Registration to take part in the 2010-11 UpRising programme is now open. Registering is the first stage of getting a place on UpRising.
It is quick and easy to register by clicking here.
This is great opportunity for 19-25 year olds from East London who want to learn important public leadership skills, make new friends, take part in exciting events and serve the community.
Councillor Stephanie Eaton speak to UpRisers about being a councillor
UpRisers took part in a learning session on 3 December 2009 to examine a range of different opportunities for public leadership and service.
During a series of roundtable discussions, UpRisers questioned a number of public leaders about their roles. Cllr Stephanie Eaton, Leader of the Liberal Democrat group of Tower Hamlets councillors spoke about her work representing constituents in the Town Hall; and UpRising graduate Seye Odukogbe described his enjoyment of being a governor at Sarah Bonnell School in Stratford, Newham.
The participants also heard from UpRising graduates Hollie Ridley and Ahmed Shazad. Hollie Ridley spoke about her volunteering at Abbey Children’s Centre and Ahmed Shazad explained his roles as a trustee of Student Action for Refugees and as a member of the Big Lottery Fund’s awarding panel for myplace.
The session, held at Oxford House, Bethnal Green, was facilitated entirely by a group of UpRisers. Tahera Begum, Komal Chokski, Aude Loreau, Farah Mohammoud, Susannah Ngoke and Charles Onyeacholem took responsibility for running the learning session from beginning to end – and did a fantastic job!
Click here to view photos of the learning session.
Oyin Akiniyi introduces speed networking at the UpRising Meetup
UpRising held a Meetup with a speed networking session led by UpRiser Oyin Akiniyi on 24 November 2009. UpRisers Le Ho, Farah Mohammoud and Natasha Shaikh also spoke at the event about their activities on the programme.
The social gathering, held at St Margaret’s House, Bethnal Green, was an opportunity for current UpRisers, UpRising graduates, mentors, the UpRising team, and supporters of the programme to catch up.
Click here to see photos of the event.
Power was the subject of the UpRising learning session held on 12 November 2009. UpRisers explored what the idea of ‘power’ means and the current power dynamics in the UK. They also discussed different types of power and the importance of values to responsible use of power.
Speakers at the learning session included Peter Kellner, former Political Analyst for Newsnight and now President of polling company YouGov, and Geoff Mulgan, Director of the Young Foundation. The discussion was chaired by Young Foundation Associate Director Rushanara Ali.
UpRiser Sahera Abbasi facilitating a group discussion at Chain Reaction
A group of UpRisers and UpRising graduates took part in Chain Reaction 2009, an event that brought together social leaders, community activists, policy makers, business leaders, and young people from the UK and beyond to share learning and to generate new ideas for social change, locally and globally.
The team of 13 UpRisers and UpRising graduates facilitated roundtable discussion at a session on “New Ideas for Engaging Communities in Social Change”. Speakers at the session included; Martha Lane Fox, Chair of the Digital Inclusion Task Force, Liam Byrne MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Mary Rhead-Corr, Executive Director, United Bank of Carbon, and Catherine Sermon, National Community Impact Director, Business in the Community. This session was led by Simon Burall, Director of Involve, and was attended by participants from a plethora of different sectors and backgrounds. The discussions facilitated by the UpRisers centred on why community engagement was important and what works in community engagement. Read More
UpRising graduate Muna Hassan spoke at a workshop on ‘Campaigning for Social Change’ as part of Chain Reaction 2009. The workshop brought together experts from the world of campaigning to share what works, and to answer questions about how to take campaigns forward. Along with Muna participants included Maeve McGoldrick of the Need not Greed campaign, Liam Barrington-Bush, NCVO and the DCLG Young Advisors.Muna spoke about her campaigning to raise awareness about the drug ‘khat’. This is a stimulant made from fresh leaves of the Catha Edulis shrub, which is used recreationally by many people from migrant communities. Muna started her campaign while a participant on the UpRising leadership programme in response to the personal effects that khat had on her own family. The drug is currently legal and can be bought over shop counters by people as young as 12. Muna is calling for a public health campaign to raise awareness about this drug and push for a legislative change.
Commenting on the event Muna Hassan said:
“It was great pleasure to take part in an event that brings so many different people together and it was even greater to be invited as speaker. I gave a talk about the importance of campaigning in relation to my campaign and the need for younger people to campaign about issues that matter to them. It was also a great opportunity to raise the profile on my Khat-Alert campaign to a wider audience.”
UpRisers took part in a learning session on 22 October 2009 that included training on how to set up and run organisational meetings.
Organisational meetings allow individuals to share their concerns and come together to work together. They are useful when developing campaigns to build new relationships and shared understandings between a group, and produce commitments to specific next steps.
UpRisers also presented their initial community campaign plans at the learning session, and received constructive feedback from each other.
Click here to see photos of the learning session.
Titus Alexander and UpRiser Sahera Abbasi
UpRisers took part in a community campaign workshop with Titus Alexander, Head of Campaigning at Novas Scarman on 15 October 2009.
Titus Alexander has a long-track record of campaigning and has been one of the chief advocates for the development of campaigning skills. He recently launched ‘Campaigning is OK’, short guide to help community and voluntary organisations develop skills and support for effective campaigning.
UpRisers got advice from Titus Alexander on the development of their community campaigns, including on clarifying their campaign objectives, deciding on actions and identifying sources of support.
Zin Derfoufi, an UpRising graduate, also took part in the learning session to share his experience of campaigning on issues including civil liberties, community cohesion and race relations.
Click here to see photos of the community campaign workshop.
David Higgins, Chief Executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority, receives a silver medal from TELCO for 97% Living Wage compliance on the 2012 Olympic Park
The East London Communities Organisation (TELCO) welcomed a group of UpRisers to their 13th Anniversary Delegates Assembly at Stratford Old Townhall.
TELCO is the oldest chapter of LONDON CITIZENS, a citizens organising network. TELCO is a coalition main up of congregations, schools, unions and associations from across East London.
The four UpRisers participating in the learning visit got to see the community organising process in action. The meeting included pledges of support from the organisations that make up TELCO; questioning and holding to account of Olympics decision-makers; and voting by TELCO members on their economic campaigning priorities.
Click here for more information about TELCO.
A group of four UpRisers visited award winning architect Amanda Levete at her practice in West London on 30 September 2009.
Amanda Levete and her team of architects talked to UpRisers about the challenges of taking a project from idea to completion, the importance of persevering with one’s ideas and the way in which the design process is used in the organisation of projects and work environments.
More information about Amanda Levete Architects is available here.
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