Impact Report 2017

Building resilient and cohesive communities through social entrepreneurship

 mayamada Social Ark comic

Learn • Love • Live

CONTENTS

1 A Word From Our Founder

2 Introduction

3 10 Things You Need To Know

4 What’s Next.... 2018

5 Nigel Twumasi

6 Megan Kavanagh

7 Sandy Abdelrahman

8 Moses Adeyemi

9 Special Thanks To Our Funders & Supporters!

A Word From Our Founder

Impact reports always seem to start with organisations showcasing

amazing success stories, case studies, and smiling testimonials -
ours will too. However, behind the smiles, our young people have
continued to fight against inequality both locally and nationally. Our
entrepreneurs have created the Social Ark family, and I feel that I
owe it to them to explain why they felt such a ‘family’ was needed.

The Social Ark family was created due to the lack of relatable
hands-on support available for young entrepreneurs from tough
backgrounds. Our communities are changing and our young people
complain about feeling pushed out, overlooked, and not taken
seriously. Social entrepreneurship is on the up and our deprived communities attract
well-meaning individuals, all determined to come up with innovative solutions to solve our
toughest problems.

We believe it is our young people who are best placed to come up with the solutions. They
want to welcome the new residents and are happy to work alongside them and enable
them to learn from their life experiences. However, Social Ark young people are on their
own journeys to become community and business leaders and they constantly tell us
that they “don’t want to be cured or fixed by people that have never walked a day in their
shoes.” They want the tools and support to fix themselves.

We want to influence organisations through our work and hope that those in positions of
power recognise the long-term value of nurturing grassroots leaders. During 2017, the
resilience of our young entrepreneurs was tested to the max. We supported personal
issues including child abuse, racism, suicide, poverty, judicial court cases and high levels
of deprivation. Against the odds, they have all continued to grow and develop social
businesses that deliver outstanding impact. They are ‘tender ready’ and can compete in
today’s market. This type of social entrepreneurship empowers the whole community and
instils an infectious ‘can do’ attitude. Our work addresses community cohesion head-on,
it brings people together and changes lives.

I’d like to say a massive thank you to all of our supporters and especially to the Social Ark
young people, for trusting me and the team and allowing us to be a part of your journey.

Lisa Stepanovic

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Introduction

About Us
Social Ark CIC is a social enterprise based in Tower Hamlets that supports young
people from disadvantaged backgrounds to use their lived experiences in order
to develop social businesses. Many of them have experienced poverty, a lack of
education, disability, immigration, homelessness and the criminal justice system. Social
Ark was set up with seed funding from Barclays and has also been supported by UnLtd,
The Big Lottery Fund, The Postcode Lottery and The East End Community Foundation.
We work with the local community, corporate volunteers and expert mentors who all
contribute to the success of our programme.

Our Vision
An equal and inclusive society where young people are judged for where they want to
go, and not where they’ve been.

Our Mission
To equip young people from tough backgrounds with the skills, know-how and support
to transform their lives and the communities around them.

Our Values
Our values are at the heart of everything we do. Inclusiveness, equality, respect and
empowerment for the whole community regardless of race, religion, class or other social
barriers.

Why We’re Unique

We understand the value of empowering young people who may have otherwise been
overlooked or ‘written off’. Many lack self-belief and often tell us they’ve had doors shut
on them due to their backgrounds. Social Ark recognises the struggles of ‘hard to reach’
youth and the wrap-around care that we provide sets us apart from other organisations.
We value lived experience over formal qualifications and welcome all entrepreneurial
ideas that are in line with our values.

We have made our mark in the local community by insisting on our inclusive values.
People from different cultural and social backgrounds are getting to know each other
and having fun. We are determined to create a resilient community where individuals
are defined by how they empower and champion each other, rather than personal
wealth or social backgrounds. Residents have grown to trust us - they get involved in
our various projects and are keen to support our work.

