Unloc & Verizon Business scoop impressive awards at the Better Society Awards 2024
13 June 2024
We’re thrilled to reveal that we and Verizon Business won two awards at The Better Society Awards 2024!
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The Unloc Changemaker Alliance, an ambitious initiative dedicated to levelling the playing field for young people from deprived communities by providing them with skills, training and opportunities, has announced that Juniper Networks, a leader in secure, AI-driven networks, has joined the Alliance.
Juniper will be joining a growing collection of existing Alliance members, who are business leaders with a commitment to driving social value in a wide range of industry sectors including education, fashion, communications and manufacturing.
By joining organisations including Burberry, Verizon Business and Palo Alto Networks, Juniper is supporting Unloc’s work in schools, colleges and communities across the UK.
A key component of this activity is leveraging the talents, expertise and experiences of Juniper employees who will volunteer as speakers and mentors to help young people from underserved communities to develop life skills and explore the wide range of career pathways available to them.
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Gos Hein van de Wouw, Vice President Enterprise, EMEA, Juniper Networks said:
“Juniper has a long-established track record of using our technology and business know-how to support the development and advancement of those most in need in communities worldwide, especially the young and with an eye on the workforce of the future. Therefore, it is a great pleasure for Juniper to become part of the Unloc Changemaker Alliance, enabling our UK workforce to engage with and help young people to acquire business skills, self-esteem and a sense of their own worth. It is also a great opportunity to build strong synergies with existing partners like Verizon Business.”
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Hayden Taylor, Unloc’s Managing Director said:
“We are so excited to welcome Juniper Networks to the Unloc Changemakers Alliance. The Alliance is a unique forward thinking and proactive collective of businesses investing in the potential of young people and I know the Juniper Networks team will add immense value. Today’s school and college students are tomorrow’s workforce, and our alliance allows us to deliver programmes and support to disadvantaged young people around the country. I’m particularly excited by the prospect of working with Juniper employees as speakers and mentors in our school and college programmes, helping us to improve young people’s skills, driving their ambition and broadening their career potential.”
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Sanjiv Gossain, fellow Alliance member Verizon’s Head of EMEA said:
“We welcome Juniper Networks joining the Changemaker Alliance. It is an important new chapter of the program and a testament to the strength of our partnership. We are looking forward to working alongside the team at Juniper and the wider network to help young people reach their potential, regardless of background.”
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With growing momentum surrounding the Unloc Changemaker Alliance, the future looks bright both for the initiative and its impact – but most importantly for the young people and the lives and economy that will benefit from this vital investment in the futures of young people.
For more information about the Unloc Changemaker Alliance, or to watch our short video about this exciting new union of businesses simply visit: unloc.org.uk/alliance
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Notes for Journalists
About Unloc & the Changemaker Alliance
Unloc was founded in 2013 by award-winning young leaders Hayden Taylor and Ben Dowling. The organisation’s mission is to empower young people to be innovative changemakers who seek to build stronger communities and sustainable businesses. The organisation is focused on developing young people’s skills, enhancing their potential and boosting their determination to succeed. Unloc works towards achieving its mission by delivering inspiring educational programmes to over 20,000 young people each year, including on entrepreneurship and self-employment, in our network of 250+ schools and colleges in the UK and beyond.
The Unloc Changemaker Alliance is a growing network of leading businesses who share our vision of supporting every young person to achieve their true potential. By working together, we are widening access to Unloc’s educational programmes for schools and colleges from disadvantaged communities, supporting young people with micro-grants to set up a new business or community project, engaging employees to volunteer in our community programmes and bringing like-minded businesses together to create change.
To find out more about Unloc and all our latest news visit: unloc.org.uk/news
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About the members of the Unloc Changemaker Alliance
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Juniper Networks
Juniper Networks is dedicated to dramatically simplifying network operations and driving superior experiences for end users. Our solutions deliver industry-leading insight, automation, security and AI to drive real business results. We believe that powering connections will bring us closer together while empowering us all to solve the world’s greatest challenges of well-being, sustainability and equality.
Additional information can be found at Juniper Networks (www.juniper.net) or connect with Juniper on X (Twitter), LinkedIn and Facebook.
Juniper Networks, the Juniper Networks logo, Juniper, Junos, and other trademarks listed here are registered trademarks of Juniper Networks, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks is the world’s cybersecurity leader. We innovate to outpace cyberthreats, so organizations can embrace technology with confidence. We provide next-gen cybersecurity to thousands of customers globally, across all sectors. Our best-in-class cybersecurity platforms and services are backed by industry-leading threat intelligence and strengthened by state-of-the-art automation.
