Help us celebrate the launch of a very special new rap track and music video from Benitez, Kizz, Bagins & Mystical Truth for the debut single ‘I Won’t Give Up’ which launches today, Wednesday 14th August 2024! This dynamic new track is written,, produced, mixed and performed by young people as a united stand against knife crime, drugs, gang culture, and youth violence.
This exciting project came together over the past few months as Unloc brought together young artists to aim for social justice as part of Unloc’s Inspiring Change programme. This is a unique initiative working in partnership with young people from the Portsmouth area who have a lived experience of violence, asking them to use their experiences and ambitions, and to channel that energy into designing youth-led social action projects that tackle the root cause in their communities.
In partnership with Music Fusion and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner Hampshire and the Isle Of Wight, we’ve challenged young changemakers with creating social action projects that make a difference, make a statement using lived experiences as a foundation – then supported them to make their project a reality.
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These projects contribute to preventing people from becoming the victims of crime themselves. The young people involved are on a journey of discovery and learning, exploring youth violence in their community, before being supported to create, design, set-up and run their own social action project to build awareness or action on the issue amongst their peers and the wider community.
One of these amazing groups has written, rapped, and created an emotive rap and music video about the many aspects of knife crime, including the reasons behind it, self harm, the implications on their lives and community and the detrimental impact. Featuring rappers Benitez, Kizz, Bagins & Mythical Truth, with beats by Leon, and recorded at the Music Fustion studio, with recording, mixed and mastering by Blessed – the group have created a stunning single in ‘I Won’t Give Up’ that we are so incredibly proud of.
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Backed by an official music video filmed and edited by the talent at Questionable Motives, the track is available now on Spotify and Youtube for everyone to listen to, enjoy, and hear about these young people’s real lived experiences.
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Unloc’s Managing Director Hayden Taylor said:
“This is the first time we’ve had young people create such an impressive social action project such as this, taking their real lives, thoughts and experiences – and using all they’ve learnt about social action and youth voice through our Inspiring Change programme, and channeling all that knowledge and passion into creating something really special and impactful. I know our Facilitators Beth and Jess have enjoyed working on this project immensely, and have been impressed and inspired through the creativity and energy these young changemakers have put into this project.”
“We also want to say a massive thank you Music Fusion, and to Donna Jones and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire & the Isle of Wight, it’s their support and partnership on this project which has allowed us to deliver something so unique and special, a project that speaks to young people in their own language and culture. Thank you so much, I know that they are just as proud as we are at this amazing single and music video, we can’t wait to share it with everyone!”
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The single is available to watch and listen to now on Spotify and YouTube.
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Click here to find out more about Music Fusion
Click here for more on the Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner for Hampshire & Isle of Wight
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We’re thrilled to reveal that we and our partners Verizon Business have been shortlisted for not just one, but two awards at The Better Society Awards 2024! The first category is for the National Commitment to Skills & Training Award, something we’re hugely proud of as we roll out our skills focused programmes, workshops and bootcamps across the UK.
The second is for the Philanthropy Award category, given to celebrate individuals and organisations who advance innovation, new solutions, and demonstrate meaningful progress in a community, association, or other nonprofit organisation.
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Unloc’s Managing Director Haydon Taylor is thrilled about the announcement, saying:
“What an incredible honour to be shortlisted for such impressive awards and gaining recognition for the extensive work we do with young people around the country. We’ve worked with the amazing team at Verizon Business for five years now to provide collaborative training and skills opportunities to more than 100,000 young people from across the country, many from disadvantaged communities.”
“Our partnership allows us to provide them with access to free skills and opportunities they’d otherwise miss out on. Working throughout the education sector we’ve been able to expand our reach and help develop the potential of young people from all different backgrounds. Building their confidence, their skills, and their ability to become young changemakers in their communities. I hope everyone will wish us, and Verizon the best of luck on awards night!”
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Talent and opportunity in the UK is often mis-aligned, with young people growing up in the most challenging socio-economic communities facing life expectancies up-to 6 years below the national average and lifetime income earning potential up-to 40% below the national benchmark (such as Portsmouth). Our joint skills and training programmes are helping to redress this imbalance.
