Brendan, EMDA and City Arts; a case study

Case Study

City Arts enter the commercial world - August 2009

Enterprise & Innovation

East Midlands Business Champion Brendan Blewitt has worked closely with Nottingham City Arts to help them develop a greater awareness of the needs of commercial operations and facilitate their approach to business organisations.

As Gillian Bates, Communications Manager at City Arts, explains: ?City Arts receives funding from the Arts Council, Nottingham City Council and various trusts. In the present economic climate we felt that it was vital to broaden the organisation?s appeal and identify additional sources of funding within the commercial world.?

Business Champions - a programme created and funded by the East Midlands Development Agency (emda) which recruits high-calibre proactive business figures. Working with voluntary and educational organisations, Business Champions support projects where a commercial perspective is needed. For City Arts, involvement with Business Champions would, they felt, help them to bridge the gap between Public Sector Arts and Private Sector Business.

It?s easy to see why Business Champion Brendan Blewett was attracted to this particular project. Now a principal of training organisation Vision Development Consultants, Brendan has a varied background, including two years working as an artist in the heady New York art scene and a further period exhibiting his art in Spain. Add to that his ten years heading a college art department and more recent history in business and you have an individual with a unique insight into the operations of both ?worlds?.

Brendan identifies one of his key skills as an ability to probe the inner workings of an organisation, to ask the right questions. After some initial discussion, he started work with City Arts with a full day session, looking at the way that City Arts functions. Together with staff he identified key words that expressed their mission and explored how well they are communicating both internally and externally.

His contribution has been invaluable, says Gillian Bates. ?Brendan has been brilliant. He has been able to understand the way we work, and has made us look much more coolly and dispassionately at City Arts and appreciate how we can make real improvements?

Brendan found that the structure of the organisation made it difficult for City Arts to be flexible, and got in the way of effective communications. As he said: ?City Arts draws on the skills of people from mental health professionals to community artists. Communication and clear identification of responsibilities and areas of influence among such a disparate group has been a challenge?.

This first session was followed up by a second where they looked more at how communications could be improved through a clear definition of individuals? roles and responsibilities throughout, and they also identified projects which they felt had a commercial dimension, or would be attractive to businesses. Brendan has also been able to identify and facilitate funding for the project through the Government programme, Train To Gain.

Gillian Bates made the point: ?We didn?t really know how to go about approaching commercial businesses and whether we would share the same values.?

Brendan has been able to demystify much of the business world for City Arts, providing a language and an approach for them to base their presentations on.

As Brendan put it: ?Many organisations are aware of their Corporate Social Responsibility obligations and are looking for ways to give back to the community, either through participation or sponsorship. We have been able to identify transferable skills and opportunities where City Arts can work alongside the business community?.

Building for Success

Fantastic News!

Vision has now received funding to work across the City of Nottingham, delivering and co-ordinating a range of courses to improve individuals' employability skills.

Project Theme: Building for Success.

Target Audience: The project is aimed at individuals who are (16+) and unemployed, within the City of Nottingham. This also includes Voluntary/Community Groups and Individuals that work less than 16hrs a week.

Project Aim: Improving personal employability skills.

Subject Themes: All courses are FREE to attend (Subject to Criteria)

· 2 Day First Aid Refresher

· 3 Day First Aid at Work Certificate

· 1 Day First Aid Appointed Person

· 2 Day Paediatric (Excellent for Child Care / Social Care)

· CIEH Principles of COSHH Course Health & Safety

· ?Principles of Manual Handling Course?

· ?Understanding the top ten skills that employers want?. Based on a number of surveys by Microsoft, Target Jobs, the BBC, Prospects, NACE and other Organisations

Where and when: (Your place or mine?)

Option 1: You can book delegates on to a scheduled training day at Vision as we have excellent training facilities to improve the learning environment. These include a fully operational Training Room and a professional Board Room. (Please contact for dates and times)

Option 2: Alternatively the training could take place at your Venue if you have more than 7 Delegates to attend the training.

?Learning really comes to life at Vision with interesting and creative resources used to make the training inspiring and memorable?

If you feel that your Organisation or any individuals you know could benefit from any of the above, please call one of our team on 0115 9418242

To take this project forward a partnership meeting has been arranged at Vision on the 30th of September 2009 at 1.30 pm. and because we have no shame we will be offering you afternoon cream tea.

Please could you confirm by email if you would like to attend this meeting.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Sharon Roberts.

Managing Director:

Vision Development consultants

Specialist?s in National & International Business/ Personal Development:

Consciously Successful

Consciously Successful seminar

A date for your diary? 16th of May 2009:

Be inspired!!


Imagine this?
You start your own business, the contracts flow in and you build an excellent customer base.You attend various social networks, you explore new and exciting opportunities and you attend the parents evenings.
But there is still a piece of the jigsaw missing! You realise you are alone and in business:


If you feel you have a piece of your Jigsaw missing then this seminar is for you.

Consciously Successful in Business Seminar
Seminar Overview:


This one day motivational seminar is specifically for women in business.
So many women in business are successful yet feel subconsciously alone, especially the small business owners. Understanding that you are consciously successful at so many levels increases your confidence, motivation and the way you interact with your customers.
What will you get from the day?