“We love attending the classes and sessions that Social Ark put on. If it wasn’t for these
free sessions, I wouldn’t be able to afford getting involved in any community activities.
It’s great that Social Ark are providing these activities and supporting the development
of young people from tough backgrounds at the same time.” - Saleen, local resident

“I’m so glad Social Ark is part of our community. My daughter can’t wait to apply to the
entrepreneur programme. I never realised social entrepreneurship could be a viable
career option. This is great for our young people and our communities too, it’s a win-
win!” - Naseem, local resident

Social Ark works collaboratively in partnership with the local government,

housing associations, corporates, education and other non-profit
organisations.​This report outlines some of what we have achieved in 2017.

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10 Things You Need To Know About Social Ark In 2017

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 What’s Next.... 2018

This April, we are launching our ‘Step Up’ social entrepreneurship programme.
10 young entrepreneurs from disadvantaged backgrounds will use their lived
experiences and learn the skills needed to set up social projects and businesses.
Our impact will be far reaching as the young people will be supported to pilot their
projects in the local community. This type of grassroots social entrepreneurship
creates a ripple effect and brings individuals from all backgrounds together, creating
new opportunities and empowering the most isolated and excluded. We expect that
at least 80 individuals from the community will benefit from each project. Therefore,
we estimate that at least 810 individuals from marginalised backgrounds will directly
benefit from our programme.

What’s Included?
• 20 half-day learning workshops which will teach leadership and business
..skills
• Weekly 1:1 sessions for extra support
• A corporate & specialised mentor from their chosen field
• Help to pilot, test and evaluate their project
• Out of hours additional support for personal issues and arising challenges
• Help to access funding
• Access to the Social Ark peer network

Our Continued Personal Development Programme

Continuing the support of our entrepreneurs who have already been through the
programme is extremely important to us. We realise that as their businesses grow,
they often need additional support and guidance. As well as facilitating our weekly
drop in sessions, we will also be hosting monthly expert learning sessions, additional
1:1 support and networking events as part of our Continued Personal Development
programme.

Cheryl Ndione - Founder & Director, Purple Moon Drama

“Social Ark has really helped me with ongoing guidance and best practice advice
for my startup company. It’s great being part of a network of people facing similar
challenges. The Continued Personal Development programme has been invaluable to
me and my business.”

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Nigel Twumasi
Co-founder of mayamada
Nigel’s passion to inspire creativity in young people
comes from his own experience in seeing the lack of
creative support in mainstream education. Nigel wanted
to address this through his socially conscious manga
brand, mayamada. The #BeCreative Academy is a series
of workshops aimed at building creative confidence
and raising aspirations among young people. He now
successfully delivers in schools and youth organisations
throughout the United Kingdom. Social Ark helped Nigel
to establish proof of concept, supporting him right through
the ideas stage to delivery.

Nigel - “The #BeCreative youth workshops were brand

new work for me. Although I knew how to teach young
people how to create stories and characters, I wasn’t
sure how to package my passion, or how to reach out
to schools and youth organisations and get them to buy into my creative workshops. Social
Ark helped me to test and pilot the project. They helped me to embed proving impact and
evaluation into everything I do. The extra support I’ve received through their Continued Personal
Development programme has been great. I’ve been supported with putting on events, received
safeguarding training, had access to business mentors and helped with proposals. I’m in a
great place with the workshops now, and I’m excited to be a peer mentor to a new Social Ark
entrepreneur.”

Alla Taha - Business Mentor

“Social Ark CIC is a fantastic initiative that

really supports people from disadvantaged
backgrounds and gives them advantages to
excel in their community-led business ideas.
Having volunteered with Social Ark supporting
Nigel for almost 5 months, I am continually
inspired by the dedication and support of
Social Ark. This organisation is exactly what
the community needs, and I can thoroughly
recommend volunteering here. The opportunity
to use your skills to help empower people in your
local community is so valuable”.

