Connex - Barnstaple
About the group
We currently have eight members, but this changes all the time as new people join - three last week! and some have left to go off to colleges and universities, travelling, work and because they reach 20 years old and have to retire!
Our current business plan for 2009 - 10 is all about Promotion and Recruitment and we are re-making our promo' DVD as part of this. We are going in to some parents' evenings in schools to promote Connex and Connexions to young people and parents and attending a teachers and Connexions staff meeting to do the same there.
We have done loads of different things - have a look at the notes from our meetings to see just some of them.
Fancy making a difference to your local Connexions service and other services for young people? Contact any Connexions centre to get in touch.
You can find more pictures at our facebook page.
How the recession affects me...
Have a look at our list of effects the recession may have on students, parents, employers and more!
Business planning day 2009
From the Hear by Right theme chosen by the group at the barbecue event last summer and chosen at a previous Connex meeting, the group started by discussing the different aspects of their choice;
Advertising Connexions
- Making people know what it is and what they do
- Connexions help you move forward
- TV, schools, colleges, town, youth clubs, cinema
- Put up leaflets in local areas
- Other services to promote Connexions and working in partnership (IYSS)
- Involving young people in adverts to attract more young people
- Update posters and make them colourful
- Advertise in shops that young people use
- Young people go into schools/youth groups/colleges to promote Connexions
- Advertise on the internet, Facebook, etc.
- Bluetooth advertising
- Make a slogan/logo to show what Connexions does and get the name known
We looked at their spider gram they had done and they narrowed down their plans, discounting first Bluetooth advertising as they felt that having now experienced this more and more as consumers, that it was often annoying and that it would not give a good impression of Connexions. One young person gave the example of a football match they had attended when as soon as they were inside the ground their mobile kept on coming up with advertising messages which were irritating, but they wanted to leave their ‘phone on as they were expecting a call from someone.
They discussed social networking sites, and the feedback from Andrew Foster from Connexions website and the blog work that is being brought to the newly named Chill section – Get Involved. They felt this work was already underway.
Their main interest was in the advertising Connexions and Connex to young people, parents, teachers, Connexions staff. This was discussed and narrowed down to make it more manageable given the time they have to commit to this work.
Using the Hot Air Balloon planning tool the group decided on two main themes for their plans for the business year ahead: The aim is to review this work at each meeting and to plot what is achieved against Hear by Right at a end of year review.
- TO PROMOTE CONNEXIONS and CONNEX to PARENTS in TWO SCHOOLS. The group decided to target two schools, and to target year 9 at two separate parents’ evenings. The aim being to help the School PA to promote Connexions by giving a young person’s view, as they have all been through the transitions in year 9, and use it also as an opportunity to promote membership to Wikidkrew/Connex.
- TO PROMOTE CONNEXIONS and CONNEX to TEACHERS and to PROMOTE CONNEX TO CONNEXIONS STAFF. They felt that in their experience, teachers were not really clear about how Connexions helped young people and that most teachers seemed only to direct those wanting careers help to Connexions and not those who had other issues. They also wanted to promote Connex to teachers and to Connexions staff so that this would help with recruitment to the group. Their aim is to do this where teachers from different schools get together, ( perhaps Careers Association?) and to come to a Connexions staff meeting to do a presentation about what they had done as a member of a Connex group and how it has helped them.
In the meantime they have asked Felicity to contact Connexions PAs who work in schools to check to see if their school would let them come to a year 9 parents’ evening, (they particularly want schools where Connexions is less well known) and to ask Barnstaple Connexions Managers about coming to a Careers Association meeting and to a Connexions staff meeting.
Felicity will do this by the next Wikdikrew/Connex meeting (April 20th 2009)
Once this is set up the plan can move forward and the detail of the work set out.
A request too that the summer workshop (August) could be a day to practice presentations and put together a Power Point for use with teachers and Connexions staff.
The aim is to carry out both plans with members of the group working on one or the other.
View the plans - To promote Connexions and Connex to...
Notes from our meetings
- 18th October 2010
- 13th September 2010
- 19th July 2010
- 14th June 2010
- 17th May 2010
- 15th March 2010
- 15th February 2010
- 18th January 2010
- 23rd November 2009
- 12th October 2009
I'm on holiday for the next couple of weeks, so I'm going to leave our facebook page in the capable hands of... http://t.co/H7JyVylE
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If you're in Cornwall and looking for a summer job, have a look at our Truro, Penzance and Camborne pages! http://t.co/RSFl3Z40
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