You and I both know that the support provided to our young adults can make such a significant difference to their futures.In an ideal world, every young person would have clear goals of what they want to achieve in life, a plan on how to achieve their goals, and of course the skills and motivation to be able to transfer their plans into action. Their personal journey would be mapped-out, and they would be happily progressing along a route of further education, suitable employment or relevant training (EET).The reality however can of course, be very different.
Very few have clearly identified what it is they want to achieve in life, and therefore understandably don't know which route to take.Many have found the whole education process personally challenging for a variety of reasons.Their peer groups often conspire to both limit their horizons and at Introduction best provide very little support, and at worst over time can destroy any hope or ambition that these young people may have.The combination of these factors can lead to waves of young people each year with a lack of motivation and direction at such an influential stage of their lives.
Without this motivation, I'm sure that you'll agree that we'd all find it very difficult to commit to actively pursuing further education or training, or attaining suitable employment that will allow us to quickly progress towards our chosen career.
After all, if we don't know where we are going... all roads lead there!
It's also the lack of motivation and direction within our young people; that provides such a challenge for Education Professionals looking to address the numbers of those not in education,employment or training (NEET).No matter what support is put in place, without an understanding of goals and the potential benefits and outcomes of further education, training and employment...then it's going to be difficult to maintain momentum without a constant battle against the factors conspiring to drive young people to becoming another NEET statistic or into a 'dead-end' job.
Each Brand You programme has been designed to raise the aspirations and motivation of the young adults that are looking to us for help and support and a reason why they should remain EET. These solutions are potentially life-changing!Imagine being able to transform lives, with experiences that produce positive direction, the skills required for action, a lasting motivation... a reason to grow.
It's about them being THEIR best!
Each programme is delivered by fully trained and licensed Brand You Partners and through a series of tried and tested interactive learning experiences. Interactive because it's through doing that people learn best.
Brand You Experience
The Brand You Experience is our flagship programme.This offers total immersion for 5 days.
Here’s an overview of the five day programme ‘The Brand You Experience’
Day One: The young people are introduced to the Magic Word – Attitude.
They’ll explore ‘What is a great attitude?’ and begin choosing, practising and developing their own attitudes. Then we share the power of branding, and help to begin starting to create their own personal brand... Brand You
Day Two: We take the young people outdoors for the day and provide opportunities to stretch themselves, demonstrating how they can achieve far more than they ever could imagine. They’ll develop teamwork, confidence and leadership skills whilst practising their new found attitudes.
Day Three: Raising aspirations and goalsetting. People with goals tend to succeed, today the young people are introduced to their ‘Big 5 For Life’ . A journey from goalsetting to goal-getting.
Day Four: Now it’s time to move on to the skills of success because day four is about... ‘Making Life Happen’.
Day Five: Celebration and the integration of the week as they put into practise all of the elements as they awaken to the possibilities opened up by those who ‘know where they are going’.
About... 'The Big Five For Life'
The Big Five For Life™ concept was created by John Strelecky and identified by Brand You as a perfect fit for the introduction of goal-setting to young people.July 2008 was the first opportunity to bring John’s material alive with young people.
The Big Five For Life really struck a cord and is now a integral part of the overall Brand You programme.
Following the success of the trial, John TM Strelecky entrusted the Big Five For Life brand with Beyond Excellence for the licensed use throughout the UK.
Based in Florida USA, John is the author of several acclaimed books and CDs, including The Big Five for Life , The Why Café, and Life Safari. His works have been translated into 18 languages and been best sellers around the world.
John was recently honored alongside Oprah Winfrey, Lance Armstrong, Deepak Chopra, and Tom Peters as one of the 100 Most Influential Thought Leaders in the field of leadership and personal development.
To find out more about John and his work please visit:
http://www.bigfiveforlife.com/
Testimonials - Schools & Agencies
The Brand You Experience has had a massive impact on many young people in the Maidstone area to which I thank Beyond Excellence.
