3746 Educators providing Opportunities courses delivered On Demand

early intervention aberdeen

Aberdeen

Lara Goldie is a dedicated and passionate Speech and Language Therapist and mother to 4 young children. She has a BS in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology, and a Master's Degree in Communication Disorders and she is fully certified in the United Kingdom and the United States (CCC-SLP, MRCSLT, and HCPC-cert) and has 12 years of post graduate experience. Lara has worked in a variety of settings including Early Intervention, hospitals, Schools and voice clinics. She is skilled at treating a wide range of speech, language and voice disorders. Lara has worked extremely hard in her education and training in order to understand communication difficulties and to know the most efficient way to treat them. She is committed to providing current, research-based, and effective treatment and it brings great satisfaction for her to be a part of someone's journey to improve. linda Linda Lumsden is a local business woman and mother to 4 children, she became one of the United Kingdom’s youngest entrepreneurs, at the age of 18 with the assistance of the Princes Scottish youth business trust. She has owned and operated her businesses for over 21 years. In the late 1990s - early 2000s, She was one of three entrepreneurs involved in a Scottish government initiative “Think Business” which was part of the secondary education curriculum to inspire the next generation of Scottish entrepreneurs. Linda has a BA (Hons) degree in Law and Management and various SVQs and HND units in Business, Law and Childcare, She recently completed a Post Graduate certificate in Autism and Practice and is currently in her final year studying a Masters in Education at The University of Aberdeen. Her final research project is focussed on Pathalogical Demand Avoidance (PDA). Linda was deprived of schooling at the age of 14, when she was failed by the education system. She also has vast experience navigating the local authorities social care system following her brothers aquired brain damage. One of Lindas sons is twice exceptional and has an Autism Spectrum Condition diagnosis. His progress since working with Lara at the age of two has been phenomenal. The lack of funded support and services offered to improve the life chances of neurodivergent children, particulary those considered to be at the high functioning end of the spectrum, has given her the determination to help empower other families in similar circumstances. amanda Amanda Nicolson is a dedicated and passionate Social Care Professional with substantial experience at senior management level and comes with a proven track record managing large services and staff teams. Amanda started her career in care homes for the elderly as a Carer. She also has vast experience working with various vulnerable groups including children and adults with learning disabilities, the elderly and those with mental health challenges. Amanda is passionate about quality service provision, social justice and meaningful inclusion. Amanda met Linda while they were both studying at university. They both believe that everyone can flourish if they are given the support and resources to access the same opportunities that many of us can take for granted. Amanda has a BA (Hons) degree in Law and Management where she opted for modules that were relevant to her work experience including Child Care Law. She also has various SVQs and HND units in Business, Law, Health and Social Care. Amanda is currently studying several courses covering health and wellbeing topics at the Open University. Michelle Blake is a self-employed neurodivergent counsellor/coach with extensive experience working with neurodiversity. Michelle has lived experience of being both Autistic and ADHD as well as having children who are Autistic, ADHD, Dyslexic, and hearing impaired as well as a deep theoretical understanding of both ASD and ADHD. Michelle’s professional background includes working as a counsellor/coach primarily within educational settings specifically working with students who are neurodivergent. In 2013 she co-founded a Social Enterprise Company specialising in delivering Ecotherapy projects outdoors, supporting neurodivergent clients to access green space. The projects developed through Michelle’s love of research when she identified that ‘those who are more active in natural spaces have a greater sense of wellbeing and have lower rates of depression and anxiety (www.mind.org.uk/ecominds). All her work centres around her core passion for supporting and advocating on behalf of neurodivergent individuals and their right to be included. Michelle has an Honours Degree in Person-Centred Counselling as well as being a qualified Clinical Supervisor and is BACP registered. She has recently completed her PG Cert in Autism and Learning at the University of Aberdeen and is currently completing her PG Cert in ADHD and Neurodevelopmental Conditions. Once finished Michelle plans to complete her Master’s degree with a research project on Autism and ADHD