*You will feel motivated and inspired by yourself and others around you.
*You will have a greater understanding of how successful you are and are going to be in the future?*You will take away proven resources and tips from female Entrepreneurs in the UK and the U.S.A
*You will take away new skills and a greater understanding of your conscious model for success.
*You have to feel it, see it and believe it .

*You will Network and enjoy being the real you! Not what others want you to be.
*I Personally guarantee you will have a fantastic day!


Resources you will need for the day:

A serious commitment to you and a good sense of humor (No boring people need apply)



Please note there are only 13 places available and I have a very big database, so what are you waiting for?

"After all you created a successful business from a single thought, just imagine what you are really capable of achieving if you put your mind to it"

Date: 16th of MAY 2009.Time: 10.00. a.m - 2.00.p.m.

Venue: Vision Head Office: 63-67 Mansfield Road Nottingham NG1 3FN

Cost: £45.00.Per Person. (Lunch & Refreshments provided)
Call Vision on: 0115 9418242 for your registration form or email me to book your place.

"Your true passion should feel like breathing; it's that natural"

The Amazing Billionaire Oprah Winfrey

"Every thought we think is creating our Future"

Another inspirational Billionaire Louise Hay,

"Your thoughts and those around you should inspire and give you hope,

if not it's time for a spring clean"

Sharon Roberts (Working on joining the above billionaire category)

I have the right!

It is not often that we get the opportunity to take the time out just to appreciate what we have achieved in our lives. Many of us can slip into an emotional rut , the trick is finding a way out.

I hope the following tips might help you think about your individual rights.

YOUR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS

I have the right to decline responsibility for other peoples problems.
But is that unkind, selfish or uncaring? The trouble is that some people feel that everybody problems are their concern. Sometimes we need to stop and think why we take on board so many other problems and not deal with our own.

I have the right to ask for what I want.
Many people spend their lives going along with others and what other people tell them they want. We settle for things we do not want, for something that is not quite right, because we do not feel we have the right to protest. It is useful to remind yourself of what you want in life and not what others want for you.

I have a right to change my mind.
As you look more closely at decision making, you will see that you make some decisions for the wrong reasons. A wrong decision brings regret, and then we try to think of ways of getting out of the wrong decision.

I have the right to say that I don't understand.
I think we have all experienced this at some point in our life. We sit in a room filled with people and don't understand the main subject of the conversation, yet we choose not to say anything.

I have the right to be treated with respect as an intelligent capable and equal human being.
Self-respect and self-worth both mean the same thing - do you respect yourself? And if you do not, then look for the reasons why.

I have the right to express my feelings.
Assertiveness training is learning to recognise what you are feeling at the time. There are three aspects to expressing your feelings, recognising and identifying them, accepting rather than denying them, and then choosing to express them appropriately.

I have a right to express my opinions and values.
This means that you have the right to your own opinions even if they stand in disagreement with those of the majority. It is not a question of right or wrong, but differences in perception.

I have the right to say 'yes' or 'no' for myself.
Making a choice for yourself because you want something or do not want something becomes more difficult when you have other roles to fulfil.

I have the right to make mistakes.
If someone points out that we have made a mistake, we seem to think that we are stupid. So what if you have made a mistake, learn to shrug your shoulders and get on with it. Too many of us become defensive or go into a pit of despair.

I have the right to deal with others without being dependent on their approval.
This is what tends to hold so many people back from stating their needs, expressing their feelings, standing up for their rights and refusing what they really want. This is because they cannot tolerate the other persons anticipated disapproval. What will they think of me?

"Enjoy your weekend"

Sharon Roberts

Motivational Business specialist.

'Letting go of the Guilt'

Before we can understand how guilt affects us on so many levels; the first thing is to try to understand what guilt means for you and how this affects the way you work and live your life.

Did you know that some people struggle with the thought of being happy, never mind being successful at something else. Success means so many different things to different people. Think of one moment in your life where guilt has held you back, what was the impact of that moment?

Holding onto self limiting beliefs sometimes stops us achieving what we want for ourselves because we pretend to be someone else.This course will challenge the whole aspect of guilt and explore why so many people reflect their guilt onto you. You will identify how to take your personal goals forward by taking fear out of the equation.

What would you do if you weren't afraid?

Choosing to be successful means tackling problems head on

What or Who are YOU waiting for?

Course Information

Dates:
Session 1 6.30p.m. - 8.00p.m. Wednesday 18th March
Session 2 6.30p.m. - 8.00p.m. Wednesday 25th March
Session 3 6.30p.m. - 8.00p.m. Wednesday 1st April
Session 4 6.30p.m. - 8.00p.m. Wednesday 8th April

Location:
Visions head office. 2nd Floor, 63-67 Mansfield Road, Nottingham. NG1 3FN

Cost:
£120.00 fully inclusive

Contact:
For more information or to book a place call Vision on 0115 941 8242Or visit our website at www.visionconsulttraining.co.uk


Sincerely,

Sharon Roberts
Vision Development Consultants