We started with a week long event working with 24 students from a number of Secondary schools in both Maidstone 1 and 2 Local Children's Service Partnership in February 2009. The success of this week on 10 students from Astor of Hever Community School was highly visible it
lead the school to invest in a one day Brand You Start for some more of their Year 11 students, a staff briefing session and parents evening in March 2009 to encourage and motivate their school
community. The school wanted the day to encourage students to be their best in preparing for their exams and this was achieved by an additional just under half the group signing up for Easter crammer sessions after the event who had said they would not before the day. They realised who their Who's were to help them achieve their goals of passing their GCSE's.
All four of my students have been euphoric about the week they spent at Bradbourne House. One student said it gave her a very clear idea about what she wants to do in the future and how to achieve it. Another wants to be an ambassador for the project. All four want to be involved in
marketing the project to other young people in the future. All loved the sweatshirts they were given and will continue to wear them.
Another student seems to have come completely out of her shell since she partook in the week, she now readily makes eye contact which was something she didn't tend to do before. One of the
parents also contacted me to thank me for sending their daughter on the course and reiterated how much she seemed to enjoy it. Every time I see one of the four around the school this week they have reminded me of how much they enjoyed themselves and how much they got from it.
From the school's point of view it was lovely to have four girls at the forefront of a project, too often here it is boys who get all Testimonials - Clients/Schools the acclaim and opportunity. We were criticised in our last full Ofsted for overlooking the needs of middle ability girls, here was an example of that very same group of girls being empowered and wishing to share that empowerment with others. If we do it again I will offer it to virtually all girls as I believe it is something they really vauled.
St Simon Stock Catholic School
We were extremely lucky to have the opportunity of sending 10 students, a mixed group of boys and girls from Years 10 & 11, to the Brand You Experience. It is fair to say that they were sceptical about giving up their week's holiday but what an amazing change in attitude from day one they were completely hooked!
Now back at school they can't stop talking about how much fun they had and how great the staff were in helping them with all the aspects of the week. On selecting which students to invite we followed the remit and it is so gratifying to see the changes that have occurred in their outlook already. They are all showing increased levels of confidence and enthusiasm and some have become downright bouncy!
One has taken the initiative in organising an event for his whole form and another wants to help organise and be involved in the delivery the one-day version of the programme (Brand You Start) in school (arranged for March) to the whole of Year 11 to help them gear up for their exams.
We can only describe the over-all effect as amazing and, to be honest, pretty wonderful. We hoped our students would feel the benefit from attending but we never expected such a turn-around in their outlooks.
Huge thanks to everyone at KCC Extended Schools and to Beyond Excellence for letting our students be involved in such a innovative project and we hope we will get the chance for more of our students to attend in future we already have loads of keen young people wanting to take part now, now, now!
- Astor of Hever Community School
We started with a week long event working with 24 students from a number of Secondary schools in both Maidstone 1 and 2 Local Children's Service Partnership in February 2009. The success of this week on 10 students from Astor of Hever Community School was highly visible it
lead the school to invest in a one day Brand You Start for some more of their Year 11 students, a staff briefing session and parents evening in March 2009 to encourage and motivate their school
community. The school wanted the day to encourage students to be their best in preparing for their exams and this was achieved by an additional just under half the group signing up for Easter crammer sessions after the event who had said they would not before the day. They realised who their Who's were to help them achieve their goals of passing their GCSE's.
Testimonials - Clients/Agencies
The impact that these experiences appear to have had on the young people has been varied and individual, the experience encouraged them all to look at their lives and what they want to do. They now know what they want to achieve in their life to deem their life successful, their big five for life, they know that there are many people who are available to help them achieve their goals, and they have made 10 commitments to achieve every day to help them.
I visit the schools that have been on the week and the change in the student is hard to put into words but they are more focused, they have kept their commitment, they are setting about
achieving their goals. As a consequence over the week event I saw a change from quite scared and reserved young people to confident, articulate, focused young adults.
The concept of the big five for life has personally encouraged me to re-look at my life goals and can see how this could be used with people of all ages.
