Define Your Destiny - loveLife Generations 2011

Well what a year it has been-

Every time I have tried to list everything we have done this year, I always miss things out ! Some time in the beginning of the year we were fortunate enough to take part in Usher's New Look Foundation workshop where the man himself graced us with his presence! And some time near the end of the year we were selling our all natural 'hand made with love' products with the Generation that have branded themselves as 'Double L G'


I am going to attempt to highlight some of our achievements of 2011 but before I do, A MASSIVE THANK YOU to everyone who has been involved, inspired, motivated and supported us. Keep flying high.


Ushers New Look Foundation - February and July 
After having taken part in a workshop run by young people from the Foundation; being graced with Usher's presence and been given tickets to see Usher in concert a few of the loveLife Generation were given the oppotunity to attend a youth conference in Atlanta. They mingled, showcased talent and shared their experiences. On return the young loveLife Generation members trained and delivered the New Look Foundation's workshop with young people in Newham. 

Take Back The Future 2011
We run this programme very successfully over 2011in partnership with NAADV. The young people involved were enthused and each cohort produced used their creativity and made a short film 'Hidden Heroes'; a music track and spoken word pieces. 




Arianne De Rothschild Fellowship August 2011
I spent 2 weeks in the summer in Cambridge learning all about Social Entrepreneurship to ensure that loveLife Generation has a sustainable  future...


Swedish exchange - August 2011
 We had a whirlwind when young people from Sweden came over on the R.E.S.P.E.C.T exchange funded by  the British Council's Youth In Action.
We ran workshops on gender equality, put on cultural shows for each other and made great memories. 


Peace Awards September 2011
On 20th September 2011,  loveLife Generation  was shortlisted for the prestigious London Peace Awards hosted by Mayor Boris Johnson. We were awarded a certificate for our bridge building work on the 'Village in the City' project



Greece - Creativity September 2011 
Creativity Six was back in Greece in September 2011. loveLife groundbreakers aged 18 – 26 years spent ten glorious days with 120 young people from 12 EU nations developing the theme of volunteering and activism in creative ways.


Future 100 Award November 2011
We are very pleased to announce that we are a FUTRE 100 winner which recognises the success of young entrepreneurs who 'demonstrate flair and innovation in progressing a responsible business venture'


The Hallywell Experience Winter 2011
How well do you know your neighbours? Well after our 'Village in the City' project the neighbours of Hallywell Crescent are better acquainted. Every Sunday loveLife Generation put on different activities and brought the community together - see our earlier blog on this project.












Hand made with love Winter 2011
Having learnt all about making natural products LLG made natural products and sold their Winter Warmers in time for the christmas stockings!







HAVE A GREAT 2012 :)

Winter warmers at the Market =]

 

Now that winter is approaching we have joined forces with Hand Made Hats (says it in their name) so that whilst they can help you wrap up warm with hand knitted hats and scarves, the loveLife Generation can keep your insides nice and warm too with our range of Winter Warmers.

We have teamed up with qualified herbalists who have shown the young people at loveLife how to create natural products that will keep the chill at bay. These include lip balm, winter tea and bath salts.

These fabulous winter products are all natural and do not have to cost you an arm and a leg - no - we have learnt the wonders of natural ingredients that can be found in our very own back garden!!!

We are hoping to sell these products in local markets and to families and friends whilst the young people gain some invaluable business skills. Look out for the loveLife Generation's Winter Warmers.

Young Person's Persepctive

This weekend loveLife generation took to Forest Gate's Christmas market. We were finally putting on sale handmade natural products that the young people had been learning and making over the last few weeks. 

Some of the most popular products were the Lip Balms & the Candles. After the people had tried a little bit of the Herbal Tea, they couldn't resist and they were soon flying off the table.

Some people converted to tea lovers after they insisted that they only drank coffee. 

Having never had to sell anything  in the past especially in the cold, it was a really good feeling seeing people buy the products which we had made. 

