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Youth engagement work - charitable enterprise or for profit? |
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#26 |
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Join Date: Jul 2004
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Quote:
Like I said, if she was offering these skills to adults in the business world (for profit), that would be one thing. But young people? Hmm...
If you want to see a good example of charitable initiatives in this area, look up the Muslim Youth Helpline on the Internet. Youth organisations, Youth business organisations, Local Authorities, Job Centres and Career Advising bodies, Government departments, Corporates, Schools, Prisons, Women encouraging organisations, Ethnic minority projects, Muslim organisations, United Nations bodies, Individual and Sporting teams, Cultural organisations. |
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#27 |
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It's a very difficult climate in this area for anyone right now - a lot of the old contracts have dried up.
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#28 |
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That's still different to the organisation ACTIVELY SEEKING to make a profit ITSELF. Most charities I know in this area are working ridiculously hard just to get grants for core funding.
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#29 |
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But say for instance Barnardos want to get their staff trained in Communication or Project Management or Personal Development etc. Presumably they use professional, profit-making consultancies to provide this?
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#30 |
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It's a very difficult climate in this area for anyone right now - a lot of the old contracts have dried up.
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#31 |
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The small charities would generally not be able to afford this, and rely heavily on pro-bono work.
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#32 |
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The British Council invested a lot in the EducationUK brand under the impetus of the Prime Minister's Initiative to raise the international profile of education here and attract overseas students - she might have taken some funding from that although I'm not sure how her work would directly relate. Regardless the fundings gone now.
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#33 |
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Lot's of schools (particularly private schools) have these kind of wider education/environment/political opportunities where kids go to conferences around the world. Basically a way of broadening your horizons, respecting other cultures, education, growing up and getting skills for life (& your cv). There are also youth parliaments, delegations and overseas projects you can join in if you are looking!
Many young people have briefly met important political people it's just usually you have that experience and then get on with your life. a few examples: http://www.roundsquare.org/ http://www.uwc.org/ http://www.cisv.org/ http://www.damaris.org/schools/conferences http://www.ukyouthparliament.org.uk/ http://www.projects-abroad.org/ http://www.unyouth.com I guess Melody has really grabbed every opportunity that was put in front of her (and sought them out) and then moved into providing services in this sector. e.g. speaking at this conferences, organising events/projects. I'm sure it can be profitable as either government/charities will pay her to work for underprivileged children, and children from well off families will pay to send their children for these experiences. There is also a lot of money available to promote the climate change message. Essentially what she does is education of young people, no harm in charging for it. Plenty of private schools and other organisations do, doesn't have to be not for profit. A lot of the apprentice type tasks have been won on appealing 'to the kids' (or to the parents wallets at least) so perhaps she is onto something. |
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#34 |
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Join Date: Mar 2009
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Quote:
Lot's of schools (particularly private schools) have these kind of wider education/environment/political opportunities where kids go to conferences around the world. Basically a way of broadening your horizons, respecting other cultures, education, growing up and getting skills for life (& your cv). There are also youth parliaments, delegations and overseas projects you can join in if you are looking!
Many young people have briefly met important political people it's just usually you have that experience and then get on with your life. a few examples: http://www.roundsquare.org/ http://www.uwc.org/ http://www.cisv.org/ http://www.damaris.org/schools/conferences http://www.ukyouthparliament.org.uk/ http://www.projects-abroad.org/ http://www.unyouth.com I guess Melody has really grabbed every opportunity that was put in front of her (and sought them out) and then moved into providing services in this sector. e.g. speaking at this conferences, organising events/projects. I'm sure it can be profitable as either government/charities will pay her to work for underprivileged children, and children from well off families will pay to send their children for these experiences. There is also a lot of money available to promote the climate change message. Essentially what she does is education of young people, no harm in charging for it. Plenty of private schools and other organisations do, doesn't have to be not for profit. A lot of the apprentice type tasks have been won on appealing 'to the kids' (or to the parents wallets at least) so perhaps she is onto something. I do think this is just the type of thing she has been involved in though. This might be why she has such difficulty telling the nation exactly what she does. |
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#35 |
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So her business is to give talks/seminars to kids? And she claims to have started her business at 13? I'm confused...
