I recently went for coffee with a criminal justice contact of mine who said: “Wow, I didn’t know what you did!”. I spend all of my time raising other people’s profile, so often forget to raise my own. This short newsletter will provide some information about the type of things I’ve been working on since leaving Clinks in 2016, and some of the exciting opportunities ahead in 2017. If you have any communications, marketing or strategic development needs, please drop me a line.
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Perhaps my most ambitious project to date will see me, as part of a local team, creating a street food, collaborative working and socially-focused space in York City Centre, via our Community Interest Company, Spark:York. Using upcycled shipping containers to create a totally unique development in York, Spark:York will focus on engaging all demographics of the community, achieving social good and cohesion, helping people with ideas get a foot on the business ladder, and (perhaps most importantly!) provide opportunities for people in York to try new street food and drink. If you’re in York, be sure to pop by – we open Spring 2017; find out more about Spark:York here
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Women’s welfare charity Hibiscus Initiatives commissioned Social Vision to build them a new website in Summer 2016. Their previous site was really dated, with poor imagery and very little content. Along with Social Visions in-house photographer, I went to meet Hibiscus, spent some time with their staff and got a feel for their organisation. I was then able to build and deliver a website, within the agreed budget and timescale, that they’re delighted with. Not only that, I provided training for a member of staff so they could maintain the site themselves and not have to rely on a third-party company. If you feel your website might need a revamp, or if you don’t have a web presence yet, drop me a line. please drop me a line.
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I spent an unforgettable and inspirational couple of days in complete isolation in the Lake District recently, visiting the young people’s charity, Chance for Change. They take vulnerable and under-privileged 18-28 year olds from inner city areas, and guide them on a journey (metaphorical and physical) across the wilderness of the Lakes – learning independence, problem-solving, self sufficiency and motivational skills along the way. An amazing idea, and one that is currently underused; hence bringing in Social Vision to explore ways to raise their profile and increase opportunities for young people to benefit from the service. Read more here
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Working with a commercial leisure attraction was a slight deviation from the objectives of Social Vision, but it gave me the opportunity to show two local business owners how making a profit and being charitable were not mutually exclusive or conflicting business objectives. By engaging local partners, I built long lasting, sustainable relationships that supported local charities whilst raising awareness and revenue at the attraction. Supporting them in 2016, I was able to generate nearly £1m in revenue in under six months. Here’s a promotional video Social Vision created for this client
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When a small care charity in Wiltshire approached me about social media, it was a common story of a lack of confidence, fear of doing something wrong and being overwhelmed at the value placed on social media in today’s world. I spent a day working with their small team, addressing their fears and questions, and sharing my experience of managing multiple social media accounts without a dedicated person and budget. It was a roaring success; following great feedback from the staff team, I’ve kept a track on their social media activity and am so pleased to see their profile growing across their area of expertise. Sound familiar? Drop me a line to discuss working with your team.
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One of my regular clients asked me to help promote a vacancy for a Communications Officer. I suggested that one of their current members of staff would be perfectly suited to the role, and that we could work together to upskill her, rather than recruit externally. Social Vision delivered a day’s bespoke training sharing ten years experience of working amongst the leading criminal justice charities. On the day, the training was delivered to six members of staff, including the CEO, which was great fun and provided loads of different perspectives and discussions. I’m pleased to say the charity is doing really well, their profile is fantastic, and the member of staff who took the role is doing a great job!
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PLIAS Resettlement support Black, Asian and minority ethnic people leaving prison and resettling into the communities of North West London. Social Vision are currently revamping their website, to create a go-to resource for people and professionals interested in the welfare of Black, Asian and minority ethnic offenders and ex-offenders. The new site will be launched early in 2017, so follow them on Twitter (@PLIAS01) for updates and news.
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Behind Bras work with women in prison; teaching them how to design and make luxury lingerie, and providing them with a ‘business in a box’ on release – focusing on self employment to reduce reoffending. Social Vision will be working with Behind Bras through 2017 to help them increase the number of women who ‘graduate’ from their scheme, and also supporting the roll out of the male equivalent, Behind Boxers. Find out more
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Long-standing Social Vision client AMIMB – the membership body for Independent Monitoring Board members – are looking at ways to bring their valuable work into the digital era. We are exploring ways that allow their well-regarded content to be delivered digitally and in a more cost-effective way. We’re also considering how we can virtually connect their hundreds of members, spread across the prison estate, to create the leading voice on prison inspections. Find out more
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Following my success building Clinks Light Lunch into one of the leading criminal justice newsletters, I’ve been working with partners in Scotland to bring a similar resource to the Scottish Criminal Justice System. Scotland has many remote prisons and social work areas, and there’s a real appetite for professionals to be connected, share good practice and access all the opportunities that come out of Holyrood and Glasgow. Find out more here
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Social Vision will be setting up its own, independently monitored grant-making charitable foundation in 2017. Its mission will be to advance opportunities for young people to realise their potential, focussing specifically on disadvantaged young people, including (but not exclusive to) those suffering poverty, hardship, mental or physical additional needs, or other disadvantage. Keep an eye on the Social Vision twitter feed (@socialvisionuk) for updates.
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Social Vision has teamed up with local online news outlet, YorkMix, to highlight the amazing work of York’s unseen voluntary sector – those small organisations that work on a micro-level across communities, making a huge difference, but rarely on people’s radar unless they find themselves needing a service. We will be visiting groups across the York area throughout 2017, raising their profile across the City. Find out more here
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I set Social Vision up so I could provide affordable, hands-on support to the thousands of small charities across the country who don’t have the resource to recruit a Communications Manager or commission an agency who, most likely, won’t understand ‘our world’. In this newsletter, I’ve provided a sample of what Social Vision offers, but it’s by no means conclusive. If you have any projects, ideas, frustrations or gaps in your organisation drop me a line and we can discuss working together.
From proof-reading to design and print; creating a film or photographing your event, through to writing your annual review. And if I can’t help personally, I have a huge network of people I can quickly and confidently signpost you to.
You can contact Social Vision on:
Mobile: 07551 008 631
Twitter: @socialvisionuk
Email: joe@social-vision.org.uk
Wishing you all a prosperous 2017.
Copyright © 2017 Social Vision Communications Ltd.
Photos courtesy of All You Need is Love Photography
