We are really excited to be supported by BVC/UnLtd as well as:

• TSIP – The Social Investment Innovation Partnership – working with oganisations to identify their purpose, supporting them to develop the system and skills they need to embed evidence and innovation to their work.
• ClearlySO – financial services firm specialising in social impact investment, providing capital raising and advisory services.
• Social Investment Business – One of the UK’s leading social investors, they have invested more than £340 million in charities and social enterprise since 2002.
• Hogan and Lovells – providing legal support for all ventures associated with the BVC.

The plan is to make the most of this opportunity, to grow C.O.V to create a larger scale of social impact by increasing our cohort of service users. In order to do this, we are looking to expand our team, creating job opportunities, as well as a volunteer programme to support children within schools with community groups with small group and or one to one Protective Behaviours focused mentoring.

I have been fortunate to have the support of my personal and professional network to turn my once ‘simple’ idea into a growing social enterprise. Who would of thought that those dark days of being comforted by the sound of Tupac in my ears would inspire me to do this? With a beautiful blend of lyricism and Protective Behaviours I have been able to build my ideas and educate others around their right to feel safe and hopefully prevent someone being victimised and or abused.

“I feel like if you walked by a street and you was walking on concrete and you saw a rose growing out of concrete, even if it had messed up petals and it was a little to the side, you would marvel at just seeing a rose grow through concrete. ” Tupac Shakur

For more info on our BVC profile, please follow the link, BVC Winner Profile

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Raising awareness of Protective Behaviours at The Education Show.

From Thursday 17th – Sat 19th March, Creative Optimistic Visions and the national organisation of Protective Behaviours in the UK – Protective Behaviours Consortium exhibited at The Education Show. It was a new experience for both organisations, and as a non for profit organisation it was definitely us choosing to risk on purpose to raise awareness of Protective Behaviours in order for us to achieve our mission.

Revolutionising Safeguarding child first. Every child and young person is entitled to know they have a right to feel safe all the time. Children and young people need to know how to keep themselves feeling safe using Protective Behaviours, to protect themselves from grooming, abuse and victimisation.

Our Safer@School Strategy enables schools and colleges to demonstrate to Ofsted a commitment to improving the well-being and safety of children and young people, and to promoting understanding, tolerance and respect. Integral to PSHE /citizenship, it is also a practical approach for colleges in implementing their responsibilities under the Prevent strategy.

Over the three days we engaged with approximately 300 people, all of which we had fantastic conversations with about their issues within work or at home, and how we can offer support to keep themselves feeling safe as well as the children and young people in their lives.

It was C.O.V official 2nd birthday on the 17th March, never did I think that such a small project idea turn into a growing social enterprise that inspires, supports and educates all people about Protective Behaviours. Supporting people to build and create brighter, safer futures. That my friend, you can’t put a price on!

Thank you to all of those that have loved and supported me throughout this mission, I couldn’t of done it without my beloved support network.

The post Success at The Education Show first appeared on COV.

COV has taken a very proactive approach to this by inviting Head teachers, learning mentors, local police, local library staff and community champions to attend a Protective Behaviours Foundation Level Course in October 2015 to ensure they feel safe within their working practice to support, and prevent CSE within their practice, and equipping them with a skill set to educate children and young people around their right to feel safe, giving children and young people  a tool kit for them to become their first line of defence of abuse and victimisation.

It was important for COV to first approach the professionals working with the children and young people to generate shared meaning of Protective Behaviours and ensure clarity around the language used universally, as well as the familiarity of the Protective Behaviours principles and strategies.

We are now into our second stage of this project, by delivering a Protective Behaviours themed week during February half term 2016. We are inviting all children and young people (ages 5 – 18) within the area to join in a creative, fun week of learning of how to keep themselves feeling safe as well all have the right to feel safe.

We have invited artists and our MC Nia from our Urban Arts project to assist with this creative outlet, exploring Protective Behaviours through a range of workshops. Our activities will incorporate something for everyone. Family and friends will have the opportunity to visit our themed week when we celebrate all the work we have created, visually and lyrically, reinforcing the themes and strategies of Protective Behaviours.

The post Raising awareness of Protective Behaviours in the community first appeared on COV.

The design of the CD label to represent their journey.

I was fortunate to be invited by Valley House to deliver our Urban Arts Project throughout the Summer of 2015. This Project educates young people about The Protective Behaviours process, a practical down to earth strategy around feeling safe, as well as the opportunity to achieve an Open College Network qualification and also to write and record their own music.

