inspira: inspiration for life
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turning dreams into reality
“Youth is,
after all, just a moment,
but it is the moment,
the spark, that you
always carry in your heart”.
Raisa M Gorbachev
Welcome to Inspira
We are a powerful and dynamic organisation dedicated
to inspiring and supporting people as they take key
decisions to shape their own futures.
Our experts help them individually with some of the
most critical life choices they will ever have to make.
But Inspira teams also work with other organisations
in the field to help them reach their corporate aims and
objectives—innovatively, efficiently and cost-effectively.
Our record of achievement is firmly underpinned by
the strategic partnership we have enjoyed with Cumbria
County Council since 2001 and which we look forward
to developing further in years to come.
The excellent reputation of our people is built on
demonstrable success, and Inspira itself is constantly
seeking new challenges and opportunities to serve
communities nationwide.
Mark Bowman Chief Executive
www.inspira.org.uk
01
Inspiring Success
Success has many different dimensions, according to ability and aspiration.
A minor, everyday achievement for one person may be a major triumph in
overcoming obstacles for another. At Inspira, our aim is to help individuals
and groups recognise their potential, identify and define what success
means for them, and then help them gain the confidence to achieve it,
particularly through careers guidance and youth support.
Our roots run deep. We were created in 2001 following the Learning and
Skills Act, as part of a Government-funded partnership service for young
people. We are built on the long-established and nationally-recognised
name of Connexions Cumbria. Inspira is our new brand name, but individual
services will continue using their current names.
Our branches spread widely, both geographically and in the scope of our
activities. We offer comprehensive solutions to a wide variety of social
challenges, including delivery of statutory services to public bodies and
strategic support for local authority programmes supporting young people
in the community.
We are a people business, inside as well as outside; a talented, multi-faceted
team, experienced in all aspects of community work, social behaviours
and project planning and management. We work in partnership with many
organisations nationwide, providing invaluable, expert input.
02
Inspira is an award winning, Cumbrian based social enterprisecompany with a national reputation. We are a delivery-basedprovider of community services, and our name reflects our purposewhich is to inspire people, organisations and communities to besuccessful.
03
Dedication to Challenge
In the delivery of careers guidance and youth work, interaction can take place
on many levels and between different groups. These might be face-to-face,
in the classroom, in advice centres or with social agencies.
Our aim is to achieve the most effective outcome for young people and
adults as they make their way through transitional stages of their lives.
We take account of their environment and the expectations of others, but
their individual needs take precedence. We seek to build inspired, innovative
solutions that set them firmly on the path to a secure, fulfilling future.
Our Objective: To inspire people to realise their dreams by
providing a support service that meets their individual needs,
raises their aspirations and encourages them to continue
developing throughout their lives.
Our depth of experience enables us to extend our services to other areas
of social need by assembling specialist teams with relevant expertise,
dedicated to answering your challenge.
You may want to fulfil a statutory service or develop a community-wide
programme. You might be concerned about a social issue affecting a particular
individual or group of young people, for example, the homeless. Or, perhaps
you want to address an information gap that is undermining a project’s
progress.
We listen, question and research until we completely understand the goal,
then search for the best solutions. We test these proposed solutions, then
develop bespoke programmes to ensure their effective implementation,
continuously seeking to identify new needs and improve ourselves.
We know that every service requirement is unique and we do not have
formulaic responses.
When you identify a need, we provide the solution and deliver the service.
“There is no passion to be found playing small
- in settling for a life that is less than
the one you are capable of living.” Nelson Mandela
04
Although every programme is unique, both in requirements andsolutions, the way we work follows an agreed path and commonprinciples.
“The company has developed the ability to
tender for and win further funded projects to support
a wide range of client support initiatives due to
the successes achieved in its core provision.” Investors in People
Hands-On Expertise
We build structured teams of dynamic professionals to deliver comprehensive
community support services or create highly-effective one-off strategies.
Our approach can be:
• Strategic – structuring programmes and services within the broader context of strategy, policy or statutory requirement
• Wide-ranging – embracing many areas of social need, and broad-scope activities such as youth support
• Focused – able to tackle even the most complex project single-mindedly • Guiding – providing direction and support on future actions• Influencing – playing a more subtle role to stimulate activities and responses
• Implementing – putting services and approved recommendations into action
• Managing – overseeing successful programme fulfilment and ensuring compliance with statutory requirements
• Proactive – acting as a catalyst for action when we see a need or an opportunity for service improvement
Effective communication is important to us. We agree measures of success
at the outset, report regularly on progress, and seek feedback as part of a
process of continuous improvement.