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pudsey grangefield school

Overview Welcome from the Headteacher Equality Objectives Governors Promoting British Values Prospectus Values and Ethos Our History About Us Pudsey Grammar School is a heavily oversubscribed mixed comprehensive secondary school located in the heart of Pudsey. Distance shot - school building (Small) The school has over 1200 students with a thriving Sixth Form of 180 students, all taught in a state of the art building. The innovative and unique design of the building creates a calm atmosphere, very different to that of many secondary schools. The school has a long tradition in the town being established in 1905. It met in the town hall until the first purpose-built school known as Pudsey and District Secondary and Technical School was opened in 1911. The school subsequently became known as Pudsey Grammar School. Although the school is taught in a state of the art building, our core values are highly traditional based on the goal of ensuring that every student reaches their true potential. Our school is not just about the students gaining knowledge and qualifications although these are extremely important. We believe in teaching young people core values of decency, social skills and how to be a good citizen in an ever changing world. We want their character to develop and grow and for them to leave us with an inquiring and independent mind. We want our students to gain the best qualifications they are capable of whilst experiencing a range of opportunities which are second to none. As a result, the school is extremely popular with our community and is significantly over-subscribed every year. Our Sixth Form has grown in recent years and we now have 180 post-16 students studying at Pudsey Grammar. This allows us to run a range of courses and provides our staff with valuable experience teaching subjects at this level. Our staff are exceptional in their dedication and commitment to the students. Relationships in the school are extremely strong and this underpins the ethos of the school. We have an excellent pastoral system with a team of dedicated staff who provide support to our students in a number of ways. We have Form Time every morning. This provides every student with a teacher who can support them every single day. In addition to this we have a non-teaching Year Leader for each year group who works closely with students, parents and staff to provide further support and guidance. Teaching and learning is the key focus of the organisation and everything that we do is designed to ensure that the classroom experience for the students is excellent. We pride ourselves in the fantastic support and professional development that we offer to staff which ensures that they are equipped with all the necessary skills to deliver excellent lessons to the students on a daily basis. We have an excellent record in preparing our students with the necessary skills to allow them to go on to their chosen career paths. We have well established links with universities and encourage students from an early age to consider going to university. We also hold information evening for parents regarding the benefits of sending a young person to university if it is the right path for them. As direct result of this is that we sent 24% of our Year 13 students to the prestigious Russell Group of universities. We also have strong links with local colleges and employers which ensures that our students are extremely well prepared for their chosen career paths when they leave. The school is also a Foundation Trust school and our partners include global companies such as HSBC bank, the IT company RM, Warwick University which is member of the Russell Group of UK universities, alongside leading local business and training providers Appris and the Place group. The school has already felt the benefit of these links with many staff completing MAs through Warwick University. We will be further developing the work of the Trust over the next year so that more staff and students experience the benefits of these excellent links. Pudsey Grammar School has a long and proud history of being a school at the heart of the local community, providing an education which has allowed our students to leave not only with excellent qualifications but also fully equipped and prepared to realise their aspirations in the next phase of their lives. Mark McKelvie B.Eng. Headteacher, Pudsey Grammar School

