Every year we recruit 120 committed, hard-working and passionate young people who want to be future leaders. By the end of the programme, they’ve become an employer’s dream candidate.

We’re recruiting our next round of Team v leaders.  Think you could be one of them?

Ask any burning questions about Team v and talk to some of our leaders directly this Thursday 20 June during our #TeamvGo Twitter Q&A.

While you decide what to ask them, here’s a few inspirational quotes from the people at the heart of Team v.

1. It will knock your socks off

“Through Team v I’ve discovered my talent and potential, and grown into someone I could only dream of being at first. It’s pushed me into scenarios I never thought I would face, thrown me challenges I never thought I was capable of taking on…”  Dharsha, 19, Team v Liverpool

2. You’ll meet amazing people

“What you get from Team v is not only experience for future jobs but also inspiration from your fellow leaders. They are very talented people who want to devote all their energy to the community.” Long, Team v London

3. You’ll transform communities

“Team V has given me the confidence to believe in my abilities and hold my head high. It’s given me the rewarding opportunity to truly make a difference – no matter how small – to my community, and also taught me the value of teamwork.” Dharsha, Team v Liverpool

4. Anyone can do it

“[It] doesn’t matter what your background is. Team v is accessible for everyone. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I signed up, but joining Team V was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.” Naomi, Team v Leeds

5. There’s no time to lose!

“I would really encourage anyone who is up for a challenge, ready to be to be pushed to their limits and ready to grab this opportunity with both hands! I promise you will never look back.” Caroline, Team v Cambourne

All fired up to do some good? Join in with the Team v Twitter Q&A this Thursday.

Tweet your questions @vInspired with the hashtag #TeamvGo between 1-2pm.

Can’t make 1pm? Tweet your questions beforehand to be included!

The post 5 inspirational quotes from our Team v leaders appeared first on vinspired blog.

Nothing beats a coming of age movie for life lessons, so we’re shaping up for summer work with popcorn in hand.

And if you live in or around London you can start applying for roles on your mobile with Task Squad – our micro-work platform.

Dirty Dancing – Be helpful.

The film that uttered the timeless line “Nobody puts baby in the corner” kicks off with Johnny Castle’s job as a summer dance teacher. Frances – “Baby” – is a holidaymaker at the resort, and finds herself stepping into the shoes of Johnny’s sick dance partner – bagging herself a show and a romance all at once.

The couple’s secret relationship is revealed when a wallet is stolen from the resort. Baby clears Johnny’s name by confessing that she was in his room all night, but he’s fired anyway for sleeping with a guest. The obvious way to solve this? Hold a party involving a great big dance lift and plenty of eighties tunes.

What have we learnt? Step up and help out in the workplace – it could well lead to bigger and better things (although you probably shouldn’t do it because you fancy the person you’re working with).

What have we learnt not to do? Speak without thinking. Even when times are stressful, you have to think about the consequences of your actions.

Adventureland – Don’t despair.

It’s summer 1987, and James Brennan’s parents have refused to pay his way through his journalism degree. In a bid to save up the cash himself, he takes a job at a local theme park with his friend Tommy. During one of many tiresome shifts in the games area, James is saved from a stabbing by co-worker Em.

Em learns that James has fallen in love with her and rejects him. After James catches Em with his friend Connell, she moves away out of shame. In a fit of emotion, James drunkenly crashes his father’s car into a tree, and loses his summer’s wages repairing it. Losing out on his college place, James heads to New York to seek his fortune.

What have we learnt? When one door closes, another opens. Just because something hasn’t gone to plan, doesn’t mean there isn’t something awesome around the corner.

What have we learnt not to do? No matter how bad things get, never drink drive. Aside from putting yourself and others in immediate danger, you’ll lose all your hard-earned wages.

The Way, Way Back – Good managers are the best.

Awkward but intelligent teenager, Duncan, is dragged on a summer holiday he’ll never forget. Unwilling to put up with being constantly beaten down by his mum and stepdad, Duncan lands himself a job at the local water park.

He meets carefree co-worker Owen, who brings Duncan into his own, helping him gain confidence and a new lust for life. The most important lesson? Not to be afraid to break away from what is expected, and to have the confidence to do what he wants to.

What have we learnt? A good manager is worth keeping on your side. With the right guidance, a supportive team could work wonders – so be sure to support them back.

What have we learnt not to do? It doesn’t pay to follow the crowd. To ultimately be happy, you have to follow your heart.

Ready for work now? Start applying for a summer job on Task Squad!

The post 6 tips for summer job success – from our favourite films appeared first on vinspired blog.