We look for opportunities to innovate and to exploit technology, but we do
not reinvent the wheel. Staying abreast of social enterprise developments
and maintaining links with academics and other experts gives us access to
current best practice and expertise.
05
At Inspira, our key strength is the way we support each other. We respect each other's individualism but we are a team in every sense, working together to provide great service and sound solutions.
Team Strength
Our team is accomplished in providing guidance and support for young people
and adults. When we need outside expertise, we do not hesitate to get it.
For some social enterprise projects, we hand-pick, brief and train new team
members. Our passion and knowledge is shared throughout the entire
organisation.
Here is our code:
• We have the common goal of serving the needs of our clients, building relationships and earning their trust
• We train for success, keeping up-to-date with the latest thinking and best-practice in our service
• We show mutual respect for each other by behaving openly and honestly, as we do with our clients
• We support and inspire each other with direct help, ideas and suggestions when needed
• We keep each other informed of our progress, mindful of how our work impacts on others
• We challenge the status quo and constantly seek to improve
Collectively, we make a point of acknowledging that each member of the
Inspira team is accountable for their own actions and outcomes. We encourage
staff to be self-critical and to recognise others' achievements. We celebrate
diversity and seek to exploit individuals’ strengths to the benefit of all.
Finally, and importantly, we work together with good humour, celebrate
our success and have fun in the process.
06
Encouraging Participation
Youth support relies on participation not just from young people, but also
their families and learning providers, as well as government bodies and
other leading social enterprise and not-for-profit organisations. Much of our
work involves formal or informal partnerships, where we share the common
objective of helping others identify and fulfil their aspirations.
In the broader field of social enterprise, we work with:
• Schools, academies, sixth forms, colleges and training providers• Local and national businesses - as employers, concerned members of communities, programme sponsors and providers of resources
• Local Authorities• Partners and consortia• Universities - as key sources of knowledge, guidance, advice and ideas• Public agencies such as health, housing and law enforcement services, as concerned providers of support services
• Third sector, charities, other social enterprises and not-for-profit organisations
We appreciate that by working with others we can achieve even more than
we do alone. Each person working with us plays an important role in
framing our activities and providing feedback on our performance. They
also help us to prioritise solutions and budgets. Our board members bring
special expertise, support and advice to provide strategic direction, but
we listen to all views with care and act in response to them.
We seek to inspire people. In turn, they often show us new waysof looking at situations and galvanise our activities with theirskills and attitudes.
“An organisation providing clear
strategic and operational direction.”
Ofsted
07
Achieving Results
• We have had over one million personal contacts with young people resulting in 60,000+ young people placed into education, employment
and training
• We received recognition from the Institute of Careers Guidance for our groundbreaking and innovative work with pre 14 year olds
•We have maintained a solid financial performance despite nationwide economic stringency
• We hold the Matrix Standard, which sets rigorous criteria for delivering Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG)
• We hold the National Youth Agency’s Quality Mark, which recognises highquality services and support in organisations working with young people
• One of our team was named National Guidance Practitioner of the Year 2011 by the Institute of Careers Guidance
• In a recent survey 94% of young people said our services were easy to use and felt we respected and listened to them
However, we believe there is always an opportunity to do better. We do not
rest on our laurels.
We measure our performance by comparing our results to the highstandards we set, and by analysing our feedback. We are also proudto earn external recognition for our efforts. We believe the highstandards we achieve reflect the passion we commit to our work.
08
“I find it easier to talk to people now, and not to be that shy,
which helped me with an interview I had a while ago.
I got the job!” NCS participant
Changing Lives
Case Study 1 Helping Young People Grow
Like so many young people, Adam had no clear idea of what he wanted
to do. Amidst the often bewildering array of teenage diversions, careful,
thoughtful consideration of a fulfilling way forward in life was not high
on his agenda.
We got to know Adam well. As we listened to him, it was possible to draw
out where a rewarding future might lie. His skills, aptitude and interests
suggested a possible career in mechanical engineering.
We helped him with his CV and arranged for him to go to relevant careers
events. We even rang him up to remind him to attend! In short, we treated
him as an individual, opened his eyes and widened his horizons.
Adam received three apprenticeship offers and now works happily and
successfully for a major engineering company. He may have had some
difficulty looking forward, but he has never looked back.
