Jon Banner’s Post

Volunteering for Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) is not only fun but rewarding. Not every founder will get venture-backed, so it’s critical to have more programming designed nurture and educate the next generation of founders. NFTE has proven this model to work from ages 10-24+. #entreprenuership #venturecapital #startups #entrepreneurialeducation

It’s finally in! It’s been a long haul but the independent evaluation of our programmes with local authority teams by School of Education at Nottingham Trent University is now out. The headlines: - Grit can lead to a qualitative improvement in the work done by Local Authority social work teams and associated agencies - Change appears to be sustained over the medium term (~18 months) - Systemic or cultural change is mediated through the actions and behaviours of individuals who have been challenged and changed by the Grit training - This applies at two distinct levels: at the front line, where Grit supports challenging conversations, based on strong relationships with young people and families; and within the organisation where Grit supports openness and honesty in professional relationships - On the front line, social workers say they are more confident, more people-focused, and consequently more effective than they were before Grit. Email [email protected] for more details and look out for the Children & Young People Now Case Study to be published in October. https://lnkd.in/egM3EPeN Kathryn Boulton Amy Buxton Jennings Samantha Clayton Pauline Turner Suzy Joyner Emma Thompson Kay J Whyte Bell London Innovation & Improvement Alliance (LIIA) Stephanie Szwarc Jo Hillier Jill Colbert OBE Julie Firth Chris Sivers Sukriti Sen Dawn Warwick Dawn Alaszewski John Pearce Colin Foster Vicky McLeod Bernie Brown Majella M. Mel Hutchinson

Literacy is one of our three primary pillars. We’re doing what we can to move the needle little by little to help children in need get the resources and support they need to read at their grade level. Thanks to a generous contribution from RSM last fall, we’re continuing to build on that. https://rsm.us/3t5hqmv

Nonprofit organizations are particularly crucial for communities that lack resources where they address systemic inequalities and provide essential support in areas such as education, healthcare, economic empowerment, and social justice. Nonprofit organizations often serve as advocates for the community, working to dismantle discriminatory practices and policies that disproportionately affect a certain demographic. By offering programs and services tailored to the unique needs of the community, nonprofits help to close gaps in access to resources and opportunities.

Check out our 9 blog posts on Teaching Matters! 🙌

New Year, New Cheer for ACF! Community. 🏘️ ~ Empowering Our Community Through Volunteering ~ Our ACF 2024 mantra is "Impactful Outreach," and we gladly kickstarted our first week of 2024 through a golden networking opportunity for our ACF teen founders at the global 1517 Fund Ice Cream Social on Jan. 4. 👏 Volunteer. Impact. Honor. 👏 In 2024, ACF allows you to volunteer for causes dear to your heart and get certified for hours towards the “Congressional Award” and “Presidential Award” within the United States. Our previous exemplary student interns have been awarded for their invaluable and positive contribution towards community empowerment in STEM. The beauty of volunteering is that it can enrich not just our students but also their peers, siblings, guardians, teachers, mentors, club leaders, families, and groups. The “Presidential Award” rewards all age and community groups based on service benchmarks. Help Spread the Word! Our volunteering opportunities are one of the most integral and impactful facets to help fulfill our ambitious 2024 wishlist! ACF provides a rewarding experience for all volunteers through autonomy, personal growth, leadership, creativity, and real-time impact. https://lnkd.in/gF4dC8Gh . . . . #team #technology #community #experience #science #acf #appliedcomputing #appliedcomputingfoundation #sustainability #innovation #genz #changemakers #coding #education #learnbuildapply #learn #build #apply #ethicalinnovation #entrepreneurship #teenentrepreneurship #entrepreneurs #collaboration #leadership #startup #impact #startupcommunity #startupecosystem #volunteering