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#36 |
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You seem to be discribing a very priviledged senario for wealthy children. How does this fit in with Melody's social enterprise claims. I don't think you can marry to two together.
I do think this is just the type of thing she has been involved in though. This might be why she has such difficulty telling the nation exactly what she does. She hasn't claimed to do charitable work once, so I do think she works at the "privileged" as you say, end of the spectrum. Whilst it is easy to criticise her for not doing more charitable work or volunteering her services for free to help underprivileged kids, if she is going to be a businesswomen and make money then there are certainly worse things she could be doing! Quote:
So her business is to give talks/seminars to kids? And she claims to have started her business at 13? I'm confused...
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#37 |
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Join Date: Dec 2008
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Melody with Desmond Tutu:
http://inspirengage.com/peacejam-gat...s-angeles-2008 Melody with Al Gore: http://inspirengage.com/al-gore-reunion-2009 she seems to have worked once with female prisoners, so at least once her clientele weren't wealthy kids. http://inspirengage.com/leadership-t...ll-prison-2009 |
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#38 |
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Join Date: Mar 2009
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This seems to be a well quoted definition of Social Enterprise and I apologise if you have seen my previous posting using this but: Quote:
A social enterprise is a business whose objectives are primarily social, and whose profits are reinvested back into its services or the community. With no financial commitments to shareholders or owners, social enterprises are free to use their surplus income to invest in their operations to make them as efficient and effective as possible As I said, I'm struggling to see how Melody and her company fit into this definition
Social enterprises come in many shapes and sizes, from small community-owned village shops to large organisations delivering public services; from individual social entrepreneurs to multi-million pound global organisations. Well known social enterprises include Turning Point, the Eden Project, the Big Issue, and Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant. Social enterprises are distinctive from traditional charities or voluntary organisations in that they generate the majority, if not all, of their income through the trading of goods or services rather than through donations. This gives them a degree of self-reliance and independence which puts them firmly in control of their own activities. |
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#39 |
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Join Date: Dec 2008
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What part of that definition would you say she doesn't fit in with?
She is contributing to society by working with young people, she is generating her own profits through her work and not relying on charitable donations. We don't know that she isn't reinvesting her profits in her business, so can't comment on that aspect.We know she doesn't have any investors or shareholders that she has to provide an income to. |
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#40 |
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What part of that definition would you say she doesn't fit in with?
She is contributing to society by working with young people, she is generating her own profits through her work and not relying on charitable donations. We don't know that she isn't reinvesting her profits in her business, so can't comment on that aspect.We know she doesn't have any investors or shareholders that she has to provide an income to. I would not expect anyone to rely on charitable donations. I would expect her to give her services for free if she was working for a financially pressed charity. We could all give ourselves the title of social enterprises if we applied Melody's logic. She runs a business for profit not for the good of the community. |
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#41 |
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How does this fit in with Melody's social enterprise claims.
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Melody claims to be a Social Entrepreneur on her website and uses this definition
What on earth is she going on about? Quote:
She means that she is interested in the social benefits that her work has achieved as well as the financial rewards.
She's effectively in the same boat as someone who works for a charity that they passionately believe in for a smaller salary than they could get on the open market. It's just that she's invented some nonsensical business speak jargon to 'explain' it. |
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#42 |
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She runs a business for profit not for the good of the community.
If she was running a company for profit alone, why bother with the educating kids bit. As many on here have pointed out it is difficult to make money doing that. I think Melody is full of hyperbole and talks up her achievements but I do think that she believes in what she is doing and thinks she is making a difference. If you don't believe that and think she is keeping all the profits then I can't argue with that as I don't see how we can prove it either way. |
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#43 |
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OP is one of the bitterest people I've ever seen. Still smarting because she didn't reply to your precious little email?
