Community Action Placement

Community Action Placement: Unlocking Leadership Opportunities

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In this blog post, Xavier Lake (School Leadership Award Holder, Class of 2020) reflects on the impact of the award – especially his Community Action Placement – on his leadership opportunities at Glasgow University where he is a member of the University Union Board of Management (GUU).

I embarked upon my journey with the GUU by applying as a Fresher’s Helper and following a successful interview, I was employed in the role. My time with the Rank Foundation, especially my Community Action Placement (CAP) in Hexham, heightened my awareness of making a positive impact on the society around me.

In turn, as a Fresher’s Helper I widened my own sense of being part of the university’s community as I began my work not knowing anybody but by the end, I had made friends across all year groups and faculties and worked with salaried university staff members.

I strongly believe that the CAP gave me the confidence and drive to do this and showed me I truly enjoy helping others as it gives me a great sense of reward and motivates me to find other opportunities make a difference.

The election competition began almost immediately so I had to formulate my manifesto, campaign, and persuade my friends to help me. My leadership skills were most definitely called into action. The Rank Foundation’s belief in my skills as a leader enthused me to approach other students to discuss my manifesto and have fun with it!  I was over the moon when I was successfully elected to the board.
 
Holding office within the GUU has alerted me to the need to understand and process the multi-faceted issues that arise, such as: accessible study places, financial problems, course resources, allegations of misconduct, event planning, even helping when students have a bit too much to drink! I am then duty bound to meet with senior members of the university to eloquently explain matters to them with the aim of making impact to bring about positive change and feedback their responses to the union membership.

I feel my drive to make a difference for others was deepened and became a core value for me after the CAP at the Hexham Youth Initiative, seeing the joy and happiness that young people gained form the staff’s dedication has left a lasting impression upon me to help others where I can.

I am extremely grateful for the knowledge and progress that the Rank Foundation’s School Leadership Award has furnished me with, as I know I would not be following the path I am on without the confidence and self-belief the programme gave me.

On reflection, the essential ingredient that unlocked my confidence was completing the CAP because it took me far from home, placed me among strangers and into a job I had not done before. I loved my time in Hexham and was warmly welcomed. I am proud of my CAP and dearly hope you will be too!

Community Action Placement: Discover your Ability

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We were really excited to welcome a new host to our Community Action Placement programme last summer. Able2B, based in Norwich, is a community interest company set up to develop services that help improve function for children and adults with a disability. Their headline, ‘Discover your ability’, perfectly summarises their positive and inclusive approach.

With seven of the School Leadership Award class of 2023 considering applications to study medicine, Able2B seemed an ideal location for their summer placement. Four award holders were made very welcome by the team in Norwich. In this blog post, Mirabel, one of the award holders, reflects on her placement.

I had rarely been in a position of care for people with disabilities.
Therefore, initially I aimed to learn about the way that I would respond to being in a completely foreign situation – faced with a variety of different verbal, physical and emotional barriers.

My only experience of disability was a family member who was diagnosed with dementia and is in a persistent vegetative state. I subconsciously associated the term disability with suffering and exhaustion – I aimed to have personal interactions with the clients at Able2B and explore how my preconceptions would change.

They did! I had not expected to see brain injury survivors who had been told that they would never stand, let alone walk again strolling alongside me due to the work of Able2B. Whilst I did find myself tearing up occasionally, it was not due to feelings of sadness but sheer admiration and joy for both clients and the work of those at Able2B.

My time in Norwich helped me to focus on qualities needed for leadership which I now see as:

Enthusiasm: Regardless of whether it was 9am or the last 5 minutes of the day, the leaders put the same level of energy into every client and were always present – regardless of the client’s response.

Communication: Some clients were hard of hearing or sight and some could not communicate entirely – teaching me that communication is personal. As a leader, it’s my job to adapt my message to ensure that everyone hears it.

