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A Millennium Commission funded scheme that develops 'life skills' such as leadership, teamwork and communication has helped thousands of people in the UK secure full time employment and further education, according to new research. The Social Impact Study1 of the Millennium Awards2 launched today(Wednesday 20 March) reveals that 30% of Award winners believe that they have obtained full time jobs as a direct result of undertaking their project. The study also reveals that almost 70% of Award winners are more likely to take part in training and education on completion of their Award. The Millennium Awards, established by the Millennium Commission in 1996, are small grants that enable individuals to set up practical, community-based projects which benefit local people. An extension of traditional volunteering, they encourage informal learning of core skills such as communication and negotiation. The Rt. Hon Tessa Jowell MP, Chair of the Millennium Commission, explains, "The Millennium Awards are not intended as an economic development programme, nor to specifically provide individuals with key skills training or life long learning, yet all these positive impacts have become indirect benefits of the scheme. Millennium Award winners are demonstrating that individual ambition, determination and initiative can have professional as well as personal and altruistic benefits." John Stevens, Director of Development and Public Policy, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, says, "I wholeheartedly support initiatives such as the Millennium Awards. The skills acquired by Millennium Award winners are clearly attractive to prospective employers because increasingly life skills are relevant to business needs. In a competitive job market, Award winners will stand out from the crowd." By nurturing skills continually rather than in a formal learning environment, Millennium Award winners are clearly demonstrating the scheme?s wide reaching benefits: - Debilitated by ME and unable to attend school, 21 year-old Amanda Hyam used her Millennium Award to design an interactive website to educate people, especially children, about marine species. She has now secured a unique full time job with P&O on their Biscay Dolphin Research Programme.
- Khondoker Kamaluddin used his Millennium Award to run a drug awareness education and prevention project in Tower Hamlets, and he is now a drugs awareness officer in Bethnal Green. (please see attached case studies).
Millennium Awards winners are part of a growing army of community activists in the UK; 22 million adults are involved in volunteering each year with an economic value calculated to be in the region of £40 billion. ends References 1 The social impact study of Millennium Awards was commissioned by the Millennium Commission in June 2001 and undertaken by Annabel Jackson Associates. It is based on 692 telephone interviews with Millennium Award recipients. Interviewees were selected randomly. 2 The Millennium Awards are grants of between £2,000 and £15,000 distributed by the Millennium Commission For further information/interviews please contact Millennium Commission Press Office on 020 7880 2007 out of hours 07771 565606 or Emma Coan or Cheryl Campsie at The Forster Company on 020 7403 2230. The Millennium Commission web sites can be accessed atwww.millennium.gov.uk andwww.starpeople.org.uk Notes to Editors Interviews are available with: Mike O?Connor, Director, Millennium Commission; Erica Roberts, Director of Millennium Awards, Annabel Jackson of Annabel Jackson Associates and Millennium Award winners (see examples below). Over 20,000 Millennium Awards have been granted to date and there are approximately 10,000 Millennium Awards of between £2,000 and £15,000 still available for application. For further information call 0800 06801 2000 or visit www.starpeople.org.uk Awards are distributed by Millennium Award Partners, established charities and other organisations with a history of grant making. The Millennium Award scheme was set up in 1996 and was the first scheme to give Lottery grants to individuals. Case Studies Amanda Hyam Amanda, 21, began working as a volunteer for BTCV and other organisations at the age of 15, as she was unable to attend school due to ME. Her Millennium Award allowed her to design an interactive website to attract and educate people, especially children, about marine species. She was also able to obtain her diving qualification, devising a course designed especially for people with disabilities. As a result of her Award, Amanda has now secured a unique full time job with P&O on their Biscay Dolphin Research Programme, enabling P&O passengers to have a free dolphin and whale spotting service. Khondoker Kamaluddin Khondoker received a Millennium Award to run a drug awareness education and prevention project for the Bangladeshi community in Tower Hamlets, London. He ran two workshops, one for men and one for women, and published 500 booklets. These have proved so successful that he gained further funding and has printed another 1,000 copies. Thanks to his Award, Khondoker has found employment as a drug awareness officer in Bethnal Green. Simeon Bamford Simeon loved to cycle in his spare time but discovered that London was not the safest place to be on a bike! He found that others thought the same so he applied for a Millennium Award to set up a cycling confidence training scheme, using the money to first aid and training kits. He recruited a team of people who were keen to be instructors and set about teaching Londoners how to ride safely on the streets. As the number of people taking up his training increased, Simeon decided to turn his hobby into a business, Cycle Training Ltd, and now has training sessions running every day. His team also visit schools to talk to children about cycling confidently and safely. The website, www.cycletraining.co.uk, gives more info about the company and the services they offer. Sydoney Massop Sydoney used her Millennium Award to purchase second hand commercial and industrial sewing machines and materials to enable people from the local community to learn upholstery and furniture restoration. She runs training sessions on four mornings a week and the group has now secured local funds to set up a weekend market on the estate to sell their products. Subsequently they have been supported with more machines, IT equipment, and have developed into an ESF and SRB funded employment and training project. back to top Copyright © 2000 The Millennium Commission
Millennium Commission 20th-March-2002
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