 Real Ideas Organisation (RIO) is a social enterprise that works with young people to help them make real change to their lives and the communities they live in. It offers a wide range of services and products to schools, local authorities, government departments and national partners. These initiatives are diverse yet complementary and are united under the RIO umbrella. All the profits are invested back into their work with young people “providing them with the opportunity and support to make change happen using their own ideas, energy and ability.”
Real Ideas Organisation (RIO) is a social enterprise that works with young people to help them make real change to their lives and the communities they live in. It offers a wide range of services and products to schools, local authorities, government departments and national partners. These initiatives are diverse yet complementary and are united under the RIO umbrella. All the profits are invested back into their work with young people “providing them with the opportunity and support to make change happen using their own ideas, energy and ability.”
Currently there are eight main areas of activity that help young people: three profit-making consultancy-type services and five social enterprise units. The service programmes are:
Supporting schools to innovate and improve. RIO work with schools and local authorities designing tailor made programmes for the students and staff. This in turn helps engage the students more. They achieve this through developing creative curricula and new approaches to learning, often through real scenarios. One important element is introducing social enterprise into the curriculum, helping teachers tailor units that allow pupils to gain real experience in making money, organising events, building management skills. This is all done whilst always considering what makes a difference to their communities and beyond – working to a triple bottom line (people, planet and profit).
Working with disadvantaged young people to find work. RIO works closely with organisations such as the Job Centre that have trouble finding some young people jobs. It finds new ways to help place these people who are not in education, employment or training (NEETs). Matt Little, a Director at RIO explains “we do this mainly by using our networks. Many young people lack the confidence to just go out and ask. Often social entrepreneurship sectors want to help but they don’t know how to. We can facilitate this.” RIO helps to kick start these young people’s careers, build confidence or simply help them move forward.
Redesigning services for young people - This involves young people in redesign projects such as rebuilding schools, renovating parks or other parts of their surroundings, as well as supporting them to reshape services such as health and care (which often work better for adults and do not always take on board the views of young people). This is done in a wide range of ways from children physically helping with the renovation to interviewing potential architects and designers. In the context of this project RIO has been involved in the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme currently running in the UK and has won national awards for its work in this area.
RIO’s other main projects that are currently underway or in their early stages include the following:
The Devonport Guildhall – RIO has renovated the town’s grade one listed building as a social entrepreneurship centre for the southwest of England. It is due to open at the beginning of 2010 offering a range of activities and opportunities for the community – from office space to a 465 seat arena. “There is a café and restaurant area that we hope will generate revenues. RIO itself will be headquartered in the Guildhall later this year. We also plan for the arena to be host to paying events. And other social enterprises are beginning to move in to the office space.” Real Events – this is an event management unit that supports young people to develop high quality events for clients. The organising teams for these events are young, creative people who are often already part of the school or organisation that have requested RIO’s help. “One recent example is an annual head teacher conference organised in the region. This year, however, the programme for the two days has been drawn up by the children themselves who have different ideas of what makes a good head teacher (the theme of the conference). In this way Real Events not only manages to engage the young people involved but can also change the authorities’ views and perceptions. Coastal schools network (seas for life). “One major concern is that many schools do not connect with the local community and its physical environment. A school may be studying climate change with the students but then look at what is happening in India or Africa without actually seeing what’s happening in their immediate surroundings and how change needs to start on your doorstep.” This programme engages children to look at their environment and work in active ways to change it: “It may seem obvious for schools based on the coast to focus on marine life, the beach, sea etc but it isn’t.” It’s a win-win situation - the children become agents of change; they become more engaged; the beaches are cleaner; finally the sea and marine life are better cared for. As Matt explains, “This also contributes to the larger picture. If we are cleaning beaches in the southwest area of the UK we are contributing to less pollution world wide. Our aim is to get other schools throughout the world that are situated on the coastline to join a similar type of activity – building a global network of coastal schools engaged in active change and learning.” Xtravert – this is a unique and innovative skateboard carpentry business that RIO began last year. One of the common interests that RIO staff found when working with young people was skateboarding. However, it was a difficult and specialised sector to find employment. Not to be defeated and sure that something could be done that involved skateboarding, RIO found a unique way of involving these young people. What better than working somewhere where you could actually skateboard? A professional skateboarder/carpenter trained a group of nine young people. They were allowed to skateboard in the workshop while they made wooden skating ramps. The first cohort was a success with all nine trainees either finding work or going on to further training or education. As a result of making these ramps the group also acquired a vast range of expertise in carpentry as well as basic numeracy, ITC, literacy and communications skills that boosted their personal development levels. On the back of revenue generated from the