British families throw away 7.2 million tonnes of food every year – 50% of which could still be eaten. Even worse, 13.5% of our population are living in food poverty, unable to afford to feed themselves healthily. That’s 4.7 million Brits in need of a meal.

You can help change all that by  volunteering with FareShare to collect food in Tesco stores. Four volunteers over a four-hour period will collect one tonne of food. That’s enough to make 2380 meals.

10 million meals and counting

FareShare redistributes surplus food from food business across the country  to the charities on the frontline of fighting hunger. Last year, they sent out food for more than 10 million meals. Surplus food is traditionally fresh produce so FareShare are asking shoppers to donate kitchen cupboard essentials, like pasta, rice and tea, so they can deliver even more to the charities they support

But that’s only half the story. FareShare says that 59% of the charities they support are seeing more and more people turn to them for help, and more than a third of them are facing funding cuts.

Who needs food most?

Charities range from  breakfast clubs for children to those helping out disadvantaged groups. Homeplus is a drop-in centre in Belfast for migrant workers, refugees and asylum seekers. The charity aims to provide them with food, while giving them a community.

Sean O’Brien-Smith, the project manager, said: “The supply of food from FareShare allows volunteers, staff and clients to prepare different dishes in a tradition similar to that of their country of origin.”

Birchfield Primary School in Manchester started up a breakfast club eight years ago to feed children who aren’t getting breakfast at home.

Christine Clarke, who runs the club, said: “Originally, we were only able to provide toast as it was all we could afford, but now we are working with FareShare, we receive cereal and cereal bars along with toast, yogurt and fruits for the students to enjoy.”

Where you come in

All these charities rely on the help of volunteers to collect food for FareShare.

Can you spare a few hours on 5 or 6 July to volunteer for collections at Tesco stores nationwide? Apply now.

The post Do more with your weekly shop appeared first on vinspired blog.

…and we do it in more ways than one. We want young people to realise that the time they give to their community comes back to them tenfold. Our job is to make sure that happens.

Here are five ways that we make sure our volunteers get rewarded for the time they put into their placements.

We turn volunteering into a job

Wouldn’t it be great if the volunteering hours you’ve recorded on your vInspired.com profile could be turned into a CV of their own to show to employers?

We’ve done that for you. And we’re even bringing flexible, paid micro-work to the palm of your hand.

Task Squad makes sure your volunteering hours pay off directly with job opportunities.

Where can I sign up for job alerts? Head to www.TaskSquadHQ.com.

We give you cash to do your own thing

Did you enjoy volunteering with us so much that you want to take things into your own hands? Or have you seen something in your community that desperately needs fixing?

Pitch it to Cashpoint and we could hand you £500 to run your own project. That means you get to make your own community better with our cash, and get a whole new level of project management experience to add to your CV.

Where can I find out more? Check out vInspired.com/cashpoint.

We swap music downloads for a good deed

You’re all busy people, and it would be silly of us not to recognise that. We also know that despite this, young people still want to be able to do good things.

dtiparts online

We’ve got partnerships in place for those who just can’t spare those precious hours. For example, next time you want to buy some music, use Fairshare.

Fairshare Music donates proceeds to charity whenever you purchase a track from them. So while all you need to do is use vinspired.fairsharemusic.com, we give you cheap music and the chance to contribute as much as our other volunteers.

Want to buy music to support vInspired? Head over to FairShareMusic.com.

We send you to all the biggest festivals

If you haven’t nabbed yourself a festival volunteering post yet, do it quickly!

You could be assisting with campsite clean-up, helping festival go-ers pitch tents or be serving drinks to the crowds. Whatever it is you do to help at any UK festival, you’ll be rewarded with the chance to spend the rest of your day enjoying the festival… without the huge ticket price.

Where can I apply to volunteer? Sign up for a festival-filled summer with Oxfam.

We give you a setting to campaign, make friends and travel

Team V is our nationwide recruitment of volunteers that want to be great leaders. These young people work to improve communities and root for good causes, and are rewarded with a special Team v graduation and boundless leadership skills that help young people build their future.

Want to join Team v? Apply now at vinspired.com/teamv.

Celebrate Volunteers Week with vInspired – sign up to one of our fantastic placements!

The post Volunteers week – 5 ways we say thank you to our volunteers appeared first on vinspired blog.

With 1 million 18-24 year olds unemployed, that’s no easy feat! To get you ready to apply for summer jobs, we’re hosting a Twitter Qamp;A. The Task Squad micro-work team will be here on Tuesday 28 May between 1-2pm to answer your questions and get your CVs looking amazing.