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minerva consulting services

Plymouth

The VUCA environment demands that dispersed organizations are agile – able to focus, organize and engage people efficiently and effectively as the operating context changes. Covid-19, resilience and business continuity demands the same. Beyond the C-19 pandemic; employees will expect more choice in how they work; regular remote working will become the norm, and Artificial Intelligence will soon make many current jobs redundant. Agility requires collective leadership capability – an adaptable, durable enterprise approach to leading and leadership which develops, executes and evolves strategy in the face of changing context and unexpected progress while pursuing change, transformation, innovation and business performance improvement. Agility requires the creation of 'directional clarity' and 'emotional engagement' on a dynamic basis; this is harder to do in dispersed and remote working conditions. Yet remote working can enable greater participation and collaboration as perceived hierarchical power is eliminated when everyone is a '2 inch box on a screen', and leaders are forced to trust their people more than they have done. This increases people's feelings of 'psychological safety' which is an essential pre-condition for learning and changes to ways of working. Distributed leaders in a team of teams make strategy meaningful to align thinking and priorities; shared leadership, facilitated de-centralised decision making and collaborative planning harnesses peoples’ expertise and commitment, and releases energy and creative thinking and ideas. Doing this remotely requires 'meeting leaders' to develop their basic coaching and facilitation skills while keeping calls focused and minimising 'repetition and deviation''. Structural agility influences how quickly decisions are made, and how co-ordination and collaboration are enabled. Rapid reconfiguration is facilitated by a common approach to defining role-relationships and aligning accountability and authority (both vertically and laterally). Influence, not 'telling' is essential in human relationships, and roles lacking accountability-authority alignment, are ultimately untenable. Our approach to decision-making practice , informed by and combined with digital exploitation, builds cognitive and competitive advantage. VUCA - Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity; a term first used in the US Army War College, 1987. Practical, Scalable, Adaptable Initiatives Embedded with Speed and Accuracy We are a network of experienced senior consulting, business, public sector and academic professionals. Our mission is to provide clients with cost-effective, scalable, coherent and sustainable leadership, transformational change and organization design solutions; in order to address and exploit the strategy, digital, resilience and people challenges and opportunities facing enterprises. The speed, accuracy, economy and effectiveness with which we deliver results set us apart from process-driven and high cost alternatives. With a track record of innovative, pragmatic and effective delivery, the difference we bring is in our depth of understanding, speed of response and cost-effectiveness. We operate without ‘administrative drag’, but with the experience and wisdom to understand our client sectors and the understanding of leadership, strategy execution and culture change gained from personal experience of ‘doing it’ rather than ‘advising about it’. Our ethos stems from our backgrounds of service and motivation to 'add value'. We harness ICT and our network to disrupt large consultancies. We ‘horizon scan’, think strategically and personally lead tactical delivery with speed, accuracy, agility and practical fit to the client requirement. We deploy 'clever creatives' and 'disruptors' who are committed to their work, not to career advancement, to challenge and question the unquestionable. We exploit our combined business, public sector and research experience and insights to anticipate needs and to propose simple, practical solutions to improve the moral, conceptual and physical components of business competitive advantage and organizational effectiveness. Our services deliver real value. We collaborate, research, question and challenge to co-create and embed scalable, durable and adaptable consultancy and applied learning solutions. We fuse live challenges —transformation and change, business continuity, innovation, market disruption— with leadership and strategy execution capability development. We don’t do the transformation to you; we help you to make the transformation yourself and develop your internal expertise to ensure that initiatives are holistic, embedded and sustainable. We support participants and their line leaders in making 'new ways', the 'new norm' by exploiting 'exposure and experience' and not by relying on programmes of 'education and training'. Where are we based? We are based in the Reading, UK area; with associates around the UK, Australasia, Asia, USA and Europe. We have delivered large scale initiatives ultimately reaching 2,500 participating leaders with teams delivering services concurrently in Asia, USA and UK. These teams have comprised mobile subject matter experts, local associate consultants, coaches and actors, and trained client internal consulting and L&D personnel.

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gianpietro pucciariello

"Photography is a tool to give voice to the voiceless and to give light to shadows within ourselves and in society“ Hello, my name is Gianpietro Pucciariello and I am an Italian visual storyteller and participatory facilitator based in London. My main work focuses on pushing the boundaries between social impact, dialogue and human conditions. This means that I work following ethical conduct to bring dignity and hope to people's faces and lives. Through my work, I want to celebrate, using empathy, respect but also playfulness, the beauty of the human soul along with its daily struggles and vulnerabilities. I use photography as a medium and a tool to give a voice to marginalised communities and organisations that want to address social and environmental issues in the places they operate by telling stories that mainstream media formats do not often tell, to encourage critical consciousness and influence policy. To do this I usually combine four themes, 1) Human beings, 2) places, 3) food 4) actions for impact, and five elements 1) focused questions, 2) metaphors, 3) storytelling, 4) Participation 5) Action-Driven Challenges. I grew up in the Lake Como area, where I got used to beauty already at an early age, in a family that, despite not being particularly affluent, provided me with a rich and safe place for growing my never-ending curiosity and learning, the value of an authentic soul, and the fundamental importance of social justice. I was lucky enough to have my mother, a kindergarten teacher, leading me by example with playfulness, self-expression and empathy and my father, working for the Italian railways, sustaining my development with strict rules and pushing my need for achievements, but always supporting my learnings with travels and books. I grew up as a really serious and introverted child - many people wouldn't believe so, as I developed more into a shy extroverted character through the years - with a huge inner world and having difficulties expanding outside in words. This is how I first discovered art and particularly photography. What I liked about taking pictures was mainly the idea of using an organic process for self-expression and for absorbing, summarising, explaining and creating knowledge around the social and environmental causes I cared for, and I was involved in since my teenage years. My need for expression became even more evident when my father was diagnosed with a rare neurodegenerative disease in 2003, after 5 years of unusual emotional outbursts, apathy and depression, tremors and personality changes. I put myself more and more on the front line of volunteering in the communities I was part of, and I focus my University Studies on the social sector and welfare, but at the same time, it became even more difficult for me to communicate my inner feelings on the outside. Despite this difficulty, I'm glad I took Economics as a Major subject. This gave me the chance to reflect and work deeply on human behaviour, motivational science, mental models of choice and root causes of oppression. Though, Economics gave me fewer opportunities to express my artistic side. I moved to London in my late twenties, and after a few years, I got stuck between a career I felt detached from, and together with my family situation, I got into a period of severe anxiety and inner chaos. One evening in October 2012 thought, returning from work, I found a leaflet about a course in photojournalism with the City & Guild in Tower Hamlets. That's how my journey in photography restarted. With and through photography, I restarted again to explore in deep the world around me, the condition of human beings and the causes I cared about. Even more important, I rediscovered myself, and my artistic skills, and boosted my self-confidence. Without rediscovering photography I wouldn't have gone back to practice facilitation and I wouldn't discover and loved other practices I work with right now, like coaching, social impact and innovation consulting. Without photography, I would have never become an entrepreneur and I wouldn't have nurtured other creative skills, like sketch noting & doodling. Photography helped me meet inspiring human beings that became friends, mentors, and some of the most important people in my life. That night in 2012 I drew a line in my life with a simple decision. I strongly believe that photography is one of the best ways we have to discover ourselves and the world around us, focusing on the present moment, one shot at a time. This is why I want to support you in using photography differently.