I am impressed at how the young people have kept to their ten commitments and that this experience is starting to be embedded in their life. The experience has allowed me to work with schools on a very positive project as part of extended services varied menu of activities, study
support. It is something that I have told colleagues about within my Partnership and other Extended Schools Co-ordinator as it fits very well with the Extended Services agenda.
It has helped to promote the young people in a positive light with the local community and businesses which is a priority in our Local Children and Young People's Plan it also allowed us to work with those at risk of becoming NEET another priority.
The impact that these experiences appear to have had on the young people has been varied and individual, the experience encouraged them all to look at their lives and what they want to do. They now know what they want to achieve in their life to deem their life successful, their big five for life, they know that there are many people who are available to help them achieve their goals, and they have made 10 commitments to achieve every day to help them.
I visit the schools that have been on the week and the change in the student is hard to put into words but they are more focused, they have kept their commitment, they are setting about
achieving their goals. As a consequence over the week event I saw a change from quite scared and reserved young people to confident, articulate, focused young adults.
The concept of the big five for life has personally encouraged me to re-look at my life goals and can see how this could be used with people of all ages.
I am impressed at how the young people have kept to their ten commitments and that this experience is starting to be embedded in their life. The experience has allowed me to work with schools on a very positive project as part of extended services varied menu of activities, study
support. It is something that I have told colleagues about within my Partnership and other Extended Schools Co-ordinator as it fits very well with the Extended Services agenda.
It has helped to promote the young people in a positive light with the local community and businesses which is a priority in our Local Children and Young People's Plan it also allowed us to work with those at risk of becoming NEET another priority.
-Extended Schools Co-ordinator
Maidstone 1 Local
Maidstone 1 Local
All four of my students have been euphoric about the week they spent at Bradbourne House. One student said it gave her a very clear idea about what she wants to do in the future and how to achieve it. Another wants to be an ambassador for the project. All four want to be involved in
marketing the project to other young people in the future. All loved the sweatshirts they were given and will continue to wear them.
Another student seems to have come completely out of her shell since she partook in the week, she now readily makes eye contact which was something she didn't tend to do before. One of the
parents also contacted me to thank me for sending their daughter on the course and reiterated how much she seemed to enjoy it. Every time I see one of the four around the school this week they have reminded me of how much they enjoyed themselves and how much they got from it.
From the school's point of view it was lovely to have four girls at the forefront of a project, too often here it is boys who get all Testimonials - Clients/Schools the acclaim and opportunity. We were criticised in our last full Ofsted for overlooking the needs of middle ability girls, here was an example of that very same group of girls being empowered and wishing to share that empowerment with others. If we do it again I will offer it to virtually all girls as I believe it is something they really vauled.
St Simon Stock Catholic School
We were extremely lucky to have the opportunity of sending 10 students, a mixed group of boys and girls from Years 10 & 11, to the Brand You Experience. It is fair to say that they were sceptical about giving up their week's holiday but what an amazing change in attitude from day one they were completely hooked!
Now back at school they can't stop talking about how much fun they had and how great the staff were in helping them with all the aspects of the week. On selecting which students to invite we followed the remit and it is so gratifying to see the changes that have occurred in their outlook already. They are all showing increased levels of confidence and enthusiasm and some have become downright bouncy!
One has taken the initiative in organising an event for his whole form and another wants to help organise and be involved in the delivery the one-day version of the programme (Brand You Start) in school (arranged for March) to the whole of Year 11 to help them gear up for their exams.
We can only describe the over-all effect as amazing and, to be honest, pretty wonderful. We hoped our students would feel the benefit from attending but we never expected such a turn-around in their outlooks.
Huge thanks to everyone at KCC Extended Schools and to Beyond Excellence for letting our students be involved in such a innovative project and we hope we will get the chance for more of our students to attend in future we already have loads of keen young people wanting to take part now, now, now!
- Astor of Hever Community School
Testimonials - Young People
“The Brand You Experience is a great place to help kids succeed in their lives. The leaders there were great as they were fun and taught us loads. We set ourselves goals, 10 commitments and our aim is to complete these goals more and more every day. Since being back we have not just forgotten our goals and are pretending they are not there, we are trying to achieve them. Everyone is trying. The Brand You Experience and the people we met there are unforgettable”.