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#44 |
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Join Date: Jan 2007
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So she now trains people to work for charities?
at 26? ![]() One of my colleagues has had many years experience of training young people, starting at the age of 15 specifically to sport, then on to a new job that required him to deliver training sessions for many different people... - cos he's young, he gets across to young people a whole lot easier and on their level.... he's a a very successful young man and has just started up his own business .... training many different people across such a wide range of areas...he has many facilitators who work for him and has grown his business extremely well... Guess what - he's 25... I can't stress enough how good he is at his job.... I just wish more people could benefit from his work..... but his business is for profit, but works with the community and voluntary sector...or third sector...as a support agency.... I admire him, think he's done a top job at such a young age, really developed himself and others... |
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#45 |
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She is working with young people for profit? Hardly Jamie Oliver. 15 makes no profit, it is all ploughed back in to the business for future young people from difficult backgrounds to be trained.
I would not expect anyone to rely on charitable donations. I would expect her to give her services for free if she was working for a financially pressed charity. We could all give ourselves the title of social enterprises if we applied Melody's logic. She runs a business for profit not for the good of the community. |
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#46 |
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Join Date: Jul 2007
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What does she earn?
She said she was now working with other people, so presumably it had been just her running courses.by herself. A one woman operation. All of this is very praiseworthy effort and may do a lot of good, but it rather goes against her portrayal of it as a global business. It was global in the sense that she was willing to provide her motivational services internationally. But it wasn't a business. Maybe post-Apprentice it might become one, who knows? Quote:
The following is libellous:
"She was lying. I suspect she has a wealthy family who "sponsor" her fake business" And it's not the only comment of its sort that's been made. That sort of unproven comment could harm an individual's or comany's reputation and livelihood. LAS has and does threaten people with legal action for making these sorts of statements. It may not be her family, but someone must be sponsoring her if her company isn't paying a salary. |
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#47 |
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Melody was interviewed on 5Live on Thursday morning and she said her company had never paid her a salary. As usual she was very vague about what it does do, but it's clearly not profit making. It sounds more like volunteer work to me. She may be very good at inspiring young people, but it's not a business of the type Sugar would recognise..
She said she was now working with other people, so presumably it had been just her running courses.by herself. A one woman operation. All of this is very praiseworthy effort and may do a lot of good, but it rather goes against her portrayal of it as a global business. It was global in the sense that she was willing to provide her motivational services internationally. But it wasn't a business. Maybe post-Apprentice it might become one, who knows? So it isn't really a libellous comment then. There's at least some truth in it. I think she lied in the boardroom, thinking Sugar would think less of her if he thought her business was non-profit making volunteer work. In such situations honesty is the best policy, she'd not lose any status by saying it was voluntary work. It still takes enterprise to do what she's done. It may not be her family, but someone must be sponsoring her if her company isn't paying a salary. ![]() What you've said makes a lot of sense. I get the impression Melody was using all her accalades to divert attention away from the true nature of her enterprise. She should just have been honest - that this was a relatively small-scale venture, that wasn't making a profit, but which she was passionate about and had potential with some investment and an experienced partner. I think Sugar would have respected that more than all her fancy certificates which are pretty meaningless really. |
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#48 |
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I get the impression Melody was using all her accalades to divert attention away from the true nature of her enterprise. She should just have been honest - that this was a relatively small-scale venture, that wasn't making a profit, but which she was passionate about and had potential with some investment and an experienced partner. I think Sugar would have respected that more than all her fancy certificates which are pretty meaningless really.
Thank you for this. I too thought that her vagueness was covering up for dishonesty (she was also arrogant to think this wouldn't be questioned). She was hiding behind popular buzz words like "Social Enterprize" to mask what she did. There is nothing wrong with working for yourself and not taking a salary (if you can afford it or have other means of support) but if in the end you can't make any money out of it then it is not really a business, more like an expensive hobby.
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#49 |
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Join Date: May 2011
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This thread sums up what I feel: Its not a business its a "sponsored" hobby.
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#50 |
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OP is one of the bitterest people I've ever seen. Still smarting because she didn't reply to your precious little email?
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