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nina cooke business growth mentoring

Hi, I am Nina Cooke. I’m a Mindset Coach for entrepreneurs. I help entrepreneurs breakthrough limiting beliefs to achieve their business goals, to create more impact & make more money. I’m a coach for business owners who have internal blocks around growing their business. My superpower is DIGGING DEEP to find the root cause of why they’re struggling. And then showing them how they can clear out their resistance. So they can charge their value, serve a wider and deeper audience, and have easier relationships. I get a huge kick out of seeing my clients have a 180 degree turnaround – from looking to the outside world for the solution to their business struggles to looking within themselves and finding the answer. And then they experience richer, freer, and easier lives which is a bigger result than they signed up for. (And they aren’t complaining 🙂 ). And I’d love for you to have that, too I know you’re a busy business owner and don’t have much time to work on yourself . Which is why my coaching doesn’t require you to carve out any prep or homework time. All changes happen within the sessions. And you make the changes deep within your subconscious, so you don’t have to use will power or effort to keep the changes in place – they’re permanent. Here’s what Linda has to say after working with me: “I loved working with you, Nina. The work that we did together was the most transformational of any work that I have done with anybody – ever. It went way beyond mere concepts, and answered the toughest question I have run across to date – how do I change my limiting beliefs? The change that you facilitated is at such a deep level, and affected the ‘me’ that I am, to such a degree that I quickly ‘became’ the change that we created. With that kind of freedom, I’m excited about how much fun and success I will be experiencing as I keep on stepping out to grow my business.” – Linda Flynt Why I started to coach people like you I’ve always been curious why some people are courageous and see a world of opportunities, while others are fearful and see a world of limitations. I trained in NLP and hypnotherapy to sort out my own fearful stuff and find my courage. But my life changed when I bumped into Morty Lefkoe because he showed me how to clear out my limiting beliefs that had kept me small and fearful. A couple of years after training with Morty, I worked with a successful business owner. I’d known her for quite a while and I’d always thought things were going really well for her. However, she was frustrated because her business wasn’t growing the way she wanted it to. She thought it was because she kept hiring the wrong team, when really it was something internal keeping her stuck. Since then, from the many conversations I’ve had with successful, but stuck, business owners, I’ve seen, time and time again, that one of the biggest reasons they’re struggling to grow is this: They believe it’s something practical, something that’s going on out there in the world (virtual or in-house teams, systems, etc), when actually it’s an inside job, something in their head they’re doing unconsciously. Working with business owners on a one-to-one basis allows me to go deep and help them breakthrough their hidden blocks so they can build a deeply satisfying and fulfilling business. My favourite things (in this order): My family – especially when we’re sitting round the table enjoying my husband’s delicious food (I bought him a cookery course for his birthday – best money I ever spent). My friends – I’m grateful to live in friendly Saffron Walden. Green tea (I carry my green tea bags in my handbag, just in case) – in my favourite giant-sized plain white mug. Yoga – it’s hard work but I know it’s doing some good 🙂 Knitting – I picked up my needles after 12 years, encouraged by Ann, my patient knitting mentor and friend. I’m excited to see my stripey jumper grow day by day! Meet Eddie. His favourite things (in this order): Long walks – particularly if squirrels and rabbits are around. Swimming – he likes to swim in circle, barking. He looks crazy, but he’s happy. Food (especially his favourite snack, a juicy sausage, after a long walk)

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kinver high school and sixth form