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This uniquely collaborative approach between a global corporate, and our own non-for-profit skills & training organisation has:
The outcomes described above are the combined results of the six bespoke and innovative programmes in entrepreneurship, leadership, career pathways and amplifying student voices, which are curated and delivered by Unloc’s expert youth-focused facilitation team, working in close collaboration with Verizon employee mentors, guest speakers and industry experts.
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“We’re so proud of the programs that we’ve developed with Unloc and the impact that they’ve had. I’m delighted that our partnership has been award-nominated as it shows that our approach to levelling the playing field for young people and helping them to develop entrepreneurial skills is making a marked impact and achieving our ambitions in line with our responsible business plan, Citizen Verizon.”
Sanjiv Gossain, Head of EMEA, Verizon Business
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Changemaker Challenge Enterprise Days
These day-long events take place in schools across the country with a particular focus on the most deprived communities, reaching more than 10,000 young people every year. They inspire young people to explore what it means to be a changemaker, including widening their career horizons and putting their entrepreneurial skills to the test through a series of social business challenges.
Each event brings together between 30 and 100 primary or secondary school students to learn about the life and career journeys of local entrepreneurs, Verizon employees and participate in entrepreneurial skill building workshops. Each day culminates in a ‘changemaker challenge’, whereby a team of young people work together to identify and develop an entrepreneurial solution to a real-life social, environmental or economic issue.
Saiqua Zaneb, Deputy Head Teacher at Central Foundation Girls School in Tower Hamlets said
“These experiences have been transformative for our students, giving them the skills and training experiences they need to thrive in the real world.”
Unloc Academies
Our 3-month long Leadership and Enterprise academies develop the skills of more than 1000 passionate young people annually, supporting them to successfully tackle a solution to an issue they or their peers have faced in their schools, colleges or communities. For those participating in the Leadership Academy, Unloc provides practical instruction in project planning, facilitation and effective communication, as well as building personal confidence and leadership. Enterprise Academy students gain skills in business planning, market testing, setting up a business, financial management and more from entrepreneurs and Verizon employees and volunteers.
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I AM:
I AM is a new kind of social change incubator putting 100 young people annually at the heart of tackling issues around equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), whilst developing their life-long employability. For 6 months, young people from across Portsmouth and London come together over 4 immersive weekends of training and collaboration to learn about EDI and apply what they have learn to create and implement social change projects, with the support of community leaders, local professionals, specialist consultants, and democratically-elected representatives Following participation, 100% of young people say they feel more inspired to do something different or take action in the future, and 92% say they want to take part in similar programmes.
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EDI Changemaker Days
Running alongside I AM, EDI Changemaker Days take place in 5 schools in disadvantaged communities and deliver an immersive day-long experience on EDI and racial justice for 1000 young people each year. With the help of the Unloc team and Verizon mentors, students build their own in-school campaigns to tackle a problem or address a challenge that impacts their lives.
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The Young Entrepreneurs Challenge
The Young Entrepreneurs Challenge is an annual event that identifies and encourages young entrepreneurial talent. Now in its 5th year, the challenge provides the opportunity for any young person aged 16-25 with an innovative technology-led, business idea to apply for a grant of £10,000, plus mentorship, training and specialist pro-bono expertise, to help them translate their idea into a successful social enterprise or business. To date, 35 young people have been supported, with their ventures in turn employing more than 250 people.
We are delighted to announce that in partnership with One Young World and supported by The Ellis Campbell Foundation, we are launching our all new Seed2030 Micro Grants!
Following the amazing One Young World Summit 2023 which took place in Belfast last month, Seed2030 will provide ten young leaders with grants worth up to £1,000 to test and develop their campaign or project ideas and start their own social enterprise.
Both One Young World and Unloc recognise that in order to incubate the next generation of young leaders, and widen access to changemaking, more needs to be done to provide funding and support to those young people with enormous potential but limited social capital.
