New Deal of the Mind has become The Creative Society
Since founder and CEO Martin Bright wrote the article that kick-started our work, the concept of a New Deal of the Mind has provided a mutually rewarding service in which creative organisations and businesses have directly benefitted from the creation of over 1000 sustainable jobs for young people.
As our work has evolved however, we’ve had to evolve with it, and now need a new way to better reflect the positive outcomes that we as New Deal of the Mind have helped to shape.
We are therefore evolving our brand to become known as The Creative Society with a mission to build and support the creative economy.
Look out for changes across our social media sites – coming very soon.
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No substitute for work paid work experience
There is no substitute for real experience of the world of work says arts employment charity The Creative Society (formerly New Deal of the Mind). Unemployment figures out today show that youth unemployment has now broken through the 1m mark and hit a 19 year high. Young people are disproportionately bearing the brunt of the unemployment crisis with one in five 16-24 year olds currently seeking work, compared to a total jobless rate of less than one in ten.
The Creative Society produced an evaluation (PDF) last week of its jobs programme that put over 500 young unemployed people into work in the creative industries across the UK. Using funding from the Department for Work and Pensions Future Jobs Fund scheme, young people on Jobseeker’s Allowance were given six month work placements with arts organisations and provided with training, coaching and networking opportunities.
The findings show the success of giving young people paid work experience. Over 70% of participants on the programme went straight into employment, education or training at the end of their placement. The findings also reveal that many long-term unemployed young people cannot afford to do lengthy unpaid internships, often seen as a necessary step to get a foot on the jobs ladder. 90% of participants would not have been able to take part if the placement had been unpaid.
The value of real work experience is also stressed in a recent report (PDF) by the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion that argues for a targeted job subsidy providing paid work placements aimed at young people who are long-term unemployed.
The Creative Society’s founder Martin Bright said: “We know that paid work experience is the best way of getting young unemployed people into a job. We welcome the coalition’s focus on apprenticeships, but more needs to be done to target these at young people. Ultimately, we will need to return to some form of job guarantee for the long-term unemployed. The alternative is to write off a whole generation.”
Youth unemployment hits a million
Our new employee Simon talks about his experiences looking for work:
The inexorable rise of youth unemployment saw it finally reach the depressing figure of 1 million today.
In an attempt to address the issue, last night’s Newsnight gave several young people the chance to share their accounts on what it was like to be unemployed. Their insight will have resonated with anyone who has spent time without a job and would hopefully have been a reality check for anyone who still likes to characterise today’s youth as feckless layabouts – often people who got grants to go to university and were not forced to work for free.
The lack of direction and purpose that these young people spoke about certainly struck a chord with me. A job is crucial not just to earn money and contribute to society, but also for physical and mental wellbeing. It provides structure, a reason to get up in the morning and to get out of the house. Without this motivation it is inevitable that people start to get up later and later and the days begin to blur into one. The longer you stay in this cycle, the more confidence you lose in your own ability and the more difficult you find it to interact with people. Essentially, you become more unemployable. (more…)
Top 10 Arts Jobs
For all upcoming opportunities, interesting information and a chance to engage with fellow NDotM followers and supporters visit us on Facebook.
1. Culture Squad 2012 Apprentice Producers
Organisation: Greater London Authority
Location: London
Rate: £15 000 – £17 000
Contract: 12 Month Fixed Term Contract
Closing date: 28 November
(more…)
Wilkes: Reinventing Parliamentary Journalism
The beginning of the Leveson inquiry today signals the start of a period of intense scrutiny and reflection about the way our media culture has developed. After the events of the summer, public trust in the media is at an all time low with only 38% of people in the UK believing what our newspapers have to say. Such distrust is detrimental to our democracy; we must show that the press has the capacity to produce public-interest journalism that holds our decision makers to account.
To counter the negativity that exists amongst the public, New Deal of the Mind is working on a project, developing an idea by Jonathan Heawood, that aims to restore faith in the Fourth Estate. Wilkes – named in honour of the MP and journalist John Wilkes, who fought for the right to report on Parliament – is a new organisation that will reinvent the tradition of parliamentary journalism, combining the highest standards of the old media with the rapid connectivity of new media.
Through publishing engaging, objective, narrative journalism on all aspects of Parliament, Wilkes will build bridges between politicians, the media and the public, facilitating greater democratic engagement, higher accountability and more transparency.
Keep your eyes peeled on the blog for further updates on Wilkes’ progress over the coming months.
For more details contact Simon Bunney simon@newdealofthemind.com
Press Release: Arts Employment Charity Shows the Creative Sector Can Help Solve Youth Unemployment Crisis
New Deal of the Mind has published an independent evaluation of its Future Jobs Fund programme.
The report demonstrates that: (1) almost three quarters of unemployed people on the scheme went into jobs or education as a result; (2) the programme contributed three pounds to the economy for every pound invested by the taxpayer; (3) it also boosted participation of people from ethnic minority backgrounds in culture and the arts – half of participants compared to four per cent of the creative workforce as a whole. (more…)
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