West Midlands

Welcome to the Kinver High School website my name is Nikki Clifton, proud headteacher of Kinver High School. I joined Kinver High in December 2019 as head and was pleased to find a team and community that had ambitions that match mine, to create a world class environment for our students to learn. During my headship I aim to lean on not only the experience gained from my 25 years in education, first as a teacher of Modern Foreign Languages and secondly as a School Leader for the past decade; but also, being a parent of three teenagers allows me to perfectly understand the challenges that face our students, parents and carers. I know that the relationship between home and school is crucial to the development of our students. At Kinver, we believe that every child really matters and that every child is an individual with an array of talents, perhaps yet to be discovered. It is our belief that every child can be successful and we are committed to ensuring that all students are prepared for their future and are able to go on to lead successful lives. Our goal is simple, we want all students to develop into well-rounded confident, independent, resilient and high achieving outward thinking individuals, who are proud of their school, its values and reputation. We will equip all students with the knowledge, skills, characteristics and learning behaviours to enable them to set aspirational and challenging goals. We always seek to work with pupils, parents and our wider school community to provide a happy, supportive and stimulating environment where all students thrive, feel safe, respected and are recognised. We want our students to be happy, successful young adults who contribute to their communities, seek out opportunities and continue to always aim, to be the best that they can be. Kinver High School and Sixth Form is widely recognised as a friendly and welcoming school community where all are valued. We aim to support and challenge all our students to work hard and have high aspirations for academic success and personal development. The attainment of students at Kinver is consistently above the national average and their ‘behaviour in lessons and at social times is good’ (Ofsted 2018). Our curriculum is broad and balanced and designed to ensure that all students develop the wide range of skills and attributes required to be a successful member of society as well as gaining the best possible recognised qualifications. ‘16 to 19 study programmes are effective. Teaching is strong, and students make good progress.’ Ofsted, 2018 Kinver is a small 11 – 18 secondary school providing for about 600 students. Being relatively small for a secondary school is seen by parents and students as highly beneficial because we know all of our students well, so that we can help them to learn and develop in a close knit environment. Our positive learning environment, promotes, recognises and rewards all student’s achievements and positive contributions to wider school life. Together with our comprehensive student support structure we ensure that all students can access help, guidance and the support to succeed. As a result, our students are the best advertisement the school could have. We are located in the beautiful, rural village setting of Kinver and serve a wide area also comprising the South Staffordshire villages of Stourton, Swindon, Bobbington and Trysull. Over recent years a substantial number of children have travelled in from Dudley and the southern and western parts of Stourbridge including Norton, Wollaston, Wordsley, Cookley in Worcestershire. Our coaches pick up from all of these locations. Kinver is also conveniently located for travel to and from Bridgnorth and Kidderminster. Academic work at all stages at Kinver High is important, but our idea of education goes beyond the classroom. We have an exceptional range of extra-curricular activities, through involvement in sports teams, musical performances and a variety of lunchtime and after-school clubs designed to engage and inspire students to pursue their own interests and develop their talents. There is also a house system to add a positive, competitive edge to many of the team activities that take place. ‘The curriculum is well balanced, and extra-curricular activities make a strong contribution to pupils’ learning’ Ofsted 2018 Our simple message to students is that ‘hard work and high aspirations make you successful’. I hope that you will want to discover more of what Kinver High can offer you or your child and would encourage you to further explore our website to get to know us better. Through the website you will also be able to access a wide range of important and useful information about the school and stay up to date with school life here at Kinver.