Both organisations are committed to creating a better world and more opportunities for young people, by working together, we’re opening doors for disadvantaged young people in the region and helping them to activate their ambitions.
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The Seed2030 project will give 10 young people, aged 14 – 25, living in Northern Ireland, the opportunity to apply for £1000 to develop or test their community project idea or start up business that aims to advance on one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Alongside the funding, the 10 young people will gain the opportunity to take part in a 2 day, 1 night immersive leadership bootcamp in Belfast helping them to progress their own leadership skills and the progress of their project, campaign or venture.
Following the bootcamp, grantees are connected with a mentor from the One Young World ambassador community; these mentors will support the grantee for 6 months as they get their project off the ground. Furthermore, the young people will also receive ongoing support from Unloc to develop their project or business idea.
Seed2030 has also been shaped and championed by local young people from Northern Ireland, Aimee Clint from the Education Authority and Nicole Parkinson-Kelly, a previous member of the Northern Ireland Youth Forum.This expert local knowledge combined with the expertise of Unloc staff to develop young changemakers has created a project that will have enormous impact in Northern Ireland, both on the young people themselves and their local communities.
Our steering group, composed of members from the Unloc team, the One Young World Team, the Northern Ireland Education Authority and local young people will continue to ensure the project is having a positive impact.
Of the 10 young people, those aged 18+ will also get the chance to apply for a scholarship to the One Young World Summit 2024 in Montreal, with the four young people leading the most impactful Seed2030 projects supported to attend, continuing and extending the Belfast summit legacy.
Partnered with crucial resources, training and mentorship throughout, the Seed2030 funding grant will provide a stepping stone for young people in Northern Ireland to drive social change and emerge as leaders in their local communities.
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Unloc’s Managing Director Hayden Taylor said:
“I am beyond excited that the Seed2030 project is launching – putting micro grants, mentorship, training and support directly into the hands of talented young people in Northern Ireland with projects, campaigns and business ideas that will help advance one of the 17 Global Goals.
This project is particularly special as it brings together the expertise of Unloc and One Young World as champions of young changemakers with our steering group of young people from Northern Ireland who are helping shape the project’s direction. With the support of the Ellis Campbell Foundation, and the backing of our local partners at the NI Education Authority, we are building an exciting pipeline of opportunities developing young people as changemakers”
Ella Robertson McKay, Managing Director of One Young World said:
“Young World Summit in Belfast earlier this year, we are delighted to launch the Seed2030 project with Unloc to ensure young leaders across Northern Ireland have the tools to catalyse social change. It was clear from the Summit in Belfast that the next generation of young leaders in Northern Ireland have enormous potential and ambition to accelerate social change in their local communities, but more needs to be done to provide funding and support to turn this potential into reality, and we’re proud to play a role in doing this through Seed2030”.
Nicole Parkinson-Kelly, One Young World Ambassador & Previous Vice-Chair of the Northern Ireland Youth Forum said:
“I’m really excited to be a part of launching Seed2030 to give young people across NI the opportunity to make their innovative business ideas and community projects a reality. This really makes entrepreneurship more accessible, creating safe learning environments to take risks with meaningful support through mentorship to help young people prepare for their next steps after seed funding. Northern Ireland has lots of young talent and potential to invest in so I’m delighted that One Young World, a global organisation who supports changemakers, sees this and is creating opportunities for our leaders of tomorrow in partnership with Unloc.”
Katie Williamson, Unloc’s Programme Manager said:
“Seed2030 is such an exciting opportunity for the young people of Northern Ireland and I am delighted to be a part of it! The multi layers of support will enable young people to tap into their changemaker journey and drive social change on issues that they are passionate about.”
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About Unloc
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Unloc is a leading UK-based social enterprise, founded by One Young World Ambassadors, inspiring and supporting young people to become changemakers. Founded by award winning young leaders Hayden Taylor & Ben Dowling, we develop the leadership potential of young people from over 500 schools and colleges in the UK, and through our partnerships across Europe.