Just tweet us using the hashtag #TaskSquad. We’re here to help job hunters through the tough times.

What is task Squad?

Task Squad is our new online platform that brings paid temp jobs to the desktops and phones of young people. It’s another way that we’re helping young people apply skills and confidence gained through volunteering to take their first step towards the careers they really want.

It’s flexible, it puts the job search in your hands so you choose what you want to do and when. Task Squad puts much-needed cash in your back pocket… and you don’t even have to put down your phone to apply.

What can we help with?

We can help with all sorts of career queries during our Qamp;A session. Here’s a few ideas to get you started:

goldenvalley-az online

• How can you get employed on Task Squad?
• What kind of jobs will be advertised on Task Squad?
• Where else can I start looking for summer jobs?
• What should I have included on my CV?
• How should I approach an employer for a job?
• Tips and tricks to get you through a job interview

How do I get involved?

Hop onto Twitter and drop us a tweet @vInspired using the hashtag #TaskSquad. Direct all your career related questions to us between 1-2pm this Tuesday, and the Task Squad team will help out out.

Not around on Tuesday? Fear not – just tweet us now instead!

The post Check in to our CV clinic appeared first on vinspired blog.

vInspired are letting four young people and four celebrity mentors battle it out with four campaigns that young people care about. The winning campaign will be the centre of our summer event, vInspired Live.

Make sure you’re registered for your chance to nab tickets to this revolutionary event. Our young people will be lobbying hard to change something that they see wrong with the world. Show your support by coming to vInspired Live for free on 6 July.

Mental health stigma

Perturbed by society’s unrealistic expectations of how we should look, Team v veteran Emma Norris is fronting the Love The Skin You’re In campaign. After returning to student life in the UK from Uganda, Emma realised how much of an impact the country’s attitude towards appearance had on her sense of self-worth.

The Love the Skin You’re In campaign is about realising who you are, what you want to achieve and the unique qualities that make you special. Our society has unrealistic expectations on what clothes size we should be, and stereotypes us into groups based on our choices and individual interests.

The ultimate aim? To change attitudes towards stereotypes and the way body image is taught in the UK.

Street crime

vInspired National Award winner Eliza Rebeiro knew she had to change something after her friends were stabbed in gang-related attacks.

At just 14 years old, Eliza founded Lives Not Knives – an awareness campaign to prevent pre-teens carrying a knife. It’s now an organisation that employs mentors to run workshops all over the South East to teach them about the dangers of gang life.

coloradophp online

The ultimate aim? To build the bridge between the business community and young people who are not in education, employment or training. Using a mentoring strategy, Lives Not Knives will ask business professionals to help young people create business plans, empowering them to start their own organisation.

Homelessness

Inspired by her time as a Centrepoint volunteer, aspiring young journalist Sophia Kichou is raising awareness of youth homelessness. It’s an experience Sophia has had herself. She knows more than anyone that the nation’s view of a homeless person is an incorrect stereotype.

80,000 young people find themselves homeless in the UK every year. They could be sitting next to you on the bus, at work even or in the park. But you wouldn’t know they’re homeless as they’re almost invisible – the stigma of stereotypes makes sure of that.

The ultimate aim? To raise awareness of the reasons why young people become homeless, and use these teachings to help those affected.

Unemployment

At the tender age of 16, Blessing Maregere had started up his own company. In the years that followed, he became a multi-award winning entrepreneur, inspirational speaker and passes on his skills and knowledge to young people so they can do the same.

His mission is to get young people beating the economic crisis by becoming entrepreneurs and creating their own jobs. The climate has created a huge youth issue, with 1 million 18-24 year olds currently unemployed in the UK.

The ultimate aim? Launch a UK Youth Enterprise Centre, which will be a hub for young people to develop their businesses and equipping young people with business enterprise skills.

And remember to register for your vInspired Live tickets to be there on the night!

The post 4 charity campaigns that could rock your summer appeared first on vinspired blog.

Meet the winner!

Tell us a little bit more about the volunteering you have done in the last year?

In the past year I have been volunteering with StreetGames and attended the residential with CSYV (Co-operative StreetGames Young Volunteers). I have been selected to be a young advisor for StreetGames and recently attended their conference meeting and event at Warwick university.

How does it feel to win volunteer of the month?

I have had a great experience volunteering. It’s made me become a better person and has opened my mind to everything. Winning this award has been an amazing surprise, but it also shows that hard work and dedication does pay off.

In what ways to do you feel you’ve made a difference to others?