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wills & wills mentoring

Wilmslow

BOSTON – MENTOR, the unifying champion of the mentoring movement, announces the expansion of its leadership team with the addition of Tim Wills who joins as the organization’s first Chief Impact Officer on March 7. Tim will drive strategy, coordination, integration, and effectiveness of MENTOR’s teams focused in the areas of training and technical assistance; product design, development and ongoing usage; field research and evaluation; strategic partnerships and systems innovation; and Affiliate partnership, support, effectiveness, sustainability, and expansion. MENTOR CEO David Shapiro says, “We are so fortunate Tim is bringing his decades of experience as an advocate for youth, an innovator, a communicator, and local leader in one of the nation’s oldest and most expansive youth development organizations to our team and the mentoring movement. His personal and professional journey, commitment to supporting others’ development, community building talent, and deep commitment to young people will be such key drivers in our expanded and dynamic efforts to ensure all young people have the relationships they need to strive and thrive.” A native of Ferguson, Mo., Tim holds a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. As a college student, he developed his passion for youth by covering human interest stories as on-air talent for his college television and radio stations which led to a 17-year career in youth development, including at the Boys & Girls Clubs in Chicago, the District of Columbia, and Harford County, Md. In 2016, because of his extensive experience in organizational transformation and increasing club membership, quality improvement, innovative programming and funding, Tim was named the CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of South Alabama. In this role over the last six years, Tim led twelve year-round sites, three summer only programs, a 150-acre campground, and POINTE Academy, a school for detained and adjudicated youth. He’s received several honors and awards, including Boys & Girls Clubs Professional of the Year for his leadership, Mobile Bay 40 Under 40, and Benjamin Mays Excellence in Mentoring Award. Tim is an active member of the Lion’s Club and a member of the board of directors for Voices for Alabama’s Children and Linking All So Others Succeed (LASOS) in Maryland. He’s completed executive-level training in leadership, non-profit management, and advanced philanthropy from Harvard Business School, Stanford University, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. For 12 years, Tim has been a single foster parent and has fostered 20 children. He also has spent significant time teaching in VolunTourism trips to Haiti. “I’m thrilled to join the MENTOR community to continue the work of elevating the voices of young people across our country,” said Tim. “This new role will further deepen our ability to impact systematic change in order to open doors of opportunity and to close the mentoring gap. I am excited to get started working with our team, board, and stakeholders to continue strengthening and expanding the mentoring movement.” The role of Chief Impact Officer provides a critical new link and integration between so many of MENTOR’s core functions, key stakeholders, valued partners, and Affiliate network which provides local delivery, leadership, and innovations in service to the youth mentoring field nationwide. It will drive expanded impact, efficiency, and responsive servant leadership. Currently, MENTOR operates in collaboration with 24 local Affiliates across the country that galvanize their regional or statewide mentoring movements and provide leadership and structure to support quality mentoring through training, advocacy, and public awareness. Operating under the framework of One MENTOR, MENTOR Affiliates share resources and strategies to strengthen the national mentoring movement. Sadiq Ali, Executive Director of MENTOR Maryland | DC and a member of the CIO interview committee added, “I am greatly excited about Tim joining our One MENTOR family in such a critical role and at such a critical time. His perspective, having been on the frontlines of both local and national youth serving work, will be invaluable as he helps lead us into our next chapter as an Affiliate network, champions for young people, systems change advocates, and a sustainable, impactful organization.” ABOUT MENTOR MENTOR is the unifying champion for expanding the quality and quantity of mentoring relationships across the United States. 30 years ago, MENTOR was created to expand opportunities for young people by building a youth mentoring field and movement. The result: a more than 10-fold increase in young people in structured mentoring relationships. Today, MENTOR is the expert voice representing a movement that meets young people everywhere they are – from schools, to workplaces, and beyond. MENTOR operates in collaboration with 24 local Affiliates across the country. For more information, visit mentoring.org.

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darryl syms music

I’ve been playing guitar since I was 13, with no prior experience on any other instrument. I lived in the UK at this time, and was inspired by my former guitar teacher to take up the instrument. I was very lucky to be guided in talented hands, and continuously inspired and challenged to strive for success as a musician. I remember taking every opportunity outside of school classes to hang out and watch my teacher and his best students, I found it memorising and inspiring. Within the first couple years of playing I was sure that I wanted to pursue music as a career. Through my teen-hood I would be practicing anywhere up to 10hrs a day, taking my guitar everywhere that I went. I did this for nothing more than the enjoyment it gave me. Around 16 during the early growth of YouTube I felt inspired to get my hands on a camera. For a few years I had to pinch my parents in secret (sorry Dad) since I couldn’t afford my own. I quickly grew to enjoy the art of video production, which compliments audio production like sand does the ocean. I posted a handful of YouTube videos at the time but I was extremely self critical and scared of what others might think, so it was never long before I took the videos down and re-did them over and over. It took me a few years to get over the barrier of self-confidence, and when I eventually began to accept myself for who I was I would post very occasional videos and considered my YouTube channel to be a portfolio of my own achievements. This “portfolio” didn’t receive much recognition at all, but it helped greatly when I decided to create a website and advertise for guitar lessons in my city. I quickly became quite established as a guitar teacher because unlike 99% of other teachers, I had video proof that I could play guitar and people found that inspiring. As adulthood approached me I was lucky enough to have a range of career opportunities to choose from, but my heart was always set on playing the guitar as a career, somehow. This was understandably a bit disappointing for my family because they saw my academic potential and hoped that I would strive for a more “reliable” and “stable” career. It certainly would have been easier that way in some regards, but I took the hard route because I just can’t resist a good challenge and I saw no alternatives to my primary passion. Teaching seemed like the easiest and most accessible way to make money, but as a newbie on the scene it wasn’t nearly enough for me to buy a car, pay rent, and endure the costly life of an adult. I took a job in retail and booked my guitar students around that. Cycling was my method of commuting everywhere, and cycling through steep hilly terrain on a single-speed bike with a guitar on your back is no fun, trust me.. but it had to be done! Despite the challenges, I worked incredibly hard to deliver the best job that I could to my students. After years of perseverance I finally had enough students to quit retail, and I had a car which saved so much time on transport. With the extra time I could reinvest it into my own practice, and create YouTube videos again… oh and surfing. Whilst I’d love to talk all about my surfing experience/career, you’re not here for that so let’s just say that for a few years hereafter I was just cruisin’. During this time I also worked in two high schools as a guitar teacher. In 2018 one of my YouTube videos got significantly more exposure than usual, and consequently I quickly reached 1000 subscribers – this was an incredible achievement for me! “Making it” on YouTube was always a ridiculously farfetched dream of mine, but it was at this point that I realised that – maybe it doesn’t have to be a dream. Fast forward to now, my YouTube channel has over 35,000 subscribers and over 3,000,000 views! I’ve created my own successful online guitar school with students across 60+ countries, worked and collaborated with a number of industry leading brands, and done session work for a mixture of clients both live and in studio. It’s been a tough ride, but a fun one!