We have been bringing innovative education programmes to life for over 8 years; helping bring business closer to young talent whilst empowering young people, developing their leadership skills and building their opportunity pipeline.
Last year, Unloc’s programmes reached over 15,000 young people in-person, and countless thousands more through our pan-European partnerships.
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About One Young World
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One Young World is the global community for young leaders. Its mission is to create a fair, sustainable future for all, by developing young leaders who are taking action to solve the world’s big challenges. It builds young leaders’ expertise, elevates their profiles and inspires them to increase their impact.
One Young World offers an unrivalled platform to affect change at a global level. With a network of more than 13,700 Ambassadors, innovative initiatives led by the One Young World community have directly impacted 41.56 million people globally since 2010. For every $1 invested, One Young World Ambassadors deliver $16 of social value.
Its annual Summit brings together the brightest young leaders from every country and sector who are working to accelerate social impact across the globe. Delegates from 190+ countries are counselled by influential political, business and humanitarian leaders such as President Mary Robinson, Dr Jane Goodall, and Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, amongst many other global figures.
To date, Summits have taken place in Belfast (2023), London (2010), Zurich (2011), Pittsburgh (2012), Johannesburg (2013), Dublin (2014), Bangkok (2015), Ottawa (2016), Bogota (2017), The Hague (2018), London (2019), Munich (2021), Manchester (2022) and Belfast (2023). The next Summit will take place in Montréal in 2024.
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About the Ellis Campbell Foundation
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The Ellis Campbell Foundation, a charity based in Hampshire, was established in 1990 by Michael Campbell, representing the fourth generation of the family’s property investment office, the Ellis Campbell Group. Since that time the Foundation has supported a diverse range of organisations in Hampshire, Perthshire and London with grants totalling over £3.7m.
The Foundation has supported many wonderful organisations in Hampshire over the years and continues to support Treloar School through a sports fund, and Alton College through engineering scholarships. Most of the Hampshire grants are now run through the Doris Campbell Memorial Fund managed by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation.
Following a strategic review, the Foundation is now focussed on building Youth Power and Leadership with some fantastic partners in the UK and is proud to be supporting many transformational projects.
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Recently we hosted our first ever ‘NetZero for Young People’ training course in collaboration with City of Portsmouth College.
We welcomed young people from three secondary schools in Portsmouth to join us at our Changemaker Studios: Portsmouth space for an exhilarating day of engaging activities, green workshops, inspirational guest speakers and learning about the myriad of career opportunities in the ‘green’ sector.
In 2019 there was a dramatic change in the minds of the public, and most notably in young people. More than ever the issue of global warming and climate change came to the forefront of the world.
That summer there were protests across the planet, with social activists such as Greta Thunberg leading the charge for millions of young people to strike from school to protest what was being done to our planet, and in some places entire cities’ ground to a halt.
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Finally, after many years of campaigning and warnings, the public at large began to take the issue of climate change seriously. Around the globe nations began to announce targets to reduce their carbon output, with many prioritising reaching ‘Net Zero’ – the most common benchmark in reducing global emissions.
Net zero means to actively contribute nothing to global warming. This equate to emitting no greenhouse gases such as those released when burning fossil fuels, and ensuring that the total greenhouse gas emissions in our air never increases.
To achieve this is a two pronged approach, meaning we have to reduce our current emissions, whilst removing the current carbon in the atmosphere.
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The UN’s Global Goal 13 identifies the climate crisis as an urgent threat to civilisation. If we continue on our current trajectory, global temperatures will soar and cause irreversible ecological catastrophe. Already some countries are suffering wild fires spread across many miles each summer, and in others the heat would make the land inhospitable to live upon.
To avoid this ecological disaster we as a race must radically reduce our carbon emissions and focus our efforts on hitting Net Zero. The reason for this project is to inform and empower young people to be pro-active changemakers in society, taking the message of Net Zero forward and supporting each other to achieve it.