SPOILER ALERT!!! (If you know where I’ve been travelling, please don’t share the location, as I don’t want this community to be taken out of context). I don’t have the answers to Candice James BEM’s question but here’s something I’ve just learned about empowering community (or disempowering community, depending on how you want to define it). I have (literally) just flown into London for a long weekend before returning to a beautiful Southern European city with a number of social issues. As a Changemaker, funding manager, Director of Wellbeing and coach, I can’t help but be intensely interested in what is going on. What has made what once was a tight-knit but fairly underprivileged community (especially in the older parts of the city) so angry and resentful? Not everyone, of course; there are winners. But, enough to be noticeable as an outsider. Investment was encouraged to stop the decline of a crumbling city centre; now, the local people feel displaced, ignored and locked out of their steadily changing city. Yet, many still work there - often in low paid roles servicing the tourist industry - knowing that they will never be able to afford to enjoy their city in the way that these strangers can. Worst still, many of the schools and kindergartens etc are set alongside or behind beautiful churches, so this community has to run the gauntlet of strangers turning up to take photos (apparently) of them collecting their kids from school or wherever! Images that may then be posted online with the name of the school, and photos of their kids and other identifiers, for anyone to see. The target is the church, of course, but this just does not work. I totally understand the communities fear, anger and frustration. My conclusion, thus far, is that we (i.e. all of us) need to make a massive conceptual leap in how we value ‘communities’. As I said at the beginning of this post, the city is quite simply exquisite; but, the city does not exist on its own. No ‘place’ does. Every place is the sum total of the people who have gone before, those that are there now, and those that will come in the future. It’s time we begin to see the people of a place as part of its ‘essential splendor’ (however wealthy or not it is). Then, and only then will we begin to centre our change around the critical ingredient for success - the people of that place - and create solutions that work for them, too. Congratulations, The Ubele Initiative; I’m looking forward to seeing this unfold🙌🏽 H🦋

These are 2 of the most experienced place-based change makers around. For those interested in how to enable communities to create change, come and hear Dame Julia and David in conversation

My top take aways from yesterday's B Corp event re governance and decision making... “It can’t be separate, it’s got to be ingrained” - this from Sarah Walker-Smith CEO of Ampa, talked straight to my heart and what I so strongly believe in. All their Board papers have to demonstrate connection to purpose and strategy. You have to get clear on your purpose. That makes broad choices simpler and helps you make good decisions. Nick Canney CEO of innocent drinks. “You can’t [just] say this stuff, you have to do this stuff … you have to BE a B corp” - Nick The importance of being brave and going first. Nick talked about the factory innocent have built. “Sometimes you have to show leadership and do things differently for others to follow”. Frieda Gormley founder of House of Hackney talked about the importance of learning about your community before you can understand how to serve it best. Don’t make assumptions. This really resonated after my experience working in the charity sector, including in international development. Nick challenged us to think about how we can come together as a B Corp community and collaborate to create value together. So that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. This definitely got everyone thinking! If you were there too or listening online - what resonated with you? --- Thanks to B Lab UK for organising and The Trampery | Certified B Corp for hosting! #bcorpmonth #bcorp #sustainablebusiness

There a 3 transformative insights for organizations looking to replicate Pinky Cole Hayes' impactful $8.75M donation to Savannah State University graduates… Want to know how? Here they are...👇🏾 1️⃣ Strategic Partnerships 🟠 Collaborative Impact: Partnering with Operation HOPE and One Million Black Businesses (1MBB) allows corporations to mentor, counsel, and train HBCU students. 🟠 E-Commerce Access: Provide resources like Shopify’s 3-month free access to help graduates build scalable online businesses. 2️⃣ Practical Training 🟠 Sector-Specific Curriculum: Develop specialized training to help HBCU students tackle sector-specific challenges. 🟠 Personalized Mentorship: Individualized guidance empowers graduates to confidently navigate early career challenges. 3️⃣ Long-Term Empowerment 🟠 Targeted Support: Pinky Cole Hayes' initiative demonstrates how targeted resources foster resilience in new graduates. 🟠 Sustainable Growth: Investing in #HBCU students enhances diversity while fostering innovation within the corporate sector. So, remember… Investing in the next generation is not just about funding—it's about building a foundation for new leaders to thrive. What strategies does your organization employ to support educational and entrepreneurial growth in diverse communities? Drop it in the comments!