‘I still wear my wristband, and its on the right side, I also now get out of bed on the right side everyday’
‘I now believe I have the ability to reach my dreams’
‘I didn’t realise until now that anything is possible’
‘There is so much more to life than I thought’
‘Brand You has changed my life’
‘I now know my Big Five for Life’
‘I now know where I’m going in life’
‘Brand You is awesome’
‘I still wear my wristband, and its on the right side, I also now get out of bed on the right side everyday’
‘I now believe I have the ability to reach my dreams’
‘I didn’t realise until now that anything is possible’
‘There is so much more to life than I thought’
‘Brand You has changed my life’
‘I now know my Big Five for Life’
‘I now know where I’m going in life’
‘Brand You is awesome’
Brand You Audience
The Brand You programmes have been developed so that we meet the needs of all current strategic thinking.
Within the document Every Child Matters, one of the key elements is 'Economic Wellbeing' and the Brand YOU programmes support that agenda.
The programmes addresses key elements of the Children's and Young People's plan, the Kent 14+ Training and Skills plan and the Kent 14+ Work Related Learning Strategy.
Brand YOU will help support the work of the Local 14+ Planning Forums, The Kent 14+ Strategic Form, the Local Children's Services Partnerships and consequently the work of the Children's Trust:
Economic wellbeing 11-19: career, work-related learning and enterprise
1. Recognise, develop and apply their skills for enterprise and employability
understand and demonstrate the main qualities, attitudes and skills needed to enter and thrive in the working world
- Evaluate the usefulness of a range of skills for employment and self-employment
- Manage their continuing career development, including transitions
- Take risks and learn from mistakes
- Tpply their functional skills and personal, learning and thinking
2. Relate their own abilities, attributes and achievements to career intentions and make informed choices based on an
understanding of available options.
- Assess their needs, interests, values, skills, abilities and attitudes in relation to options in learning,
- Work and enterprise, and use this process to make creative and realistic choices for progression
- Access and use an interview with a career guidance specialist to progress their plans
- Make, review and adapt their individual learning plan for transition into, through and beyond the 1419 phase
- Complete application procedures for their next steps, including a CV, personal statement and preparation for interview.
4. Use their experiences of work to extend their understanding of careers and work.
- Understand what motivates people to work
- Identify the qualities and skills needed for enterprise and employability
- Understand the importance of lifelong learning to employability and progression.
- Apply learning gained from their experiences of work to their curriculum and to their career planning.
5. Learn from contact with people who work.
- Understand the career motivations and pathways taken by individuals
- Understand the importance to employers of skills, attitudes and qualifications
- Appreciate the benefit of further learning and personal development.
6. Learn about how and why businesses operate.
- Give examples of rights and responsibilities at work, work roles and identities, and attitudes and values in relation to work and enterprise
8. Undertake tasks and activities set in work contexts.
- Demonstrate an understanding of economic and business terms
- Evaluate their experiences and learning to inform future progress and career plan
9. Engage with ideas, Challenges and Applications from the Business world
- Know and understand important enterprise concepts;
- Demonstrate enterprise skills, including Decision making, leadership, risk management and presentation;
- Demonstrate enterprise attitudes, including a willingness to take on new challenges, self reliance, open-mindedness, respect for evidence, pragmatism and commitment to making a difference.
- Demonstrate enterprise qualities, including adaptability, perseverance, determination, flexibility, creativity, ability to improvise, confidentiality, initiative, self confidence, autonomy and the drive to make things happen.
Within the document Every Child Matters, one of the key elements is 'Economic Wellbeing' and the Brand YOU programmes support that agenda.
The programmes addresses key elements of the Children's and Young People's plan, the Kent 14+ Training and Skills plan and the Kent 14+ Work Related Learning Strategy.