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To kick off the day we explored the term ‘NetZero’ with our young changemakers, and discussed how it relates to us personally as citizens within our own area. The young people then had the opportunity to learn about retro-fitting and the college courses taking place at the North Harbour campus to train in this field in order to meet the growing city wide and national needs.
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Following this, we were delighted to be joined by three industry professionals for a Question and Answer session with the pupils, they were:
After a networking lunch of pizza, the young people took part in the WWF carbon footprint calculator, this resulted in some fantastic in-depth and thoughtful conversations around what they can do as individuals to help reduce emissions, and what that impact means.
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After this debate we then moved on to creating a short presentation to detail what the students would like to do within their own school communities to support the ‘NetZero’ agenda and become innovative changemakers. The young people were asked to come up with ideas of their own with which to present to their peers.
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Each school group presented their ideas back to Maria Vetrone from the City of Portsmouth College senior leadership team and Cllr Suzy Horton, Portsmouth City Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education.
There was such a fantastic energy in the room, and the breadth of the ideas put forward was simply brilliant. It was so obvious to all of us how seriously the young people have taken the task and just how much thought and passion they’d invested into their ideas. We were so impressed with all of them.
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Anna Miles MBE, a Teacher at Mayville High School said:
“I want to say the biggest thank you to you and everyone who made today happen. I had a couple of pupils with me that really needed a confident boost and they all left beaming. They absolutely loved today!”
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Unloc’s Managing Director Hayden Taylor said:
“Programmes like this aren’t just important to the knowledge and experience of young people, they’re integral to the very survival of our planet and the future of all species on it. It’s vital that today’s young generation have a clear understanding of the global issues we face, and just how we’ve reached such a critically dangerous point in our ecological situation in the first place”.
“It’s these young people that will inherit the world, and the myriad of problems created by previous generations. We have to ensure we prepare them with the knowledge, the tools, and the passion to take on this challenge and face it head on.”
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Maria Vetrone, City of Portsmouth College Chief Operating Officer, said:
“At City of Portsmouth College, we recognise the importance of net zero training for all. Only through awareness of the issues facing our beautiful planet and the steps we all need to take to reverse the already frightening results of climate change can we really start to turn the tide.”
“It was very encouraging and a privilege to spend time with all the bright and engaged brilliant young people here today. I hope that we can keep running these events for Portsmouth and the region and I look forward to seeing more of our fabulous young people attend and benefit.”
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City of Portsmouth College – NetZero Project Manager Toby Cartledge said:
“It was great to see the young people of Portsmouth and surrounding area embrace the training on Net Zero and sustainability. COPC have worked hard over the past year to build their own Net Zero training hub and retrofit property and we look forward to our future workforce passing through our college.
“A big shout out must go to Unloc for hosting the event and ensuring a wonderful experience for all, and also a special thanks to the school attendees and their teachers for making the training day a memorable experience!”
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Find out more about the wide variety of courses and programmes at City of Portsmouth College here!
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To find out more about the Final Straw Foundation click here!
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To find out more about Sustainable(ish) click here!
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We are incredibly proud to announce that our innovative I AM: programme has been shortlisted in the Community Project of the Year category at Burberry British Diversity Awards 2023.
The Awards were created by global fashion giant Burberry in order to promote the values of equality, diversity and inclusion by rewarding those individuals, organisations and unsung heroes who help to make the world and the workplace a better place for others.
Burberry are passionate that progress and acceptance cannot ever be taken for granted, and although it’s been shown diversity is good for business and society as a whole there is also a worrying increase in intolerance and hate crimes against minority groups.
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Our dynamic I AM: project, which is supported by Verizon Business, aims to empower and grow the confidence of young people to be who they are, focusing on their lives, identity, culture and their lived experience through a series of inspiring guest speakers, challenges and workshops over four weekend events.
We take a holistic view of diversity with I AM: welcoming young people from a diverse range of backgrounds; in terms of socio-economic backgrounds, racial backgrounds, care experienced young people, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. These young people are at the forefront of celebrating diversity in their communities.
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What’s the I AM: programme about?