Knowledge: The leaders could scan a person for 5 seconds and identify exactly what they required – more importantly, had the courage to employ innovative ways to aid them in achieving it.

Empowerment and Patience: When taking 1-1 sessions, encouragement always produced the most results. Sometimes I’d find myself repeating words of encouragement or reassurance 4 times and instead of getting frustrated, repeating it a 5th empowered the clients to keep going.

Self-belief: I was bewildered by the relentless perseverance of the clients. Throughout the sessions, I saw some whispering “you can do it” to themselves and they did not allow their impairment to limit their potential which I hope to use when approaching obstacles as a leader.

Bearing: With clients, if I appeared exhausted and disinterested, they would too. The clients taught me that through life, everyone will encounter different obstacles; however, it is the way you carry yourself through these that will determine your success.

CAP: Molly and Sophia

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We are part way through the period of Community Action Placements, hosted by organisations known to, and funded by The Rank Foundation.

Our School Leadership Award Holders are required to do two Community Action Placements (CAP), learning how charities work, volunteering their time to get stuck in and hands-on with their programmes. Every year, The Rank Foundation organise between 30 and 40 placements with charities and organisations who are members of RankNet. Some placements are residential and some are commutable, and for two weeks the Leadership Award Holders gain experience in the Third Sector.

We will be sharing the reports written by our School Leadership Award holders and their CAP hosts throughout the summer period.

Brook is the UK’s leading provider of sexual health and wellbeing for young people under 25.

They are the only charity working across the UK and Channel Islands that specialises in working with young people to promote their sexual health in the wider context of health and wellbeing.

Brook in Liverpool has been hosting Community Action Placements for many years and is one of the most sought-after placements. Whilst on placement, School Leadership Award Holders are fully immersed into the education and support of young people in the Liverpool area around sexual health and wellbeing.

Sophia

“I wanted to mainly get out of my comfort zone, learn to work in a team with adults instead of students and experience a sense of leadership in a totally different environment. My placement at Brook has allowed me to expand my skill set. I’ve been able to participate in so many incredible things but some of my favourites have been a wellbeing and self-esteem session with vulnerable women seeking asylum in the UK; a group which supports LGBTQ individuals who are questioning their gender identities; attending Pride Liverpool and helping a group of teenage mothers understand healthy and unhealthy relationships.

The staff at Brook are genuinely incredible. I couldn’t have asked for a better placement or better hosts to stay with! I have loved seeing all of the amazing work that Brook do to help their community. I hope to come back to Brook in a future CAP, and see (and help!) the charity develop further.

“It has been wonderful having Sophia stay at Brook. She has achieved so much and participated in lots of sessions during her time.
Sophia is bright and upbeat and has a contagious positive energy that is lovely to be around. She is passionate about her beliefs and will take what she has learnt during her stay here, with her. Sophia has shown lots of interest in the work that Brook does and also provided input from a young person’s perspective.”

– Viccie Hamlet, Brook

Molly

“At Brook, I took part in lots of different activities, including: sexual health workshops, STI testing events, youth groups, Liverpool Pride, and re-designing educational activities. The work was very varied, with a good mixture of office work and practical tasks. It was absolutely amazing, and everyone who we worked with at Brook made the experience one of the most enjoyable things I have ever done. I enjoyed all of the outreach work that we did, especially visiting the ‘Work it Out’ group, and Elizabeth Anderson House. Talking to people who are experiencing different challenges in their lives has made me more open minded and has shown me how necessary organisations like Brook are.”

“It was a real pleasure to visit Molly whilst she was on placement at Brook. She had already shown incredible resilience and flexibility after an administrative delay, and she was ready to get completely stuck in with the team. She seemed excited and has a great energy which I think held her in good stead for the remainder of her placement.

The team at Brook gave us some amazing feedback on Molly, that she was an excellent communicator and had a wonderful confidence that meant she settled in really well.”

