who made May 14th such a wonderful moment.