The programme focuses on key themes and social issues such as inclusion, inequality, racial justice, social justice, black culture, gay pride, and trans pride. This vital project is important to bring diverse young voices together to express their truth, be heard and empower them to use their experiences combined with social action to become changemakers in the wider community.
I AM: provides the opportunity for these young people to meet with experienced professionals, social activists, artists, experts and those with power. This includes specialist consultants, community leaders, democratically elected representatives, and others who have influence.
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What did the young people from the programme feedback to us afterwards?
Following participation in the programme, 100% of young people are all saying they feel more inspired to do something different or take action in the future and 92% are saying they want to take part in other programmes.
This is how we know that the I AM programme is having a lasting impact with a legacy. We hope to continue and expand the programme in the future, and are so incredibly proud to have been shortlisted for the Community Project of the Year Award.
The fact that our hard work to improve the lives of young people has been recognised by an organisation so focused on these key themes of inclusion means the world to us. Wish us luck for the final!
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Read about our last I AM: event in Portsmouth in the media by clicking here!
View the Burberry British Diversity Awards shortlist by clicking here!
If you’re aged 16 – 26 and live in Camden then it’s time to put your life stage centre and join our exciting new film making project!
Only you can tell your story, and your story is unique. Here’s your chance to put it on screen and share it with the world through our week of free film-making masterclasses, leadership development, and inspirational guest speakers!
You’ll learn new skills, find your voice, tell your story through the medium of film, and drive positive social change. The projects outcome will be completed by young people, for young people and is about the young people
The Lights, Cameras, Social Action! project kicks-off from Monday 14th until Friday 18th February, with an intensive week of workshops from 4 – 7pm, followed by 4 weekly sessions where you will create and share your own film using smartphone technology.
You’ll have the opportunity to tell your story through film, explore your creativity, develop your changemaking skills and drive positive social change to your community. Your final film piece will be screened at the end of the programme.
Workshops will take place at Wac Arts – at the Old Town Hall, 213 Haverstock Hill, London NW3 4QP.
This dynamic new project has been made possible thanks to a partnership between Unloc, Wac Arts, and Sobriety Films, as well as through our passionate supporters including Camden Giving, a local organisation dedicated to developing equality and fairness.
Sobriety Films
Sobriety Films produce films that encourage debate and raise awareness about the societal and community issues that occur around the UK. Their focus is the hidden agenda and unheard stories of individuals and their experiences. Seeking truth and integrity, they endeavour to shine a light on the invisible people who strive for wholeness and well-being in our communities.
WAC Arts
Wac Arts are a charity driven by the needs of young people and the community, lifting generation after generation and empowering them with life skills that only the arts can offer. They have a strong commitment to those who face barriers to opportunity, using the infinite power of the arts to unleash the extraordinary potential of young people.
If you have a dream of working behind or in front of the camera then this is your opportunity to make a difference and share your life experience.
Places are limited so don’t delay – be sure to sign up today!
To sign up simply click here!
For more information about Unloc click here.
For more information about Wac Arts click here.
For more information about Sobriety Films click here.
To find out more about Camden Giving simply click here.
We work with many organisations to provide the many experiences, courses & opportunities we offer. This year we wanted to take some time to recognise one of these important organisations, The Marketors’.
Student voice has been at the heart of celebrations as we celebrate the 21st anniversary of the Council of Portsmouth Students (CoPS).
Our new series ‘Courses Up Close’ looks more in-depth at some of of our programmes, courses & bootcamps. Our first is our Leadership Academy. Click for more!
As applications begin to flood in, we caught up with our 2024 Winner Ethan Waisberg to reflect on the process and how he found the whole experience.
We work with many organisations to provide the many experiences, courses & opportunities we offer. This year we wanted to take some time to recognise one of these important organisations, The Marketors’.
Student voice has been at the heart of celebrations as we celebrate the 21st anniversary of the Council of Portsmouth Students (CoPS).
Our new series ‘Courses Up Close’ looks more in-depth at some of of our programmes, courses & bootcamps. Our first is our Leadership Academy. Click for more!
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