In my years of volunteering, I have encountered a young generation who have faced tough tasks but give up too soon. As a volunteer I felt the urge to inspire and motivate them and share my own skills. What I’m trying to say is, I’m proud to be the person the young people look up to. I’m proud of who I have become.

What do you enjoy most about volunteering?

I enjoy meeting new people, learning new things and making new friends. Volunteering has helped me become more confident, motivated and a better leader.

What do you do outside of volunteering, and what’s next for you?

I study at Manchester college on Openshaw Campus. I’m currently doing Vehicle Maintenance and Repair IMI (level one). I have been trying to get into an apprenticeship at level two, three or four.

How important are the vInspired awards to you?

The awards have made me more inspired and motivated to further my skills in volunteering. The award will benefit me in the future when applying for a full time job in mechanics.

What would you say are the 3 best things about volunteering?

1. Helps build confidence
2. Gain more experience
3. Meeting people from different projects

What would you say to encourage other young people to sign up to vInspired.com?

I would say to them, “For those who are shy, that’s ok. Open yourself to other people and the world – vInspired will guide you in the right direction.”

The post Volunteer of the month: Nicco Kihaka appeared first on vinspired blog.

Whether you want to lead a scout group, a community project or the country, a great leader needs key skills to get where they need to be. vInspired supports young people as they develop and shape their future as working adults so you’re ready to achieve your dreams from the get-go.

Here are eight things you can do to be a great leader.

1. Be a problem solver

Not every day is a perfect one. Problems come up all over the place. If you can be the one to solve them, you prove that you’re reliable. Being the glue that holds a great plan together is a mark of successful leadership.

Be the one to look ahead and identify where something may go wrong. If you flag a problem before it has a huge impact, you make yours and everyone else’s job easier.

2. Lead by example

No one listens to a hypocrite. If you are voicing opinions and dishing out instructions, you’ll be expected to reflect them. Practice what you preach so others have a reason to believe in what you say.

3. Consider others

A selfish leader will lose faithful colleagues, and if you’re constantly left to undertake projects by yourself it gets pretty lonely at the top.

Be ready to listen and take feedback on board. It will inspire bigger and better things as projects develop, spark new ideas and build the foundations of a solid team.

4. Encourage openness and creativity

People feel great when they have the space to get creative juices flowing. A leader who lets that happen will be regarded as a great person.

Being creative sparks ideas and is a great team-building exercise. If your colleagues can speak freely about their ideas and how they feel, they’re less likely to feel unloved. Allow everyone this freedom and watch ideas and good feelings flow!

5. Be positive

Even if something goes really wrong, getting moody about it doesn’t solve anything. Even worse, it discourages everyone around you.

Get your problem solving cap on in the face of a nightmare and be the ray of sunshine that keeps everyone motivated. If everyone’s happy, they’ll feel more like they can conquer the problem (and they’ll want to).

6. Think of the big picture

Keep planning ahead so that every decision you make leads to a grand plan. It’ll help stop aimless decisions being made and reduce problems along the way.

What you should end up with is a well-planned project that sticks around for a long time – meaning you have ages to enjoy your work.

7. Take responsibility

Have you heard the saying “With great power comes great responsibility”? It’s time to take it on board and put it into practice, because a great leader doesn’t play the blame game.

If you make a bad decision, accept that it wasn’t a great move. Let people know what you’ve learnt from it and what your next steps are. You’ll gain much more respect for righting the wrong and being upfront about mistakes.

8. Learn from the best

You’re going to need to demonstrate all these great skills to employers one day, and we’ve got just the thing you need. Team v recruitment is now open!

Being recognised as a Team v leader highlights that you can dedicate yourself to a project. That entails mature decision-making and teamwork, so you can add those transferable skills to the top of your CV.

The project experience speaks for itself. You’ll learn:

• Leadership
• Project management
• Budgeting
• PR

Consider Team v the toolkit you need to show the world you’re a great leader. Apply now!

The post 8 ways to be a great leader appeared first on vinspired blog.

The RRP Leeds and RRP Rochdale stores will run by teams of volunteers aged 16-25, who have been given retail training and support by vInspired, in partnership with Retail Trust. Shopping trip anyone?

Tricks of the trade

Building and running a shop from scratch is an art. Our volunteers gained in-depth training from our favourite high street shops including JD Sports, Hotel Chocolat, Disney and Dixons. They even visited Swarovski’s flagship store in London’s Oxford Street.

Our RRP volunteers were mentored at Swarovski by an inspirational leader called Remi. He explained his journey from a pot washer in a small Kentish pub at the age of 16, all the way up to Store Manager in just 5 years. His story demonstrated how opportunities to make great things happen are out there for young people in the retail industry.