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Megan Kavanagh
Founder of Megzi Pearls
Megzi Pearls was created because Megan is passionate
about floristry. She wanted to bring women, and mothers,
together from all backgrounds, including those from
similar backgrounds to her own. When Megan first came
to Social Ark, she was in a very different place. Although
full of passion, she lacked the skills or know-how to make
her idea into a reality. Social Ark introduced Megan to the
world of social entrepreneurship and provided her with
floristry training. She was supported to pilot and test her
idea and was matched with a master florist mentor.

Megan - “Being a single mum on benefits and having

not done so well at school, I never dreamed of owning my
own business. Social Ark has taught me what it means
to be socially conscious. I have learnt the importance
of having inclusive values and the power of bringing underrepresented groups together.
Although I was really passionate about being a florist, I didn’t really know much about flowers
or business. Social Ark taught me the skills needed to run my business and made sure I was
matched with a master florist mentor who has supported me the whole way. I’m really proud
of my personal journey; a highlight for me was being commissioned to provide my services at
a wedding in the Tower of London for a member of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. I wouldn’t
be where I am today without Social Ark; they are always going above and beyond for us young
people.”

Neil Bain - Master Florist/Expert

Mentor

“It has been a pleasure to be a mentor to Megan

and to support her to realise her potential and
believe in herself and what she can achieve. As
a mentor, I’ve provided help and support at all
levels, intrinsic and extrinsic, physical and verbal.
I have been able to show Megan how to make-up
designs and motivate her to do and engage in
activities. I feel that being a mentor has helped me
grow; it has allowed me to share my experiences
and expertise in my subject area of floristry. I have
developed in my own role as an artist-teacher and
above all, I have gained a lifelong friendship and
new links within the community.”

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Sandy Abdelrahman
Founder of Skaped
Skaped is a social enterprise that inspires young people to
think about human rights through the creative arts. Sandy
and co-founder Thay started this enterprise because they
were passionate about informing young people about their
rights and responsibilities. Social Ark has helped Skaped
to pilot and test their idea, and have provided on-going
continued support. Skaped have positively influenced
young people from across London and their workshops
have been commissioned by The Prince’s Trust charity
and other youth and community organisations. Sandy and
Thay are role models and exemplary social entrepreneurs
who live and breathe their values. We are extremely proud
of Skaped and were blown away when Sandy was chosen
from hundreds of applicants to represent the United
Kingdom as a 2017 Youth Delegate at the United Nations
in New York.

Sandy - “Social Ark believed in us, and supported us to shape Skaped. Social Ark is our
community family, we all work together and help one another to take that next step. The team
care about every member, they understand and respect our individual life stories and the
importance of how we can use our lived experiences to help the wider community.”

Liam Hilton - Fairbridge Programme

Executive - The Prince’s Trust

“Skaped came in to deliver a Human Rights

workshop with our 16+ young people. They had a
relaxed, down-to-earth approach which encouraged
others to open up and communicate. Skaped had
a good rapport with the other young people. They
came across as passionate and informed about the
issues pertinent to the session. Skaped provided a
range of different materials and activities, utilising
digital media to stimulate the young people and
keep their attention focused. The young people
came away with a positive perspective on the
workshop, with some rating it as their favourite
session when asked upon exiting the programme.
This is testament to the quality of Skaped’s delivery
and their ability to develop relationships with the
young people.”

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Moses Adeyemi
Founder of the SilverLine Programme
Moses Adeyemi is the founder and CEO of the SilverLine
Programme, which uses mental and physical training
to improve wellbeing. Moses is an ex-offender who
came to Social Ark as a ‘last stop’ after constantly
experiencing doors being shut on him, due to his
background. Before coming to Social Ark, he was
tempted to go back to his old lifestyle because other
organisations that he reached out to hadn’t taken him
seriously. Social Ark believed in Moses and supported
him to create a sustainable wellbeing and fitness
programme. He is now successfully delivering the tried
and tested SilverLine fitness programmes to public
services, as well as youth and community organisations
across the UK.

