6th November
Blog Stories
“We rise by lifting others.” ~ Robert Ingersoll This simple quote and guiding principle has underpinned all developments I’ve led since joining UFA a year ago. It is what led me to wanting to join the organisation following the leadership positions I’d enjoyed so much in previous roles and which I continue to believe passionately
26th January
Blog Stories
My colleague Jan Polack and I spent an unusual afternoon recently…….Intrigued? I’ll tell you more! We spent the afternoon with 14 young people from Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy in Birtley discussing what makes effective learning. My guess is this doesn’t happen too often and it was a real privilege to observe. Young people explaining
5th January
Blog Stories
With the New Year well and truly underway, most of us are now back at work or school, with the celebrations and festivities now a distant (and hopefully fond memory). One of the first questions of 2017 I was asked was ‘Have you made any New Year’s resolutions?’ Making New Year’s resolutions is a
20th December
Blog Stories
As 2016 comes to an end and we prepare for the holidays, the UFA, NCS and Top Tutors teams have been reflecting on the gifts and experience they would give to every young person. Forget the latest i-Phone or Alton Towers tickets, these presents are what we believe are the very best things to give
12th December
Blog Stories
This blog is by UFA National Manager, Jan Polack. If you know me, you’ll know that music plays a really important part in my life. I play with a local amateur orchestra and recently we tried out a new conductor. The experience of a different style of leadership had a dramatic effect on the band.
5th December
Blog Stories
It’s International Volunteer Day today. As you may already know, a HUGE part of NCS (National Citizen Service) is about young people giving back to and taking an active role in their local community – so our UFA NCS teams up and down the country are taking inspiration from the thousands of young people we
28th November
Blog Stories
It’s the beginning of my third week at UFA and it’s been great to really get to grips with what the organisation does, through talking to staff, trustees and partners. One question that I’ve been asked throughout my first couple of weeks is what attracted me to the role of CEO at UFA? The answer
18th November
Blog Stories
Derbyshire’s Virtual School has the foresight and the courage to put their money and their people where their mouth is – and if anyone’s shouting out for the most vulnerable young people in our society you can be sure UFA wants to be there alongside. When Kim Johnson (AHT) and I planned a framework for
11th November
Blog Stories
Amid much talk about progress, how to assess it, how to maximise it, how to close the gaps I make sense of this hydra through the individual journeys I witness and contribute to through raising their confidence in themselves to progress beyond their (initially) limiting beliefs. In February I wrote about a cohort of
3rd November
Blog Stories
Volunteering can happen anytime, anyplace and anywhere, and it has the power to bring about lasting change. Volunteers take on a wide range of roles which can make a huge difference to people and communities. Who can forget the Games Makers at the 2012 Olympics – 70,000 people who gave their time and energy to
