Rod Aldridge
Rod Aldridge is an entrepreneur with over 40 years experience of working in the public and private sectors.
He is the founder of the Capita Group retiring in July 2006 as Chairman. Subsequently he established The Aldridge Foundation to continue his work on public service reform and to focus on his charitable activities.
We Are What We Do - Youth Volunteering Programme
The Aldridge Foundation and v are funding the “We Are What We Do (WAWWD) Youth Volunteering Programme". The scheme will create 200 new volunteering opportunities in 2008, for 16-25 year olds across England and inspire a new generation of community action and social change. We are looking forward to working with such an inspiring team, whose previous projects include, Change the World for a fiver and Plastic Ain’t my Bag.
About WAWWD
The organisation began life as a project of the charity Community Links, an innovative inner city charity running community-based projects in east London. We Are What We Do is a movement which aims to inspire people to use their everyday actions to change the world. Their philosophy is simple: small actions x lots of people = big change.
Background
The volunteering programme will help bring to life ideas from the first part of We Are What We Do's educational work: a national competition that invited everyone under eighteen across England to answer the question "What simple action would you ask one million people to do to change the world?" Over one thousand schools took part and uploaded entries onto the competition website www.smallactionsbigchange.org.uk. The top ideas will feature in the next edition of the Change the World series. The very best action will be treated to a huge campaign in spring 2008 that will inspire as many as 1 million people to take part in the action and have a gigantic impact.
The Programme
The aim of the programme is to give young volunteers the skills, resources and confidence to go into their communities as powerful social activists and public speakers. They will deliver an interactive presentation in hundreds of schools and community groups across the country as part of WAWWD's education programme. They will be spreading the message that small, simple actions from the competition, such as recycling your phone or spending time with someone from a different generation, can create big social change.
Engagement
The excitement and ideas generated by the volunteers' presentations will act as a springboard for long term participation in schools and youth groups, in both the We Are What We Do movement and active citizenship across communities. This will be facilitated by a comprehensive range of online and offline materials, support and events, delivered as part of a long term partnership with the Department of Children, Schools and Families.
The Young Volunteers
Volunteers will not only become ambassadors for social change but will benefit from specialist training in public speaking and presentation techniques, equipping them with vital practical skills to enhance their future professional development. We want to work with young people, in schools and in communities, who will benefit the most from gaining more confidence, skills and experience and will be able to bring something special to the We Are What We Do movement. Through ongoing involvement in WAWWD and long-term volunteer support from TimeBank, the new skills and confidence developed by these volunteers will benefit their communities for generations to come.
The Schools
Schools and community groups the young volunteers visit to deliver presentations to inspire audiences, will benefit from a young voice and fresh perspective on issues that are relevant across the curriculum and beyond and will help to bring positive social change to life. These presentations will be the first part of an ongoing relationship with the WAWWD education programme which puts young volunteers at its heart.
Partnership
The Aldridge Foundation is very excited to be funding the next phase of the WAWWD social movement in conjunction with v. We are especially attracted to this latest competition which aims to inspire the next generation into thinking creatively about social change. The Foundation is committed to listening to young people, who are very much at the heart of this project, both in its formation, through the competition, and its delivery, through the volunteers. The Foundation is excited about involving its other partners and projects in the movement, including the students of the Darwen Aldridge Community Academy and the supporters on The Prince's Trust 1-2-1 project.
To find out more visit here
We Are What we Do aims to inspire people to use their everyday actions to change the world
The scheme will create 200 new volunteering opportunities in 2008, for 16-25 year olds across England and inspire a new generation of community action and social change