Shackleton Foundation 2015 Newsletter
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SHACKLETON FOUNDATION NewsletterIssue 6 – 2015 www.shackletonfoundation.org chairman’s introduction Contents Chairman’s introduction 1 New Leaders 2 A Busy Year! Shackleton Diary 3 My Antarctic 3 Welcome to our 2015 newsletter. You join us in the midst of the centenary of the Endurance expedition. One hundred years ago, the Endurance was trapped in ice, Sir Ernest Shackleton had halted the ship’s routine, and the crew were facing a four-month winter of permanent darkness. The crew’s courage and heroism and Shackleton’s inspired leadership are a lesson to us all – that individuals are capable of remarkable feats in the face of unimaginable odds. Talking of which, we were delighted to moved on. Our thanks to Dave Cornell, receive in the post a copy of 14 year old Ronnie Gray and Henry Worsley for Kirsty Patterson’s Shackleton diary – an their significant work and a big welcome incredible piece of work. to new trustee Claudia Bradby. A bigger change has been the departure of Joanna Trustees 4 I am proud to announce that we Worsley, without whom we really would recently awarded our twentieth never have got the Foundation off the The Horse Course 4 Shackleton Leadership Award since we ground. We are all very grateful for the started looking for these inspirational hard work that she and Henry put in to About the Foundation 4 individuals. This past year alone we the work of the Foundation. have met and awarded funds to Alanna O’Garro, Sammy Odoi, Jaffer Hussein, Finally, we would be very grateful Kayleigh Harper and Jayne Hardy. In for your help and support in forwarding Inspired by the leadership of the following pages, you can read our newsletter to friends and family 20th century polar explorer more about these inspiring individuals. and sending us the emails of all those You can also find out more about the who you think would like to receive Sir Ernest Shackleton, The ongoing My Antarctic challenge that next year’s edition. Also, if you know Shackleton Foundation we are using to raise money for the of anyone who might be kind enough provides seed funding to Shackleton Foundation so that we can to donate to our cause, or anyone social entrepreneurs wishing continue to find, reward and help other who might be a suitable Shackleton to make a difference to the inspiring social entrepreneurs. If you Leader then please do email me at like what you have read thus far, then [email protected]. lives of disadvantaged young please do consider pushing yourself people in the UK. to do something that you wouldn’t Our sixth newsletter showcases normally do to raise some funds for the Shackleton Foundation. our charitable work in 2014 and our ‘My Antarctic’ campaign. Charities evolve, and over the last year, three founding trustees have Bill Shipton, Chairman www.shackletonfoundation.org Newsletter Summer 2015 1 SHACKLETON FOUNDATION Newsletter new SHACKLETON Leaders From left to right: Alanna O’Garro, Sammy Odoi, Jaffer Hussein, Kayleigh Harper, Jayne Hardy. Alanna O’Garro person-centred interventions to help Without Theatre provides Alanna is the co-founder of Rivers break the cycle of offending behaviour. opportunities for young people who Coaching (www.riverscoaching.co.uk). The Shackleton Foundation Leadership suffer from mental illness to take part in Alanna trained as a Maths teacher, Award has enabled WiPERS to broaden creative workshops where they can build through Teach First, in a school in a the range and scope of its group work confidence and self-esteem, develop trust very deprived part of south-east London. programmes, to reach even more young and relationships with others and feel safe There she was exposed to seeing talented people and to help give vulnerable in a supportive and confidential space, teachers being over-worked and under- youngsters “a clearer vision for a safer which allows them to explore difficult supported. As a result, she saw many journey” through their adolescent years. emotions through fun activities. teachers leaving the profession. The Foundation’s funding will enable Several of those that remained were Jaffer Hussein Kayleigh to develop ‘Reflect’, which is jaded by the system, and often had very Jaffer’s life is driven by the idea that Without Theatre’s immersive theatre low expectations of the children they young people can make a difference programme that supports young people taught. She was horrified to find out when given the opportunity to do so who suffer depression. this was happening in several schools – a difference not only to their own across London, especially in those facing communities and societies, but also to Jayne Hardy the most challenging circumstances. themselves personally, to their family and Jayne Hardy is the Founder of the Blurt Ultimately, the children were being failed to their friends. Foundation (www.blurtitout.org), an by a