bristol forest school

Bristol

BFS has a number of STAFF and VOLUNTEERS who assist in running our forest school sessions, planning activities and preparing resources. All BFS staff who lead sessions alone are fully Forest School qualified, DBS checked, First Aid trained and they hold Public Liability Insurance. They include… ANDY WILSON founded Bristol Forest School in 2004. He trained with the original Forest School cohort from Bridgwater College, and has a wealth of experience from 18 years forest school teaching. Andy runs regular Forest School sessions and parties at both the BFS woodland and in schools throughout Bristol. He also runs Forest School staff training. As Woodland Manager, Andy has successfully transformed the BFS site into a beautiful and accessible educational space; he monitors our ecological footprint through an environmentally sustainable attitude to Our Woodland. SOPHIE BUTLER joined Andy in 2011 and together they expanded Bristol Forest School. She is a trained Early Years teacher and qualified as a Level Three Forest School Leader in 2012. Sophie’s passion for nature and sustainability has grown over the years since living off-grid in an eco village in Hawaii. Sophie established the BFS Pre-Schools, the Saturday Club Minis and Adventurers. She now supports the running of these groups and is responsible for BFS’s policies, website and social media. HANNAH BUSHELL joined the BFS staff team in 2015 following a dedicated volunteering stint and completing her Level Three Forest School. Hannah is an experienced primary school teacher who works part-time in a Steiner Kindergarten as well as undertaking the nature connection course ‘Call of the Wild’. Hannah runs our specialist CCS days for adopted children and their families. To contact Hannah, please email hannah@bristolforestschool.co.uk. LUCY ROSE HARRIS is a qualified primary school teacher with six years teaching experience. Lucy gained her Forest School Level 3 Award in 2014 and is passionate about promoting outdoor learning opportunities, a love of nature and fun adventures for children. Lucy joined Bristol Forest School in 2017 and, following some maternity time with baby Luna, she is now back in our Pre-School team. LOUISE SPELLWARD is a qualified Horticulturalist and garden designer with a background in Environmental Conservation. Her first experience of Bristol Forest School was as a parent attending with her son; not wanting to miss out on the fun, she decided to train in Forest School herself and completed her Level 3. In 2019 Lou took on the Bristol Forest School Pre-School. To contact her, email lou@bristolforestschool.co.uk KATE BERRY is an art educator with 16 years’ experience delivering workshops in natural history, conservation, poetry, story creation, art, design and photography. She is passionate about outdoor education and wildlife conservation. Kate has worked at Bristol Forest School since 2016 and has a Level 3 Forest School qualification. In 2019 Kate began leading the Saturday Minis with Lou and Melissa. To contact her, email kate@bristolforestschool.co.uk VERONIKA SIMON studied agricultural engineering before working as a special needs teacher for primary school children with EBD as well as in a nursery for Pre-School children. Veronika enjoys sharing her passion for nature and animals and can often be found in her allotment digging or watching the bees! Veronika became a qualified Forest School leader in 2018; she started volunteering with Bristol Forest School in 2020 and now runs schools sessions and BFS parties. BESS SPENCER worked as an ‘Access to Nature’ play-worker in inner city London and trained as a Forest School leader in 2018. She now practices and teaches co-counselling and nature-facilitation activities using Tom Brown’s Apache derived techniques. At Bristol Forest School, Bess assists with our school sessions. MELISSA GAULT is a qualified Level 3 Forest School Leader and is currently studying to become an Early Years educator. She loves getting out into nature as much as possible! Melissa has been supporting Bristol Forest School since January 2018. She began as a volunteer for the Saturday Minis and is now a fully fledged member of the Pre-School team. MILLY BAILEY has an environmental background – she moved from working in an office as an environmental consultant, to the forest – which she much prefers. Milly has a passion for connecting herself and others to the natural world: she is a keen hiker, forager and wild swimmer. Milly started volunteering with Bristol Forest School in 2019 and now works as part of the Pre-School team.