I wanted to share this story with you, to express how proud I am of the four women that attended this group, as they took a risk on purpose to work with myself, and it was difficult for them to take on the knowledge Protective Behaviours as they found it quite difficult to think of what feeling safe actually feels like due to their own journey so far in their lifetime. However, they persisted, and were honest with their feelings, thoughts and behaviour. They didn’t just achieve a qualification, they grew within themselves, which took a lot of courage.

I would like to share with you their honest account of their life journey, and how they have grown with hard work and commitment for themselves and their children to live a happier safer life, and to gain the confidence that they can achieve anything they wish, if they access the support and knowledge required to achieve their aims in life.

Well done girls, I wish you all the very best in life…

Please click on the link to listen to Stepping Stones

Valley House “At first I did not know what to expect as I referred some challenging young people to attend your programme and not knowing how these young people would interact and communicate with you and within a group environment. But the very first day they met you they absolutely took to you and I could just feel that they was very comfortable within that group atmosphere created by you to share their anger, inner thoughts and frustrations and joys about their everyday life. After speaking to the young people who attended they found their experience to be a positive, enjoyable and rewarding which is a big testament to you as these young people were really hard to engage, but by the end of the course there were all very good friends.

I found the course content very current, and relevant for all young people as it covers topics/issues which some organisations feels nervous to tackle. I felt the delivery style was good as you empowered the young people to gain the confidence to eventually lead the sessions themselves.

What a fantastic programme and I would recommend this programme to every young person and to all services.”

Gary Brown, Valley House Youth and Community Worker

Thank you for reading…

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I can honestly say I have turned a negative in to a positive, I’m not saying that what happened to me still doesn’t hurt or creep up every now and again, but I am standing up for every man, woman and child. We all have a right to feel safe, and I feel unsafe doing the work I do, I feel unsafe posting this post…. but I am choosing to risk on purpose because the value of my work, and my message is too valuable to others and myself for me not to do so…. I am a wounded healer…

Why: 

How: Collaboration with Coventry University, organisations, schools and community groups that have an interest in benefiting the lives of the people they work with, or their own for that matter. Developing and delivering a range of projects suitable for all ages incorporating the Protective Behaviours Process.

What: We have three programmes so far, Urban Arts ( working with young people, educating them of Protective behaviours through the art of lyricism), Gingerbread (primary school) and Knowing Me & Knowing You (programme focused on the prevention of Child Sexual Exploitation).

We tailor our projects for the needs of the people we work with. We also deliver our projects one to one as well as offer one to one mentoring and Protective Behaviours Foundation Level training for professionals that work with people.

Here is a short video that shows myself expelling to Giles from Enterprise Mastery of what services are available from Creative Optimistic Visions. You know when you have a moment and you walk away and think….. Oh! I forgot to say that!! Well I had a lot of those moments after doing this video.

http://youtu.be/yQqdYDGVpAA

Urban Arts leaflet

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The vision of C.O.V. Urban Arts is to give young people the tools to enable them to make positive life choices throughout their life journeys.The Urban Arts project does this by delivering a message of personal safety through lyricism – poetry through music.

Using the learners personal music influences, the project will encourage critical thinking through the exploration of their thought, feelings and behaviours, thus encouraging them to build self-confidence.

This includes the sharing of knowledge and outlining what the rights and responsibilities are for individuals and others in their lives. As a result, the learner will become empowered in making safe and positive life choices, and will also have the knowledge to locate and use appropriate further knowledge during their life journeys.

I am please to say that we have already completed one project and have recently started our next project, however I am bursting with excitement to share the news… So apologies as no doubt I will be rewriting a similar post in the near future once completing our second project.

Never in  a million years did I think that C.O.V would become what it has to date (even thought we are still premature) The Urban Arts project was a small idea that has grew in to an OCN (Open College Network) PBC (Protective Behaviours Consortium) endorsed programme. I wanted to share a few pics and a fun video of our time at Born in a Barn Studios, to illustrate all the hard work the young people had put not this project.

As a result, they have designed, written and record their own cd, gained a knowledge of The Protective Behaviours Process and achieved an OCN qualification in Understanding the Diversities in Society.

For further information about booking an Urban Arts Project, or to simply find out more about our service please look at our services page.

https://www.creativeoptimisticvisions.co.uk/services/

Professional material produced by some hardworking inspirational individuals.

Excited for our road trip!!

I don’t think anyone is too old to dress up! So much fun.

The post Success of our Urban Arts Project first appeared on COV.

http://www.bqlive.co.uk/2015/05/11/passionate-student-helps-schoolchildren-feel-safe/?utm_source=Room501+Ltd&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=5684287_BQB+WM+Tue+12+May+2015&utm_content=Passionate&dm_i=1SK3%2C3DU0V%2CAUSHOB%2CC3RRT%2C1

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