Brand YOU will help support the work of the Local 14+ Planning Forums, The Kent 14+ Strategic Form, the Local Children's Services Partnerships and consequently the work of the Children's Trust:
Economic wellbeing 11-19: career, work-related learning and enterprise
1. Recognise, develop and apply their skills for enterprise and employability
understand and demonstrate the main qualities, attitudes and skills needed to enter and thrive in the working world
- Evaluate the usefulness of a range of skills for employment and self-employment
- Manage their continuing career development, including transitions
- Take risks and learn from mistakes
- Tpply their functional skills and personal, learning and thinking
2. Relate their own abilities, attributes and achievements to career intentions and make informed choices based on an
understanding of available options.
- Assess their needs, interests, values, skills, abilities and attitudes in relation to options in learning,
- Work and enterprise, and use this process to make creative and realistic choices for progression
- Access and use an interview with a career guidance specialist to progress their plans
- Make, review and adapt their individual learning plan for transition into, through and beyond the 1419 phase
- Complete application procedures for their next steps, including a CV, personal statement and preparation for interview.
4. Use their experiences of work to extend their understanding of careers and work.
- Understand what motivates people to work
- Identify the qualities and skills needed for enterprise and employability
- Understand the importance of lifelong learning to employability and progression.
- Apply learning gained from their experiences of work to their curriculum and to their career planning.
5. Learn from contact with people who work.
- Understand the career motivations and pathways taken by individuals
- Understand the importance to employers of skills, attitudes and qualifications
- Appreciate the benefit of further learning and personal development.
6. Learn about how and why businesses operate.
- Give examples of rights and responsibilities at work, work roles and identities, and attitudes and values in relation to work and enterprise
8. Undertake tasks and activities set in work contexts.
- Demonstrate an understanding of economic and business terms
- Evaluate their experiences and learning to inform future progress and career plan
9. Engage with ideas, Challenges and Applications from the Business world
- Know and understand important enterprise concepts;
- Demonstrate enterprise skills, including Decision making, leadership, risk management and presentation;
- Demonstrate enterprise attitudes, including a willingness to take on new challenges, self reliance, open-mindedness, respect for evidence, pragmatism and commitment to making a difference.
- Demonstrate enterprise qualities, including adaptability, perseverance, determination, flexibility, creativity, ability to improvise, confidentiality, initiative, self confidence, autonomy and the drive to make things happen.
The Be YOUR Best Movement
Supporting every Brand You programme the ‘Be YOUR Best’ movement was established to support young people on their personal journey of success.We all know how powerful it is belonging to something and the ‘Be YOUR Best!’ movement IS that something.
Working in the same way as all the wristband campaigns, but with one notable exception - the ‘Be YOUR Best!’ wristband is about YOU personally, an instant reminder of ‘am I being my best?’
Wristband campaigns have already proven very popular with young people and ‘Be YOUR Best!’ is no different, having been already accepted across at least 10 different countries worldwide.
Brand You Leader
Building on the proven success principle that young people look to other young people first for guidance and support...
Brand You offers a series of monthly ‘Leadership’ workshops, delivered over the academic year.
Targeted at 6th former’s looking to discover and develop skills and attributes that can make such a difference to their impact on others and their environment.
Workshop themes include:
Brand You offers a series of monthly ‘Leadership’ workshops, delivered over the academic year.
Targeted at 6th former’s looking to discover and develop skills and attributes that can make such a difference to their impact on others and their environment.
Workshop themes include:
- Signposting - Understanding resources available
- Observation - Signal reading and listening skills
- Influence - Understanding leadership skills
- Mentorship - Developing the mentor within
Following each workshop the ‘Brand You Leader’ will leave with a personal action plan to turn ideas into action.
Brand You Start
A one day ‘wake-up’ opportunity.
After setting the scene the young people are introduced to the Magic Word – Attitude. They explore ‘What is a great attitude?’ and begin choosing, practising and developing their own attitudes.
Then we really begin to make progress as we raise aspirations and provide an introduction to goal-setting. They’ll begin identifying and setting themselves positive life goals and discover their Big Five for Life™, whilst removing limiting beliefs.
Now it’s time to move on to exploring goal-getting strategies and... ‘Making Life Happen’.