– Natalie Kay, The Rank Foundation


CAP: Joel and Emily

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We are now mid-way through our annual period of Community Action Placements, hosted by organisations known to, and funded by The Rank Foundation.

Our School Leadership Award Holders are required to do two Community Action Placements (CAP), learning how charities work, volunteering their time to get stuck in and hands-on with their programmes. Every year, The Rank Foundation organise between 30 and 40 placements with charities and organisations who are members of RankNet. Some placements are residential and some are commutable, and for two weeks the Leadership Award Holders gain experience in the Third Sector.

We will be sharing the reports written by our School Leadership Award holders and their CAP hosts throughout the summer period.

Joel
YKids

YKids have a passion to see lives changed – for young people given the best life chances and opportunities. They believe that regeneration and better futures can come about by encouraging young people to become resilent, confident and happy; providing opportunities, training and employment; raising aspirations and dreams for the future; offering exciting and creative projects, and creating a sense of local pride and community.

“By working alongside and observing Claire Morgans, CEO of YKids, and the whole team, I have gained an insight into the qualities of  good leaders. I’ve learned that being organised, ensuring everyone on the team knows their role and feels they are contributing, and creating an atmosphere of camaraderie and collaboration in the team in which people feel appreciated are all important aspects of being a leader. This is something I will take on board and attempt to incorporate into my leadership style in future. Moreover, witnessing Claire’s empathy towards others and her passion for what she does has made a lasting impression on me; I now believe that passion and empathy are qualities that any good leader should have.

The placement with YKids has reinforced my belief that anyone can use their life to make a difference to the world in some way (and that we all have a moral obligation to do so) and strengthened my desire to do this, perhaps by getting involved in the voluntary sector or politics.”

“Joel threw himself into the crazy business of the end of term at Ykids. He helped young people on work placement, completed a huge variety of tasks enthusiastically and willingly and showed a grace about all he did. Joel learnt a few new skills such as badge making, laminating, bee keeping and Barista skills (he can now make a professional latte, cappuccino and flat white!). We particularly enjoyed conversations which showed insight and understanding of a wide range of political and economic issues and an understanding of the world around him that is missed by many young people his age”

Emily
Blackpool Carers Centre

Blackpool Carers Centre provide an extensive range of age specific services and support for carers from the age of 5 to 105 and their families, in order to fulfill their purpose which is to make ‘A Better Life for Carers’.

“The placement improved my leadership qualities as I worked as a team with individuals older than myself who work slightly differently than what I do myself, so I had to adapt.

My overall experience was really enjoyable, everyone was extremely welcoming and I learnt a lot. I found going on home visits really valuable as I could apply my prior knowledge of psychology which helps me with work experience, as it’s difficult to gain work experience for psychology due to confidentiality issues. I picked up how to use the database quickly which meant that I could help with admin which was good as I could gain an insight into what has to be completed for each case.”

“Emily showed confidence and passion throughout her placement here. She participated in dementia awareness training and wellbeing training, and during the second week of placement Emily assisted in supporting individuals with dementia showing passion and respect throughout. During Emily’s time here on placement, she attended a variety of home visits covering; physical health, mental health and dementia”

A Summer of CAP 3

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Before our Leadership Award Holders begin their first and second years of sixth form, this is our final Summer of CAP article!

We are featuring Helen, who returned to Greenbank Community Church for her second placement, Will, who headed to the Hollowford Centre with Lindley Educational Trust, and Olivia who had her first ever placement at Ykids.

Helen Ajayi, who did her final placement this summer, returned to Greenbank Community Church in Cornwall. Helen ends her time as a current Leadership Award Holder this summer, and will become a Rank Fellow.

