The UpRising Social Action Project (SAP) is the core learning experience framing the UpRising Leadership Programme. Structured as a group project, they offer participants the chance to work with a team of peers to impact real change around an issue that is important to them. Through the project, UpRisers build lasting relationships with their cohort, strengthen connections to the local community, and establish a professional network of partnering organizations and experts in the field.

Building Bridges

Our context is alarming: research indicates that there is a high level of loneliness among older people and a worrying degree of intergenerational segregation in the UK. In response to this, Building Bridges aims to help create a mutually nurturing, beneficial relationship between young and elderly people in Birmingham, and to encourage their greater interaction. Our campaign seeks to signpost young people (aged 16-25) to volunteering opportunities with relevant charities, and through this, to bridge the gap between younger and older generations, and the organisations which mediate between them. Each generation is a valuable resource for the other: we must tap into and develop this potential.

Mediate

Mediate seeks to bridge the gap between Birmingham inner city youth and the media. Working class youth have had a long history of negative press and in the onslaught of last years summer riots, where they were labelled the ‘feral underclass’ a sense of hopelessness has been adopted.

Our first campaign sees us host a series of events a year on from the riots in order to counteract the negative press from the previous year. The project has two main streams of concentration; Linking in with the local media forces in order to manage their perceptions and illustration of youth in the press and also linking in with engaged youth in the inner city areas of Birmingham to give them a voice.

Twitter: @mediate2012
Blog: http://mediate2012.wordpress.com/
 

ReMind

ReMind is dedicated to raising awareness of mental health issues in the student community at Birmingham universities:

● Better Information
● Better Perception
● Better Provision

Our Mission is to change people's understanding of mental illness, help those affected take that step in addressing these conditions, and improve the provision of and access to services for them.

Website:  http://remindbirmingham.weebly.com/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ReMindYourself

There is no ONE direction

Our project is to inspire young people and create hunger within them to do something they enjoy with their lives. We aim to raise awareness that there are many routes and options available with something for everyone. We are targeting 16-18 yrs in deprived areas around Birmingham in 3 6th form colleges. We are emphasising that qualifications are not enough and demonstrating how to develop soft skills which are attractive to employers.

Why? Due to the current economic climate, recent changes to higher education and to coincide with the big city plan.

Evergreen

Our SAC aims to instill a sense of ownership in Inner city areas of Birmingham that are blighted by urban and social decay. This issue is related to communities lacking a connection with their social and physical environment. We have identified waste as being the most visual manifestation of community disengagement. The issue of waste creates a negative attitude towards an area, consequentially allowing other social problems to arise. We aim to tackle this issue through galvanising members of the community to create a better environment for their neighbourhood through the cleaning up of public spaces.

Kickstart

KickstArt brings together the diverse communities of Birmingham via the use of Art.

We aim to bring a community together, starting off with Small Heath, by enabling the education of their own personal history and culture and so then too the history and culture of those around them; resulting in a community inspired and produced ‘heritage wall’. We want to celebrate diversity; and by doing so we believe we can contribute to the stabilisation and growth of our communities.

By the community, for the community, this project will showcase Small Heath’s heritage and diversity, whilst providing a sustainable and visual legacy in the area.

Ur Venture

Unemployment was at a 17 year high in August 2011 (2.57 million), a significantly high proportion of these individuals seeking work were young people.

These statistics speak volume & here at YOUR-VENTURE we want to tackle this problem. The aim of this Social Action Project is to provide the support, services and experience to increase the number of young individuals into fruitful careers, internships and courses. We are working towards creating a program that will include a website which offers webinars and tutorials in concepts relating to improving employability i.e interview tips, CV writing etc. As well as this we will produce a free magazine to distribute to schools, colleges and youth clubs, the magazine will high light funding opportunities, employment courses and job vacancies specifically for young people.

Our goal is to equip the young people with specialist knowledge, skills and networks so that they can enhance their personal development. We aim to equip young people with the tools to succeed and develop a positive venture for themselves, in light of social & economic barriers that they may face.