Case Study 2 Working in Partnership
Extending the philosophy that two heads are better than one, we established
a large network of collaborators to help us deliver youth work. Now, we all
work as a partnership to find the best training initiatives, understand policy
changes and develop plans. As a result, not only do we come up with better
ideas, but more people are in a position to benefit from them. We currently
work throughout Cumbria and manage projects in other regions.
09
Case Study 3 Developing Pilot Programmes
In 2010, we were selected from hundreds of applicants to run one of
twelve pilots of the Government's new National Citizen Service (NCS).
This programme aims to help 16-year-old school leavers become responsible
and engaged members of adult society. With seven other voluntary sector
partners, we ran a challenging personal development programme for over
400 Cumbrian young people in socially mixed teams. We met 20% of the
cost with direct contributions, sponsorships, in-kind assistance and other
support from public and private sector organisations.
Our success has been rewarded with an enhanced contract for 2012, to pilot
a developed version of NCS and help introduce it in other parts of the country.
This reinforces our link with central government, where we have gradually
become established as a trusted partner.
Case Study 4 Managing Transitions
As part of a national initiative, we formed a joint venture partnership with
seven other social enterprise organisations. This joint venture aims to
deliver high quality support for young people and adults during key
transitions in their lives, in particular, focusing on employment, education
and training. This partnership aspires to be the national social enterprise
provider of choice for information, advice and guidance services. It has
already secured significant grants from the Department for Education and
is actively pursuing other bids.
“Now I have lots of hope, enthusiasm and a clear
plan of where I want to be.” Participant
Taking Initiative
We keep our fingers on the pulse of technology, encourage innovative
thinking, and draw on the growing body of social enterprise knowledge.
As a consequence, we are able to provide practical solutions and make
positive changes to people's life experiences.
• Our innovative Wheels to Work (W2W) scooter loan scheme enables
hundreds of young people without other transport to secure jobs that
require them to travel to work
We like to be approached. We encourage individuals, organisations and
communities to tell us about their needs. We are always keen to maintain
best practice, so we liaise closely with relevant experts, both academics
and people working in the field.
10
We have a listening approach that allows us to identify people’schallenges. When we find them, we see it as an opportunity totake the initiative and act to implement a solution.
“The bike gave me more independence....
because I was able to get a job. Then I had
enough money to buy my own bike.” W2W participant
11
Our Approach
We offer:
• Clarity of purpose – we listen to what you want and how you want us to help you achieve it
• Exploration – we question the most appropriate route to the solution, in light of our experience and best practice
• Measurable results – we agree not only your aims and objectives but the progress milestones along the way
• Realistic goals – we expect to deliver on time and on budget• The right experts – we have the depth of expertise and breadth of experience to tackle most social issues, or we know where to find it
• Answers – we provide structured, workable solutions, not just reports that tell you what is wrong
• Satisfied stakeholders – we balance different priorities and interests, to fulfil their aspirations
• Improved perceptions – we participate in programmes that make a positive statement about your organisation, increasing support and
commitment to it
• A map for the way forward – we do not see challenges in isolation, but as stepping stones to the achievement of your long term goals
12
Working together
Inspira is all about partnership.
Partnership with individuals.
Partnership with organisations.
We listen, we engage and we act, taking the lead where appropriate. Our
approach is carefully-planned and structured. We communicate clearly to
ensure our clients achieve the outcomes they want, on time and within budget.
We work in collaboration with a wide range of organisations including:
Academies
Arts Council England
Big Lottery Fund
Brathay Trust
Carlisle Youth Zone
Colleges
Cumbria Alcohol & Drug Advisory Service
Cumbria Chamber of Commerce
Cumbria Constabulary
Cumbria County Council
Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service
Cumbria Youth Alliance
Cumbria Youth Offending Service
Department for Education
Department for Work and Pensions
Furness Building Society
GMCP
If you would like to learn more about our work or how we might be able
to help your organisation, please get in touch.
Health Bodies
Jobcentre Plus
Local Authorities
Nacro
National Apprenticeship Service
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
Office for Civil Society
Open College Network
Schools
Sellafield LTD
Skills Funding Agency
Social Landlords
Tata Steel UK
The Outward Bound Trust
Training Providers
University of Cumbria
Young Cumbria
www.inspira.org.uk
t: 01931 711300 / f: 01931 711301 e: info@inspira.org.uk
Gillan Way, Penrith 40 Business Park, Penrith, CA11 9BP
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