magic breakfast

Change Activist : ©Carmel McConnell Ltd 2009

definition: Change activist

A person who takes action outside his or her comfort zone in line with his or her values

Carmel McConnell F.RSA, M.MBA,

Magic Breakfast Founder Carmel’s background is a mixture of social activism and senior corporate

roles.

Shocked by the numbers of children arriving at school too hungry to learn in London, she founded Magic Breakfast as the first stage in a global approach to give every hungry child a good breakfast as fuel for learning. During 2012 the charity provided over a million free, healthy breakfasts to schoolchildren all over England, improving child attendance, punctuality, concentration and behaviour.

Her MBA is in change leadership and technology, she has worked at senior levels in BT, UBS & 20th Century Fox and has been an adviser to many FTSE 100 clients on change leadership, growth and strategic alliances. Her corporate background specialised in leading technology change in global markets.

While researching her first book, best selling business title Change Activist, she became aware of the problem of children arriving at school too hungry to learn and decided to do something about it. She remortgaged her home to start the project, it now feeds 7,500 children each morning and the charity plans to solve the problem for good.

Carmel is a member of the Government’s School Food Plan expert panel, working with Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent of Leon, to improve school food. It is hoped that the Plan will result in a wide range of school food improvements, including breakfasts.

Carmel was awarded the Social Entrepreneur of the Year award (New Statesman/Edge) in 2008 and now works full time on Magic Breakfast.

The charity won the No 10 Big Society Award and is currently the Pearson UK Employee Charity of the Year. Magic Breakfast is proud to be the 2013 Charity Partner for the Prime Minister and No 10 Downing Street.

MAGIC BREAKFAST Registered Charity Number: 1102510Offices : One90 High Holborn London WC1V 7BH Tel : 020 7836 5434 e: [email protected] w: www.magicbreakfast.com

Donate at: www.justgiving.com/ magicbreakfastCaroline Walker Trust: Social Enterprise of the YearWinner: Guardian Charity AwardsWinner; PM’s Big Society Award

www.magicbreakfast.com

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.magicbreakfast.com/

http://www.justgiving.com/magicbreakfast

http://www.justgiving.com/magicbreakfast


Didn’t have a change team

Or a budget

Or offices to work from

But they changed history

Social activists

such as Gandhi

or Mandela or Rosa Parks


And build trust….

to activate change,

maybe you need to think like a change

activist


3 big ideas Change activist

1. Action increases your comfort zone.

2. You need a strong sense of purpose

to inspire yourself and others to change.

3. Yes. You can change the world!


My own change activism

delivers food and nutrition education to primary schools in most need

schools based practical leadership development. All profits back to inner city primary school children

Magic Breakfast

Magic Outcomes


We can learn from

change activists 3. Your contribution level = ??

Your fulfilment level


Why are we doing this again?

“If you have a strong enough why, you can cope with any kind of how” Nietchsze

What’s the purpose of your job?

Of your organisation?


Personal stages..

Amount of support

Maturity of project

Lets really solve Lets really solve this problemthis problem

Let’s do something..Let’s do something..Personal response to social need, desire to create new solutions

Lets create revenue, Lets create revenue, become self-funding become self-funding

Time

Degree of entrepreneurial success

Stakeholder engagement, self-sufficiency ethos

Create longer term capacity


Taking action increases your comfort zone.

Take action first-

then things get better.

to activate change, maybe you need to think like a change activist


I wanted to

But they wouldn’t let me


Market need

( public, students, customers.)

Management agenda (regulatory, financial) The

hierarchy or ownership

External stakeholders

Is this

you?

When your job is pulled in different directions, do you have to build twice as much trust?


How?


More control in your life starts with more control inside your head

We can learn from change activists 2

Who do you give control to?At work?At home?


What small action will deliver the greatest benefits?

What are you prepared to DO?What are you prepared to DO?


How to be a change activist! Summary. 1 Be clear on the bigger purpose of your work – what is the

big picture?2 Motivate by helping others to see this.3 Ask better questions. 4 Build trust, by being consistent. 5 Listen to people. Ask for feedback. 6 Be kind to yourself – you can be happy!

7 Most of all – the only way to do it, is to do it. Trust. Take action.


You’re more in control than you thinkYou’re more in control than you think


We offer a healthy breakfast to children who might otherwise start their school day too hungry to learn.

Magic Breakfast is a loving, optimistic charity which wants every child to have a good breakfast everyday, part of getting the best start in life.

It’s a charity with a great track record, ready to grow, now looking for more great corporate partners.

November 2013

Carmel McConnellMagic Breakfast Founder Office 0207 836 5434

• There are 3.6 million children living in poverty in the UK today. That’s 27 per cent of children, or more than one in four. (CPAG)

• Child poverty is projected to rise with an expected 300,000 more children living in poverty by 2015/16. This upward trend is expected to continue with 4.2 million children projected to be living in poverty by 2020 (IFS)

• 32% of UK school children regularly skip breakfast in the morning (University of Essex)

• A survey held by The Guardian Teacher’s Network saw 55% of teacher responding thatup to a quarter of pupils arrived hungry; 28% said up to a half of their children did; 8% said it was up to three-quarters; and 2% said it was every pupil.