business RIO have been able to hire 3 of the first cohort of young people and are now making a wide range of high quality bespoke wood products, including skate ramps, and selling and hiring them out to festivals and events. Further trainee ‘skateboarding carpenters’ are entering the business on a roll-on roll-off basis! RIO are exploring how to build on this wood business, both by recycling wood and producing biomass pellets from waste wood for use in local boilers. They are also developing an Xtravert international franchise model having been contacted by skaters from around the world keen to be involved, and exploring similar social enterprise models in relation to surfing – also big in the SW. They are really keen to hear from international partners who may have ideas in this space. Food – as part of their school support, RIO help many rural schools grow their own food in their grounds and link this to the curriculum and learning that takes place inside the school. However, this leads to gluts and surpluses of vegetables across networks of schools. RIO are creating a vegetable collection and distribution network across schools using an electric milk float, to supply veggie boxes to sell at the school gates to the parents. Young trainees have been brought in to make up the boxes and have been allocated a patch of land to grow more vegetables themselves (to increase supply and variety). “The idea is that the trainees will eventually earn money and become employees rather than trainees and the programme will then be auto-financed.” These are just some of the activities that RIO is involved in. It is a growing, creative and innovative organisation that constantly looks to find new ways of engaging children in real socially entrepreneurial activities. As a result it is currently recruiting schools to trial its new Real Social Enterprise Qualification due to be piloted in September 2010. It aims to reward young people’s social entrepreneurship with accreditation and mainstream social enterprise in schools. This will recognise the young person’s achievement as well as inspiring others to develop themselves. Once the pilot phase is completed and formal accreditation is in place it will be offered at three levels: bronze, silver and gold that are linked to the UK’s national qualifications framework.
Beginnings
Matt Little and Lindsey Hall met while they were both working in the UK public sector running a Creative Partnerships Programme. This was an initiative set up to build partnerships with schools and industries in an attempt to stop the increasing trend of schools lacking creativity and being run as ‘exam factories’. However, Lindsey and Matt realised there was more to be done than could be achieved through the structure of Creative Partnerships. The latter worked uniquely with children who were in school. However, many of the young people who needed the most support and guidance were actually those who had dropped out of school. They could both see that there were additional and alternative ways that creativity could be unlocked in young people both within and outside of the education system. A different vehicle was required if they were going to help these children.
In 2006 the UK government agreed to let Lindsey and Matt set up Real Ideas Organisation. They were given a year’s contract by the end of which they had to deliver outcomes in 190 schools. Some of their colleagues from Creative Partnerships also joined the new venture. As RIO was no longer considered public sector the employees had more freedom to instigate new innovative initiatives. By the end of the first year they had achieved far more than had been required. Since the first year they have grown and developed through the support of various partners and revenues from their innovative products and services.
Through RIO they are interested in ways of unlocking the creative and socially enterprising power of children and young people, so that they can build better and more balanced futures for themselves, families and wider community.
Lindsey Hall
Director Real Ideas Organisation
ISEP graduate November 2009 – Fontainebleau
Nationality: British
Lindsay began her career working in community and independent media before setting up and running an independent video production company. During this time she became intrigued by the potential of interactive video and e-learning. She persuaded several clients to experiment and work with her to develop some of the first interactive learning programmes. A few awards later the market grew that led to contracts from a range of clients including government departments, local authorities, NHS television and a series of EU projects. She later worked in the public sector running a Creative Partnerships programme where she met Matt Little and went on to found Real Ideas Organisation.
Matt Little
Director Real Ideas Organisation
ISEP graduate November 2009, Fontainebleau
Nationality: British
Matt has a wide range of work experience. He has managed and delivered regeneration programmes; worked on play schemes with children and government policy advisor; photographer and raisin washer! He studied at Oxford University in the UK and was awarded the Commonwealth Scholarship to carry out research at the University of British Colombia in Canada. He set up RIO with Lindsay Hall in 2006.
Partners
Big Lottery Fund, Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF), Hayle Community School, Budehaven Community School, Cinderford Regeneration, Somerset County Council, European Social Fund, Entry to Employment, Plymouth City Council, Coastnet, The Works, Big Thinking, Devonport Regeneration Community Partnership, Excess Energy Communications, Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, Marlin, Cornwall Works for Social Enterprise, Two Four, Peninsula, Cornwall Council, Penair School - A Science College, Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health, The Duchy Health Charity, Creativity, Culture and Education (CCE), Creative Partnerships, Find Your Talent, The Forester, NESTA, European Region of Culture Campaign, Jurassic Coast, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Community Health Services, China Children and Teenager Fund, Learning Skills Council, Southwest Screen, Appledore Arts.
Governance
RIO are a Community Interest Company (CIC) – a relatively new form of company structure set up in the UK explicitly for socially enterprising purposes and controlled by an national regulatory body. The form is entrepreneurial but ethical, with profits channelled back into more work with children and young people.
Board Members: Lesley Jay (company accountant), Lindsey Hall and Matt Little (legal directors)
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