Here are the tips we learnt from the retail professionals.

1. Every detail counts

You need to have an edge on your competition. If you want customers to come back to you, you need to work on the little things that draw them to you. Attention to detail is key.

• Schedule tidy ups. Give the shop a once-over every hour, or at least get the place straightened up during quiet periods.
• Don’t get caught daydreaming or with a sad face. A welcoming smile can make all the difference to your customer’s experience.
• Notice a process in your shop that could be better? Be the one to improve it. If it helps other staff they’ll be happier, and that will rub off on customers.

2. Patience is key

Any retail employee knows that you’ll have bad days. Things can go wrong, and that’s ok if you’ve got the correct attitude and approach to deal with it.

If a customer complains to you, never get angry. It’s best to start with an apology and good old empathy. Talk through the problem even if you’ve heard the same thing a million times. Treat this like the first complaint you’ve heard. Work with a manager to reach a solution.

 3. Go above and beyond

Your happiest customers are those who receive amazing customer service. Think about how you can make their visit as smooth as possible by being helpful.

• Don’t stock the product they need? Look up where else they could find it. Give them an address, telephone number and directions if possible.
• Think they might need some accessories or extra services to go with the product they’re buying? Show them what they could buy to enhance their item (without giving them the hard sell).
• Escort them to anything they want to find rather than just pointing, and make sure they know you’re on hand to help at all times.

 4. Aim high

Always remember that if you work hard and show an interest in learning about retail outside of your role, it demonstrates enthusiasm to succeed.

Our RRP stores

The first Retail Ready People store opens in Rochdale on Saturday 11 May.

The Rochdale shop will be a creative and crafty space championed by local craftsman and designers. Rochdale visitors will be able to get hands-on with their purchase by customising clothes, bags and more. Meanwhile Leeds volunteers created a social shop space with free tea for all. They’ll showcase the work of local artists with handmade gifts, and will even be hosting events in-store.

Fancy a visit? Head down to Unit 1 of Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre, Rochdale this Saturday 11 May and Leeds City Centre on Saturday 18 May for launch day activities and giveaways.

Keep up with the Leeds store.

Keep up with the Rochdale store.

Retail Ready People is run by vInspired, Retail Trust and Dan Thompson, of Empty Shops Network and #Riotcleanup fame, who works with young people to turn empty shops into amazing pop-up spaces.

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The Educational Maintenance Allowance has been cut. One in five 16 to 24 year olds are unemployed.  There are an average of 52 job applications for every graduate position, and recently 1700 people applied for eight positions at Costa in Nottingham.

Breaking the cycle

For many young people the thought of getting a job or going to uni, being able to move out of your parent’s house and starting your own life can seem like distant prospects.  It’s easy to get stuck in the cycle of no experience = no job, no job = no experience; or no money = no chance to try out your own business ideas = no money.

Sometimes all that’s needed to break the cycle is a little help.  A way to develop your skills, try out your ideas and demonstrate a real interest in something.  That’s what vInspired cashpoint was set up for.

How will cashpoint help?

Running a vInspired cashpoint project means that you can choose something that interests you, or an idea you’ve always wanted to try, and pursue your own ambitions whilst doing something good for your community.  You get to oversee an entire project, which means leading a team, building confidence and communication skills and managing your own budget. The impact on your CV can be remarkable, and it gives you a wealth of experience to draw on in job interviews and future endeavours.

What have other people done?

Some people use their cashpoint grants to develop business ideas and stretch their entrepreneurial muscles:

• Amandeep, 23, was awarded £500 to run her Creative Minds, Changing Lives project which got members of the community to develop their own product from scratch. They came up with an idea, designed it, created it and sold it (using the proceeds to help promote local charity work).
• Jivan, 16, is launching a website that brings together young people and work experience, internships and creative opportunities. It launched at an event packed with workshops, business and organisation stalls and information for young people.
• Cheryl, 23, is starting up her own youth newspaper for London boroughs which will support young people to write their own content and gain experience in media and journalism, whilst engaging with the issues that they and their peers are interested in.

So it might be a pretty difficult to time to be a young person, but that doesn’t mean that opportunities and support aren’t out there. It just means that you have to take chances and break new ground. Make sure that you get yourself the skills and experience you need to stand out from the crowd and succeed.  As they say, necessity breeds ingenuity.

Check out cashpoint and apply now.

The post 3 amazing cashpoint projects you could start with £500 appeared first on vinspired blog.