“During the first week of my placement I had the privilege of following the youth of the church to Creation Fest as a youth leader. I was extremely excited to go for two reasons: 1) Last year I spent some time with the youth and made lots of new friends and 2) As a Christian, I felt it was a perfect opportunity to spend time with God, especially as I was nervous with Results Day coming up. I arrived at Creation Fest on 8th August and my A Level results were due to be released on 18th August. As every other A Level student, I was super nervous and I felt it was essential that I get out of London! Being at Creation Fest in the week leading up to this dreadful day, I used this chance to forget about University and all my worries and focus on God. It was so great to be able to spend time with people who had such a passion for the Gospel. In addition to this, my favourite Gospel group Hillsong performed on the last day which was the absolute pinnacle.

I couldn’t have asked for a more loving and beautiful family to have spent both my placements with. From the very first day I arrived, I have been welcomed in. I am very grateful that I was able to complete my Community Action Placements here at Greenbank Community Church. It has been a blessing and I have no doubt that I will miss them all!”

Will is in the middle of his Leadership Award, going into his second year of Sixth Form in September. Will traveled to the Hollowford Centre in the Peak District. 

“My experience here at Hollowford has been fantastic. I felt extremely optimistic but apprehensive prior to the placement as it is an area of the country I have never been to, however as I have found out over the time I have been here the people are just as lovely as the scenery. I say this because they have been extremely accepting and welcoming towards me, including the cleaners and cooks all the way up. 

The children I have worked with have been great fun and definitely made my time a lot easier and worthwhile. This is because the schools I have predominately worked with on my placement have not been from very affluent areas and some of the youngsters did not have a lot. This touched me, and in particular in my second week there was a pupil called Thomas who didn’t have a lot. Before we went canoeing his teacher came up to me and asked for a pair of shoes, so I gave him a pair and then he came back and said they were no good despite the correct size so I asked him why they didn’t fit and he said there was a knot in the lace meaning he couldn’t tighten it as he didn’t know how to tie his shoe lace. So on the way to canoeing I spent 15 minutes with him teaching him how to tie his shoe lace and as a gift on my last day the school gave me a box of chocolates to say thank you! 

Another way in which the children made it extremely worthwhile was because of the bond that I created with them which I never knew could be so strong after just 3 or 4 days with them. However, you do create a special bond which did was demonstrated every time I walked through the dining hall or the back corridor – it involved the kids shouting to me with my various nicknames that they has come up with for me making not only me feel special but I hope I did the same for them. 

Overall, I have had a fantastic experience and I have had an extremely enjoyable time here at Hollowford. I must say I am sad to be leaving so thank you for the opportunity to both the staff here and Rank for organizing a fantastic and worthwhile placement.”

One of our newer Leadership Award Holders, Olivia, did her first ever placement with Ykids, who have been hosting CAP placement for many years.

My experience at Ykids has definitely been exactly that – an experience. Coming myself from an area classed as deprived with very little opportunities for young people, it was an almost familiar situation for me being in Bootle and interacting with people who have had the same restrictions and expectations upon them in life as I have. It was comforting to be in an organisation that was not satisfied with just allowing these stereotypes and ceilings to stop young people from achieving and making something positive of themselves, and incredibly eye-opening and inspiring to work everyday with them, witnessing their relentless fight against these labels and seeing them form opportunities and encourage young people to believe that they do have the potential to be something great – that they can be the success stories and are not just restricted to a life measured by poverty statistics and deprivation.

I am quite proud to be from a similar area, but breaking those limits through hard work and determination and it was amazing to see the support those that work at Ykids give to young people in Bootle to do the same – the merits of knowing that someone believes in them and is on their side willing them on has been illustrated thoroughly throughout my placement. I have never really understood what a charity does, what makes a charity work and allows them to make a difference and it has been greatly rewarding to witness and understand that it isn’t what, but who and see firsthand the huge scale of the difference that an organisation like Ykids makes upon a community like Bootle and the great amount of work that is put into making that happen. 

I greatly underestimated the work and the impact that a charity like Ykids has, and even more so, underestimated the impact that witnessing their magic over two weeks would have on me.”