This was a Winter Warmers special but I am looking forward to the Summer cooler special.

If I had the choice to do this again (in the summer) by jolly I would!

Salma

DNA of Europe

Check out the film about the exchange with young people from Sweden :) http://www.youtube.com/user/loveLifeGeneration?feature=mhee#p/u/0/CVJU7OpINTo

Future 100 press release

loveLife Generation  named one of the

Future 100 Young Social Entrepreneurs for 2011

loveLife Generation  is announced as one of the Future 100 Young Social Entrepreneurs of the Year on Social Enterprise Day during Global Entrepreneurship Week 2011.

Global Entrepreneurship Week is a worldwide movement of entrepreneurial people, with millions unleashing their enterprising talents and turning their ideas into reality

It began as Enterprise Week in the UK back in 2004. When news of the phenomenal success of Enterprise Week in the UK spread the globe, lots of other countries got excited about the potential of running similar initiatives in their own countries. Since its inception, Global Entrepreneurship Week has spread to 115 countries, with nearly 24,000 organisations planning more than 37,000 activities.

The Future 100 Awards were first launched in 2008 to recognise and profile young entrepreneurs running businesses, which have a triple bottom line. The definition of a triple bottom line, is a business that addresses people, planet and profit. They have a strong commercial foundation as well as a significant social and environmental impact.

The Future 100 Awards recognises the success of young entrepreneurs aged 18-35 who demonstrate entrepreneurial flair and innovation in progressing a responsible business venture.

loveLife Generation aims to involve, Inspire and Motivate young people to “Be the Change you want to see” (Gandhi). It is a youth lead organisation working with young people and communities to:

Raise their aspiration and emotional intelligence through programmes for personal development, self-management, problem solving and leadership. Increase their skill base for independent living, civic engagement and active participation in democratic processes Engage them in creative, social enterprise/ action projects promoting health, community cohesion, social responsibility and sustainable development Provide them with opportunities for accreditation, volunteering and leadership at a local, national and international level.

Founder of Striding Out and organiser of the Future100 awards, Heather Wilkinson said: "The future of our world is in the hands of individuals who are committed to generating commercial and ethical returns. 

Challenging economic times can offer opportunities to question the way we operate as both a business community and a society. We have a history of  profiling the 'Future 100' young entrepreneurs who are changing the face of everyday business and improving commerce's impact on the wider world."

The Future 100 awards encourages and rewards extraordinary vision, ethical business practice and social responsibility. They aim to showcase businesses that offer innovative and sustainable solutions to social problems. The Future 100 Awards is organized by Striding Out www.stridingout.co.uk, a social enterprise which is committed to supporting the development and growth of young and ethical entrepreneurs.

WHAT A WEEK :)

It has been an extraordinary week for us!!

First we pitched loveLife at a Women in Business Event and also we are really excited to announce loveLife Generation have recieved a FUTURE 100 award :)  http://www.future100.co.uk/

Hallywell project comes to an end

Last Sunday was the last of the Hallywell project. We ended it with a celebration with a bin parade which the young people and graffiti artists had turned in to works of art. Passer byers couldn't help but stop and stare as we cat walked, bin at hand down Hallywell Crescent. 
The young participants also showcased their drama piece which they were working on. The topic was of television programmes so friends, family and supporters were entertained with a sport review; a gossip show and of course the news.


We also got the chance to practice our break dancing and let our inner B-boy out as well as try the wonderful healthy concoction Herbal Medicine taught us - however some people's palettes were more susceptible to chicken and chips as opposed to beetroot, avocado and coriander!!
Pictures and a short film to come soon :)


RK

Powered By Service

We were fortunate enough to have a 4 loveLife Generation youngsters visit Atlanta over the summer where they took part in Usher's New Look Foundation's youth conference.
They mingled with young leaders from all over the world, learnt from each other and shared their experiences. Some of the young people showcased some of their spoken word in fornt of an audience which included Usher and Dougie Fresh...and for Salma this was her first time performing her poetry in public!!!
Last week two of our young leaders (Salma and Chandni) were trained up to run the Powered By Service training over a video conference with the leaders in Atlanta. Imagine. They were across the Ocean from them, yet it seemed like they were in the same room!
This was very exciting and today loveLife Generation delivered this training to a group of young people :) Bring on the ACTION PROJECTS!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

RK

Village in the City- How well do you know Hallywell? (or your own neighbours for that matter?)