At the end of the day we integrate their learning experiences as they put into practise all of the elements as they awaken to the possibilities opened up by those who ‘know where they are going’
Finally the young people will leave with a personal action plan containing the secret of how to begin.
After setting the scene the young people are introduced to the Magic Word – Attitude. They explore ‘What is a great attitude?’ and begin choosing, practising and developing their own attitudes.
Then we really begin to make progress as we raise aspirations and provide an introduction to goal-setting. They’ll begin identifying and setting themselves positive life goals and discover their Big Five for Life™, whilst removing limiting beliefs.
Now it’s time to move on to exploring goal-getting strategies and... ‘Making Life Happen’.
At the end of the day we integrate their learning experiences as they put into practise all of the elements as they awaken to the possibilities opened up by those who ‘know where they are going’
Finally the young people will leave with a personal action plan containing the secret of how to begin.
Brand You Masterclass
'To make sure that school and college leavers in Kent have more choice and the right skills to follow their goals, we will: Raise the expectations and aspirations of our young people by
giving all 13-19 year olds the very best careers guidance and by providing
master classes presented by business p e o p l e , e n t r e p r e n e u r s a n d professionals' - (KCC Towards 2010 Kent)
In 2008 Kent Works partnered with Brand You to facilitate a series of Masterclass conferences across Kent to deliver this vision.
These Masterclasses are designed for year 10 and 11 students, nearing the end of compulsory education, from all schools around the county.
Schools are invited to an event that has the format of a conference hosted at an inspirational venue.
This interactive morning addresses the priorities contained within Kent's agenda for employability skills.
Brand You Masterclass Workshops focus on the skills of success and range from 'teamwork' to 'business & customer awareness', amongst other essential employability skills.
To finish the inspirational morning, former British Olympic athlete Geoff Parsons, delivers a motivational speech, which always receives excellent feedback from the students.
giving all 13-19 year olds the very best careers guidance and by providing
master classes presented by business p e o p l e , e n t r e p r e n e u r s a n d professionals' - (KCC Towards 2010 Kent)
In 2008 Kent Works partnered with Brand You to facilitate a series of Masterclass conferences across Kent to deliver this vision.
These Masterclasses are designed for year 10 and 11 students, nearing the end of compulsory education, from all schools around the county.
Schools are invited to an event that has the format of a conference hosted at an inspirational venue.
This interactive morning addresses the priorities contained within Kent's agenda for employability skills.
Brand You Masterclass Workshops focus on the skills of success and range from 'teamwork' to 'business & customer awareness', amongst other essential employability skills.
To finish the inspirational morning, former British Olympic athlete Geoff Parsons, delivers a motivational speech, which always receives excellent feedback from the students.
What is Brand You?
The Brand You philosophy is built on the foundations that make learning possible:
Attitude - Direction - Commitment
Brand You Attitude because we all have choices... and the decisions we make create our futures.
Brand You Direction because people with goals succeed and live far more enjoyable lives.
Brand You Commitment because it's through taking positive actions that we achieve positive results.
Imagine the effect when young people discover the possibilities within them and are then motivated to become THEIR best.
It's with this in mind that the 'Be YOUR Best!' Movement threads it's way through all of the Brand You programmes
The result? An energised person looking to make the right choices, to take positive action, and fully understanding that they are a 'work in progress'... Looking to be better today than they were yesterday; and actively engaged and committed to learning.
As a movement 'Be YOUR Best!' provides a cool and empowering alternative to any
cycle of negative and unhealthy peer pressure. Something to belong to as a powerful individual , but with a shared language, and a shared philosophy.
Our Brand You programmes are based on usable and effective ancient wisdom interpreted for a brand new world. Each experience is delivered with humour, integrity, storytelling, activities and emotion to bring passion and purpose to each event.
Brand You provides opportunities where participants are invited to step up and receive the 'Be YOUR Best!' gift and learn the tools and technologies of success.
We are being our best, when ‘we are being or working
towards, being the person we want to be’
towards, being the person we want to be’
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