• Child poverty has long-lasting effects. By 16, children receiving free school meals achieve 1.7 grades lower at GCSE than their wealthier peers. Leaving school with fewer qualifications translates into lower earnings over the course of a working life. (CPAG w. DoE Statistics)

UK map showing % children living in poverty 2012

Poverty limits children’s opportunity to reach their full potential, and disadvantage is often handed down from generation to generation: poor children often end up being poor

adults. (Department for Education)

Why we’re needed – UK child poverty

MAGIC BREAKFAST Registered Charity Number: 1102510Offices One90 High HolbornLondon WC1V 7BHTel : 020 7836 5434 e: [email protected] w: www.magicbreakfast.com

Winner: Guardian Charity Awards 2005Magic Outcomes Winner Caroline Walker Social Enterprise 2005. Founder Carmel McConnell Winner Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2008Big Society Winner 2011No 10 Downing Street Social Action Partner 2013


What does Magic Breakfast do, & want to achieve? Magic Breakfast is a registered charity, which delivers free, healthy breakfasts to UK primary schools with over 40% free school meals. It has a team of just 7 and no public funds. It plans to end child hunger as a barrier to education first in the UK, then globally.

Our goal? To make sure every child starts school with a healthy breakfast, as fuel for learning. Children arrive hungry and malnourished at school due to 3 main reasons, family poverty, lack of family nutrition awareness and lack of time in the morning. But that doesn’t mean the child should miss out on their morning of study.

We believe a healthy breakfast is essential fuel for learning, ideally provided by a parent at home, but if not, at school.

Magic Breakfast feeds 8,000 children every morning in over 240 primary schools in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Bristol, Sheffield and Rotherham. We have 160 primary schools on our waiting list.

The charity delivered well over a million free breakfasts in 2012. It now seeks investment and profile to upscale it’s proven approach. We feel more parents need help to translate their love for their child into better food and cookery skills.

Multiple social benefits and savings are realised by giving the most deprived children the most important meal of the day.


http://www.magicbreakfast.com/

• 88% say improved attainment and attendance

• 94% show more positive social relationships

• 93% say increased concentration and energy in class

• 74% have seen improvement in behavior

• 75% have seen improved relationships between parents and the school

• 94% have healthier eating habits

Questioned about the impact of Magic Breakfast support, Headteachers and breakfast club co-ordinators responded as follows

Data from 148 Magic Breakfast Schools, Summer 2011

We know our support works

We have developed partnerships with a range of business leaders. Our strategic partnership with Quaker Oats and Tropicana fruit juice is vitally important to these children and has directly helped our growth.


Positive Action To Solve the Problem

Raise public awareness & money

Help articulate the issue - gain media coverage of the issue and solution

Manage political lobbying process

Effective fundraising

Build strong, long term corporate and funder partnerships.

Be optimistic..

Efficient supply chain & food partnerships Manage bespoke school orders, food delivered nationally

Liaise with healthy breakfast food partners

Manage logistics

Payments and problem solving

Continuous, loving improvement

Provide healthy breakfasts to hungry and poorly fed children

Children are properly fed, so start their school day with the right fuel for learning

Parents and children learn food and nutrition skills and the importance of a good breakfast at home

Schools supported to achieve sustainability. Immediately improve child attendance, punctuality, concentration and over time, attainment.

It works.

We campaign, educate, support communities as catalysts for change.

Magic BreakfastFood aid to over 230 primary school breakfast clubs nationally, feeding more than 7,500 children every morning

Magic Breakfast: More than Food Aid

• Utilising skills and experience gained through implementation of 20 school programme within national Let’s Get Cooking programme, funded by the National Lottery

• As part of programme set up 20 school based cookery programmes, helping families on low incomes, learn how to cook easy, healthy meals from scratch.

• Leadership and CSR by award winning* social enterprise, with all profits going to Magic Breakfast.

• Customers include Pearson, Unilever & BT. • Programme also capable of school leadership

development, e.g. Headteacher finance skills.

• Breakfasts served and healthy lifestyle activities offered at partner schools during school holidays.

• A platform to engage the whole families in the poorest communities, and develop healthy eating and lifestyle habits.

• 2009 pilot funded by supermarket chain, Asda. Investment required for wider roll-out.

• Three year programme, building capacity in the school and school community resulting in an effective and self-funded breakfast club.

• Raising family nutritional awareness• Building social enterprise schools in

the poorest communities

Magic Cookery Clubs

Magic Outcome

s

School Sustainabil

ity Programm

e

Magic Breakfast 365

One of the teachers in a Magic Breakfast partner school recently commented

“these kids only have one chance at childhood, and one chance at education. Education is going to be their best way out of poverty. By feeding and valuing them, Magic Breakfast makes a practical difference to these children every single day”

If you know of a primary school with over 50% free school meals, tell them about us. We’ll help. If you care about this issue, please give us money – we’ll use it wisely.

Contact Carmel McConnell, Founder, Magic Breakfast and Magic Outcomes LtdMobile 07710 057955.Email [email protected]

Thank You

Donate at: www.justgiving.com/magicbreakfast




Summary

Change activism isthe mindset for your change journey Change activism stimulates the sense of purpose you need to stay fuelled.

Change activism builds trust.

Do you think you could be a change activist?

One person can make a big difference.

Why not you?

Thank you

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Organisational buy-in: Raising the L&D

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Amazing use of resources

Outstanding return on investment

Most effective use of Moodle for blended

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