We are always looking to the charities we work with to help provide placements for CAP. With the demand for placements getting higher each year, we are looking to expand the group of charities that we work with on CAP, so if you think your organisation might be able to help, and you have an existing relationship with The Rank Foundation, please get in touch so we can give you more information.

A Summer of CAP 2

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As you may have seen this time last week, we are starting to post reviews of our Leadership Award Holders’ Community Action Placements. We are receiving their evaluations and reviews every day, and it has been truly inspiring to read about our Leadership Award Holders and their wonderful hosts.

This week, we’ll be looking at Joe who went to Hexham Youth Initiative, Shauna who went to Cool FM at Bauer Academy, and Ishaq who went to Essex Boys and Girls Clubs.

Joe Vaughan, one of our second year Leadership Award Holders, went on his final CAP placement to Hexham Youth Initiative in Northumberland.

“The whole experience has been really enjoyable. The highlights of my placement have been making friends with the workers but especially the children of Hexham.  I found that experience to  be very heart warming and has made my placement special. On several days I went to local parks and organised and oversaw numerous sporting activities. These days were particularly rewarding as I got to see the children enjoy something I love myself. I enjoyed several trips to the woods as well as to Diggerland which were brilliant in many respects. Not only did I get to have a fun experience, but I  got the opportunity to bond with some of the children and witness many others’ excitement and joy which was really fantastic. Finally I assisted the organisation and running of the HYI science day. This event was excellent for me personally as well as the  children there because my real passion in life is for biology and science so this day allowed me experience young people get as excited as I am for the subject and hopefully inspire them to pursue their natural  scientific interests. Overall, these have been two brilliant weeks in which I have made many great friendships and met even more wonderful people. I will thoroughly miss the people of Hexham and especially the HYI and am looking excitingly forward to returning here for more voluntary work in future Summers.”

Shauna Armstrong, another one of our second year award holders, commuted to her non-residential placement at Cool FM in Northern Ireland.

“I have found this placement extremely rewarding. The impact it is making on young people’s lives is very evident, as it is teaching them essential skills, such as self-confidence and communication, which will help them to go on and improve their quality of life. The group of young people I worked with were very engaged and enthusiastic, and one way I used my leadership skills was helping them to break the ice and get to know each other. David and Rebecca, and all the Cool FM staff have been very welcoming and have given me numerous opportunities to practice and improve my leadership skills. I believe that this placement has been hugely beneficial to me. I was given a chance to create and present a PowerPoint to help educate the group we were working with on STEM, which allowed me to practice public speaking. I was able to practice and improve all my leadership skills such as: time management, encouraging the group and communication skills. I also learned a lot about radio and how it works while on this placement and I even gave an interview which a group included in their podcast.”

Ishaq Raheel, another one of our second year Leadership Award Holders, did his first ever CAP placement with Essex Boys and Girls Clubs, whom we have been organising placements with for many, many years.

“My initial expectations of the placement were very different to what it turned out to be. I thought it would just be a typical summer camp where young people camp in tents and have activities which are already set, for example tug of war and other similar activities. I didn’t really have an idea of how it would actually go. However, it turned out to be mentally challenging at times where tolerance and patience were required.  One of my main aims of my placement was to improve my communication skills with people younger than me as well as older than me. 

Personally, I really did enjoy my placement. I would love to do it again and may consider it next year. The staff were really nice and helpful. I met some really lovely people who I worked alongside and learnt a lot from about working with young people.  I really enjoyed being with the group which I was with for the two weeks. During the placement there were times where I had been with people who had autism and at different severities; I feel like I now have a much better understanding of autism. Through observations of the site managers I learnt of different ways to deal with situations which involve a large number of people. Overall I feel as I have learnt a lot from the placement and it has definitely helped me develop my communication skills overall.“

We are always looking to the charities we work with to help provide placements for CAP. With the demand for placements getting higher each year, we are looking to expand the group of charities that we work with on CAP, so if you think your organisation might be able to help, and you have an existing relationship with The Rank Foundation, please get in touch so we can give you more information.