2014 was an amazing ‘Test and Learn’ year for Talent Match in North London. With a focus on intensive and high quality support for young unemployed people in the boroughs of Enfield, Haringey, and Waltham Forest the programme supported 24 young people, helping steer them towards valuable positive outcomes, including further training opportunities, university places, or, for many, full-time paid work. We’re now entering our second year, and with no signs of energies and creative practice waning, we have already seen how the effective practice developed across the partnership will transform the Talent Match London offer in North London in the second year and beyond.
For Rinova, the North London Delivery partnership represents everything that we stand for and are committed to achieving in terms of meaningful collaboration, partnership working, and involvement of young people in programmes that are there to support them. Two young members of the Rinova team, Mahmut Gozuag and Samira Begum, have played an instrumental role on the Talent Match London North London’s Youth Board. This is set up to advise, guide partnership delivery and, in some areas, deliver aspects of the programme, which means that the programme is truly youth-led. Furthermore, Samira has been at the heart of our Enterprise Pathway that we deliver with the Prince’s Trust, by attending all of the ‘The Art of Being Enterprising’ workshops, which has helped us shape and improve the programme.
Now entering the second year, that amazing energy shows no signs of waning, and already in 2015 we are well on our way to launching a brand new programme to help young people become better networked. Life coaching will be embedded into this programme, so that the individual support and tailored plans that Talent Match London endorses is at the heart of what we do.
By working in partnership great things really do happen, for example, in the case of Talent Match London (North London Youth Board) member and small business owner, Dowa Doneye, 24. Dowa, referred to the programme by partner Enterprise Enfield, has done an amazing job as a Youth Board member. Dowa is now exploring with Enterprise Enfield the start-up of a business club for young people, and is leading a ‘School of Life’ programme to help young people get better connected to the city in which they live, London!
Pictured above: Kingsley James, Enterprise Adviser working with the Talent Match Business Club, chaired by Dowa Doneye.
You can follow the Talent Match North London Blog here, or on twitter at @talentmatchHUB or on Facebook or Instagram
For information about Rinova’s work on Talent Match London, please contact Julie Parish at j.parish@rinova.co.uk or Samira Begum at s.begum@rinova.co.uk
Talent Match London is a 5-year programme, funded nationally by the Big Lottery Fund and led in London by London Youth. The Talent Match delivery partnership in North London is led by Collage Arts with Rinova, Enterprise Enfield, KORI and Metropolitan. The pan-London Talent Match Enterprise pathway is led by the Prince’s Trust. The Talent Match Hub based at the Chocolate Factory in Wood Green N22 is a welcoming space for young people to gather, participate, share ideas and make change happen.