flawed system. In January 2014, Jaffer set up his organisation which provides information So, in November 2012, Alanna own youth empowerment organisation and support to those affected by depression. approached her friend to set up Rivers SLYNCS (Strengthening links between The Foundation offers comprehensive, free Coaching; a value-driven social enterprise young people, networks, communities and online resources which provide easy-to- that supports teachers working in the most specialists). SLYNCS (www.slyncs.co.uk) understand information on depression. By deprived areas of London, in the classroom supports young people in developing key engaging in a lively and successful social on a one-to-one basis over a year. life skills, while at the same time tackling media presence and by providing a closed The Shackleton Foundation’s funding hard hitting community issues. This is online Facebook group where your peers has supported Rivers Coaching in running achieved by creating a forum for young and Blurt mentors are an ear for those a second more extensive pilot in six people in Blackburn to deliver social action needing someone to listen to or connect schools, working with over 30 teachers projects in their local communities. with, at a time in their lives when they feel reaching over 750 children directly. With the help of the Shackleton lonely and when they don’t know where Foundation, SLYNCS has managed else to go for help. Sammy Odoi to develop and improve its youth Blurt also exists to engage with Sammy Odoi is the founder of empowerment programme. The Award medical practitioners, employers, schools WiPERS, a social enterprise dedicated to will allow a total of 90 young people and companies in the community to engaging and empowering young people. to work on 18 different community burst the stigma of depression and to Sammy is a qualified social worker who outreach projects within Blackburn. The work to educate and support them in has been working with vulnerable young Award also enables the SLYNCS team to reaching a greater understanding of and people for over ten years. run a pilot project on behalf of UpRising, empathy for those affected. In 2013, WiPERS (www.wipers.org.uk) a Cabinet Office-backed national youth The Shackleton Foundation funding was officially launched with the mission leadership development organisation. will go towards the cost of re-launching to engage and empower hard-to-reach Blurt’s online mentoring scheme within disaffected young people. WiPERS Kayleigh Harper the next 12 months. The scheme aims to supports youth offending teams and Kayleigh Harper is a co-founder of successfully match 2,500 people affected other organisations working with young Without Theatre, and creator of the by depression to an online mentor. people by delivering relationship-based, ‘Reflect’ programme. 2 Newsletter Issue 6 SHACKLETON FOUNDATION Newsletter shacKLeton’s diary As part of year 9’s geography project at The Purbeck School in Wareham, Dorset last year, Kirsty Patterson, 14, imagined that she was Sir Ernest Shackleton during his famous Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (often known as the Endurance Expedition). With 19 separate entries covering the expedition’s remarkable 1914-16 story, Kirsty reproduced what she imagined might have been Shackleton’s diary, which is illustrated with diagrams, Shackleton’s famous advertisement (from The Times) and copies of original photographs. Commenting on the eight week school project, her Geography teacher, Mike Vavrecka (who retires this year) said “I don’t think I have ever seen such a wonderful piece of work in 35 years of teaching. It is so beautifully presented and shows such imagination”. It was Mike’s idea to share Kirsty’s work with the Shackleton Foundation and we are thrilled that he did. To see the whole diary please visit the Shackleton Foundation website (www.shackletonfoundation.org) my antarctic campaign What’s your Antarctic? What intimidates you? What would Gray’s painting challenge, Karen Kwong’s The game was afoot; unfortunately you love to achieve? sleeping rough in London challenge, and my sat nav ran amok. Said sat nav caused Anton Oliver’s Peter and the Wolf challenge me multiple wrong turns on the journey, The Shackleton Foundation is calling (all featured in 2014’s Newsletter), I was but got me to Geneva in the end. The you to take on your Antarctic! We believe keen to get involved and do something most challenging day was also the most everyone has an Antarctic. This is a personal that pushed me beyond my comfort zone. rewarding day. After having seen Kent challenge you have, something you would Navigation has never been my strong suit, in all its sunny glory and Paris in all its love to achieve, but are perhaps fearful of so I soon settled on that as a theme. I just grandeur, the final day was hilly, rainy trying, because it’s too difficult or you are needed a format and a destination.