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wessex nail academy

We provide nail training courses in Gel, Gel 2, Gel II, Gel Polish, Gelish, Gelish Hard Gel, Acrylic, Silk and Fibreglass and Nail Art for both beginners and professionals. Situated in the heart of Dorset our Nail Technician training courses are easy to get to from anywhere in the South, South West and South East. The Wessex Nail Academy specialises in providing Nail Technician courses and training which covers nail enhancement, nail extension application and nail care. We also deliver Threading training. Our extensive range of Nail Technician training courses range from beginners to advanced skills and techniques. The Wessex Nail Academy is where educational and social development go hand in hand. Our tailored focus on academics and the whole person means that every student will benefit from our extensive experience in the Nail and Beauty business. Each nail training course is tailored to meet your individual needs, levels and abilities within the nail and beauty industry covering all aspects of nail technology and nail anatomy training. We also deliver threading training courses. Our extensive beginners' nail training courses are designed for those who are looking for a new career as a nail technician. Our more advanced nail training course being for those who want to update and develop their existing skills and product knowledge, convert to other nail systems or learn the latest nail art techniques. Our one to one training services are an ideal opportunity to help develop areas which you may lack confidence and just wish to improve your skills further. Our aims are to ensure that all students have the best possible opportunity to achieve their goals and to make this a reality. To share our knowledge, skills and expertise with you to the highest educational standard. All of our Nail Technician training courses are accredited with Associated Beauty Therapists (ABT). ABT is the largest beauty and insurance membership provider in the UK and are a recognised qualification within the nail and beauty industry. Our Experience The Wessex Nail Academy was established in February 2014, specialising in providing tailored nail training courses, nail anatomy advice and Threading training courses. Whether you are totally new to the nail industry, have just started and would like further tuition and support or an experienced trained nail technician looking to build on your existing skills, then we can help you. Get your Nail Career off to a flying start or build upon your existing skills with Wessex Nail Academy. • Structured step-by step training to build your skills thoroughly • 1, 2 or 4 day training courses over 2 weeks, giving you extra learning and practice time • Certification allowing insurance on successful completion • Small classes or one-to-one available I am a member of the Hair and Beauty Industry Authority (HABIA). Select below for Wessex Nail Academy Facebook site Our Training Offer The Wessex Nail Academy specialises in all aspects of Nail Technology. All of our Nail Training courses are fully ABT accredited in order for you to obtain the relevant insurance to carry out your new skills. We offer a full range of training opportunities, from a simple Beginners Nail Art training course to the more Advanced Sculpting Techniques. We offer one-to-one teaching as well as small classes. Details are available upon the Courses page of this site. We offer Nail Training Courses for those new to the nail industry, in addition to experienced nail technicians wishing to advance their careers by continuing their nail training with The Wessex Nail Academy. We are not product biased so are not forcing a particular brand or product on you. We are trained to a very high standard, with over 20 years experience in the Nail Industry. We offer a wide range of Nail Training Courses to suit your needs. We wish to share our nail industry knowledge, skills and experience with you through the delivery of our high standard Nail Training Courses. We strive to keep our nail industry knowledge up to date with our courses including the latest skills and techniques and we are always willing to try out new innovative products! All of our Nail Training courses are Associated Beauty Therapists Accredited. Our relaxing Studio at the Nail Workshop, Okeford Fitzpaine, Dorset The Relaxing Studio Setting The Wessex Nail Academy is based at The Nail Workshop which is located at Myrtle Cottage ,being nearly 200 years old and having a beautiful setting in cottage gardens with views of the 15th century parish church. Your nail training courses or other beauty training courses are delivered in The Wessex Nail Academy training studio, which is large, bright, airy, quiet, relaxing and private! The perfect environment to increase your nail industry knowledge and learn new skills and techniques. Each student is offered fresh coffee, tea, herbal tea, fruit juice or mineral water throughout their Nail Technician training course .

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