Whether deploying our products to enable the Zero Trust Enterprise, responding to a security incident, or partnering to deliver better security outcomes through a world-class partner ecosystem, we’re committed to helping ensure each day is safer than the one before. It’s what
makes us the cybersecurity partner of choice.
Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) was formed on June 30, 2000 and is one of the world’s leading providers of technology and communications services. Headquartered in New York City and with a presence around the world, Verizon generated revenues of $133.6 billion in 2021. The company offers data, video and voice services and solutions on its award-winning networks and platforms, delivering on customers’ demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity, security and control.
VERIZON’S ONLINE MEDIA CENTER: News releases, stories, media contacts and other resources are available at verizon.com/news.
News releases are also available through an RSS feed. To subscribe, visit www.verizon.com/about/rss-feeds/.
Burberry
● Burberry is a global luxury brand headquartered in London, UK.
● Founded in 1856, Burberry is listed on the London Stock Exchange (BRBY.L) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index.
● BURBERRY, the Equestrian Knight Device, the Burberry Check and the Thomas Burberry Monogram and Print are trademarks belonging to Burberry.
● For more news: www.burberryplc.com
GRP Solutions LTD
GRP Solutions Ltd is the UK’s leading provider to the Glass reinforced plastics industry. A highly experienced team of composite experts, dedicated to setting the standard in composite distribution. Working with world class suppliers the company prides itself in offering the very best solutions and service to customers.
Growing from strength to strength, GRP Solutions provides customers across every sector of the UK with the most comprehensive range of composite solutions and services.
Further information can be found at: www.grp-solutions.com
What a fantastic term it’s been! Since the start of September the Accelerate Programme has been in full swing, delivering a series of amazing workshops and inspiring sessions to over 260 young people in 6 different schools across Portsmouth and the surrounding areas.
This unique and exciting new programme was designed in partnership between Unloc and The City of Portsmouth College to explore young people’s aspirations, develop their employability and enterprise skills, and explore college life through a series of fun, interactive workshops!
Each workshop focused on one of the E6 principles, an initiative set up by the college to offer enrichment opportunities for students to prepare for the working world.
The students have worked so hard and really engaged with the programme this time, so what better way to end the current round of the Accelerate programme than with a graduation event to celebrate all their efforts! on Thursday 8th December at City Of Portsmouth College, Highbury Campus.
Students who completed the programme, along with their parents and guardians, braved the freezing conditions to join us and The City Of Portsmouth College at the College’s Highbury Campus on the 8th December to celebrate their hard work and be awarded their certificates.
The Unloc team were honoured to be joined by David Byford: Director for Business Engagement, Apprenticeships and Partnerships, Dan Franklin: Manager of School liaison and Councillor Suzy Horton, Portsmouth City Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Families.
Suzy delivered an inspiring speech to the pupils regarding the possibilities she seized throughout her education and career to get to her position within the local government administration.
After the certificate ceremony, the pupils were faced with one final Accelerate challenge provided by Uniformed Protective Services which involved making a chair from only balloons and sticky tape!
All the guests then enjoyed a fun evening of food, donuts, pic ’n’ mix candies, prizes and a photo-booth (which of course our wonderful Unloc facilitators needed to sample!).
It was an electric evening and the perfect way to end what has been such a brilliant new programme to add to the Unloc portfolio. Working closely with the college to develop such a bespoke programme for the students has been so fulfilling as we’ve watched them grow and develop, and we look forward to bringing Accelerate to more students in the new year.
As always we like to collect feedback from the young people we work with, so here are just a few of the comments that we collected on the night!
“I really enjoyed the Accelerate programme as I learnt new skills like debating. I really struggle with public speaking and this programme has really helped.”
Accelerate Programme Graduate
“Doing this course has taught me that there are so many options and skills out in the world that we don’t know until we actually try to achieve them.”
Accelerate Programme Graduate
“Just a quick note to thank you for running the Accelerate programme and graduation. [My young person] really enjoyed both parts of the programme, and I was very impressed with the graduation ceremony. Thank you for all you do for our young people.”
Graduation attendee
We’ll be begining a new round of the Accelerate programme in 2023, so keep an eye on our News page right here on the Unloc website, as well as on our social media channels to keep up to date!
You can also subscribe to our free Unloc Digital Update by clicking here!
Recently we had the opportunity to work with Portsmouth Grammar School to deliver one of our Unloc Enterprise Days with their Year 7 pupils. Our Enterprise Day events typically involve organising large groups of students to partake in an ‘enterprise challenge’ in small teams. These challenges involve young students thinking of ways to start their own enterprise.
We never fail to be amazed at the ingenuity and creativity young people have on these programmes. With fantastic ideas ranging from setting up a chocolate business, to designing a custom shoe company making bespoke footwear!