Village in the City

Back in the days, we are told, people on a street spoke to each other, helped each other and felt far safer than they seem to do now. 

Hallywell Crescent in Beckton E6 used to be such a street so said residents who had lived here for some time but no more. UNTIL...

loveLife descended upon the neighbourhood to create our very own village in the city, by involving residents across age groups in activities of interest and fun to get to become a closer community.

Funded by the Youth in Action Programme of the British Council, we worked on Hallywell Crescent from August to November 2011 to help develop Hallywell into a friendlier, brighter and safer street.

We spent  two weeks of door knocking with our young volunteers, finding out how residents felt about living on the crescent and explaining what we hoped to through the Hallywell Experience.  

Sundays, during September and October, saw Hallywellians enjoy the spectacle of some very dull wheelie bins transformed into works of urban art; street theatre on the green patch; the 'thud thud' of teenagers getting into shape with fitness work outs and 'piggy in the middle' bringing out the street vibe (no matter what age). The buzz from the street filtered across to the local community centre where children and young people enjoyed arts & crafts, fun and games, dance and drama. The herbal workshops initially designed for adults proved a massive hit with the young as well creating a shared activity across generations. 

When summer decided to visit London in October, Hallywell truly came alive with a community picnic - sunshine, munch, music and laughter.  New friends were made and old ones  reconnected.

Our final Sunday ended with a celebration. Dance and drama performances, herbal give-aways, arts and crafts presentations and the very first ever catwalk of wheelie bins were showcased. Bin number 28 stole the show and was awarded the coveted red ribbon. 

The smiles felt throughout the Halllywell Experience are still with us and we hope that the spirit of our small village in the city will continue to warm us heading into the depths of winter. 

Young person's persepctive :

These last few weeks we have been gathering every Sunday with residents of Hallywell Crescent to help bring back the street vibe to the street. 

After receiving the Youth In Action fund we embarked on this mission which we started off by knocking on residents doors and asking them questions about the kind of activities they would like to participate in; how safe they felt on their street and how much they trust their neighbours amongst others. Their answers sure did SURPRISE us! Seemed like TRUST leaves as one steps out of the house! 

So with the young people we took to the streets again. This time to invite the residents to special Sunday sessions with different activities. This is the fourth week and this is what we have achieved:

Bins are not just for rubbish - Young people have been spray painting their dustbins on the street and creating pieces of art. They first learnt how to spray and with the help of tutors they have transformed smelly bins into smelly 'attractive' bins

Herbal Medicine - young people and parents alike have been taking part in these workshops leaning how to create things from cough medicine to moisturising cream - All from natural ingredients that you can find in your garden!! This has sparked a great enterprising idea Watch out for Winter Warmers

Fitness - and a 1 and a 2 - yep Hallywell have been getting sweaty with PT and have boxed; kicked (football) and shot (basketball) into a huff and a puff

Drama: At the end of every session we have been entertained by some spectacular acting. Not only increasing their acting skills it really has been wonderful seeing people shine and really come out of their shells

Dance: breaking, popping and locking all the way...and finally lots of fun games to keep the little ones happy.

All of this every Sunday with loveLife values and activities underlying everything we do!

Sundays will never be the same again! 


RK

Inspire, Involve, Motivate

We have certainly been Involving, Inspiring and Motivating in our new project where we have been working on one street where every Sunday residents have been coming together and working together! More updates to come as we are exhausted from an great day on the street today where dustbins turned into pieces if art!!

welcome to the loveLife Generation

www.loveLifeGeneration.org