The students complete the challenge by creating a visual business plan explaining how their business will be viable. They have to examine key aspects of how their company would function, such as branding, marketing, costs and revenues.
This is typically done in groups of 5-7, with key roles assigned to each member of the team. It’s fantastic to watch as we witness the young people take on a challenge they’ve never dealt with before, then embrace that role as they begin to understand how it works in the context of a business setting.
It really does open the eyes and minds of young people who may never have heard of/or experienced that kind of role or job before. The day culminates with the students pitching their business idea to a panel of judges, with the winning team receiving lovely Unloc prizes!
The goal of our Unloc Enterprise Days are to inspire young people to fulfil their potential, expanding their mindsets whilst improving their soft skills such as public speaking, creativity, leadership and teamwork. Not only is it a day of new ideas and challenges, but of much fun, laughter and excitement!
The Enterprise Challenge that the Portsmouth Grammar School students were set was to start their very own custom sock company. From the outset, the students, all from Year 7, were incredibly engaged.
We first watched a short clip of young entrepreneur Brennan Agranoff, the 17 year old who started his own 7 figure custom sock business. Brennan started manufacturing socks when he was just 13 years old, starting his own company called HoopSwagg. After his business really took off Brennan set up HoopSwagg Causes, a charity program to help people in need. Within two years of starting HoopSwagg was a major competitor in the industry, and he now owns a second business also called PetParty.
It was really incredible to see the Year 7 students get so inspired by his success. Often young people are taught about or made aware of these fantastic success stories, and it is examples like these that can have a lasting impact on such talented young people.
The students (in groups of 6) then had the challenge of sorting themselves into team roles, ranging from the CEO, CFO, CMO and so forth. They then had to come up with a brand name, logo design and pattern designs for their socks. Our Unloc staff were absolutely blown away with the depth of creativity and imagination of the students. From thermal socks , to sustainable eco-friendly socks , the students had an array of original creative concepts.
Moving on, the challenge progressed with the pupils being required to create a business plan. Here, they managed to impress us even more with the quality of their business propositions, ranging from subscription models as a means to create revenue, sponsorships to generate investment, social media influencer campaigns and organic outreach to acquire customers.
It was clear that the room was filled with gifted students who had a precocious talent for business coupled with a genuine work ethic.
Finally, the day ended with the students pitching their sock ideas to our judges and their peers. Just when you thought energy levels would drop off – the students truly shone, with copious amounts of energetic, confident, clear and concise pitches by the groups as they unleashed their ideas to the room.
Moments like these are what we at Unloc dream of. We feel so honoured to know we have opened their eyes and minds to the possibilities ahead of them, and to play a part in inspiring society’s future young leaders to make an impact in the world.
Here are some comments from the Year 7 pupils on the day:
“I really enjoyed this lesson today! I have learned so many new things and features for what I could use in my interior design business which I am planning to do. Once again, thank you for coming over and I hope you enjoy your day!”
“We enjoyed it very much and found it inspirational. Thank you for this experience/opportunity.”
“I loved the way we were able to collaborate and work together as a team“
Deputy Head (Innovation) for Portsmouth Grammar School, Luke Rees commented:
“The energy and enthusiasm from our pupils was a true delight to see and the expert coaches from Unloc scaffolded activities and discussions expertly to ensure that all learning opportunities were maximised.”
“This Year 7 day was the start of a leadership journey that these pupils will go on throughout their time at PGS and each session will build on what they have already learned. We are delighted to be working in partnership with Unloc and most importantly our pupils thoroughly enjoyed the day!”
Our Enterprise Day at Portsmouth Grammar School was a fantastic success and enjoyed by both students and our Unloc team immensely. Thank you so much to all the young people who took part, we can’t wait to follow your success!
To learn more about Portsmouth Grammar School click here!
To learn more about HoopSwagg click here!
We’re thrilled to reveal that we and Verizon Business won two awards at The Better Society Awards 2024!
Last Thursday industry professionals from across the country gathered at Verizon’s slick London Hub in at MidCity Place, Holborn, for a Changemaker Moments event on Manufacturing.
During the February half-term and Easter holidays this year, 53 young people, in Year 11 and 12, from across Portsmouth participated in our ‘Portsmouth Inspires’ Programme, funded by NCS.
. We’re looking for a passionate & creative young person aged 16-25 in the Portsmouth or London areas to become our first official social media
We’re thrilled to reveal that we and Verizon Business won two awards at The Better Society Awards 2024!
Last Thursday industry professionals from across the country gathered at Verizon’s slick London Hub in at MidCity Place, Holborn, for a Changemaker Moments event on Manufacturing.
During the February half-term and Easter holidays this year, 53 young people, in Year 11 and 12, from across Portsmouth participated in our ‘Portsmouth Inspires’ Programme, funded by NCS.
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