Moses - “It’s great to be part of the Social Ark family. As an ex-offender, it was difficult
because I found that people didn’t take me seriously. Social Ark was the bridge between
where I was coming from and where I was trying to go. The continued support that I’ve
received has been vital to the sustainability of the SilverLine Programme. I’ve had help with
business proposals, evaluations and much more. Being able to access that critical friend and
sounding board that has your back 100% has also been invaluable. I’d like to say a massive
thank you to the Social Ark team, and especially to my mentor, Sarah Castro, who have stood
by me every step of the way.”

Sarah Castro MBE - Business Mentor

“Mentoring Moses has been an absolute pleasure

and quite a journey. I’m not sure who got more out
of it, me or him! There have been ups and downs
and, at times, it’s been quite difficult standing by
this amazing young man and encouraging him to
be resilient and come back stronger when others
refused to give him a chance. Moses has created
an exceptional wellbeing social enterprise. His
commitment and level of professionalism cannot
be underestimated.The SilverLine Programme can
stand out and compete with all similar businesses
out there. If those in positions of power would only
recognise our young people’s potential and the
value of their lived experiences, they would be
queuing up to work with them!”

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 SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR FUNDERS & SUPPORTERS!

​ athleen Britain - Director, Head of Charities

K
“Social Ark is a dynamic and innovative enterprise in Tower Hamlets enabling
meaningful support for disadvantaged young people across the borough. The
social enterprise provides a sustainable approach to support new local services.
Social Ark CIC has been very rewarding to work with. Barclays is thrilled to engage
with an organisation that makes such a significant impact on people’s lives.”

J​ ames Butler - Public Affairs Manager, SEUK.

“Every now and again, a social enterprise comes along and catches your eye.
Social Ark CIC is one of those businesses which is proving hard to ignore. Its
impact is phenomenal and the drive and commitment of it’s staff are inspiring
examples to other social enterprises. It has already achieved great things, but I’m
sure that it’s one to watch in years to come as it grows and continues to have even
more impact.”

​ algees Barendilla - Operations Director, Active Change Foundation

B
“Social Ark is providing young people with the confidence, skills and platform
to turn their passion and life experiences into a career while improving their
communities. Their team has inspired our young people through their interactive
training and personal anecdotes. They are inspiring a new generation of social
entrepreneurs that are focused on change, not only profit.”

​Dermot Finch - Director of Operations, The Prince’s Trust Group

“I’ve known Social Ark since its very early days. Lisa and the team offer an
authentic, grassroots package of support for young social entrepreneurs in
Tower Hamlets. They are a small, credible complement to the work that The
Prince’s Trust does in the local area, and we’ve shared our experiences and
learnings over the past year or two.”

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Unmesh Desai - GLA Assembly Member for the City & East London

“Social Ark is an extraordinary organisation that nurtures young people from tough
backgrounds to become grassroots social entrepreneurs and community leaders.
They recognise the value and significance of young people’s lived experiences
and their ‘no qualifications needed’ policy is a testament to that. With Social Ark,
there is no ‘hard to reach’ and through their learning programme and wrap-around
support, they’ve successfully engaged the ‘unreachable’. The innovative social
businesses created by the young people are professionally delivered and have
positively impacted the communities they serve. Social Ark’s inclusive values
underpin everything they do, and I am extremely proud to support this life-changing
organisation in East London.”

Sarah Castro MBE - Ambassador and Business Mentor

“Social Ark is one of the most credible organisations that works with disadvantaged
young people that I’ve ever come across in London’s East End. They are producing
social entrepreneurs that care about the environment and the communities around
them. No other organisation provides the wrap-around care and support along with
standout business skills, ensuring the projects created are sustainable in the long
run. I’ve never witnessed such professionalism from young people - their attention to
detail, expert proposals and evaluation methods set the bar for other ‘entrepreneurial’
programmes. Social Ark is a breath of fresh air, they never give up on any young
person, no matter how challenging. It’s time to take notice of this life-changing
organisation, they’re starting their own grassroots revolution!”

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Impact Report 2017
socialarkcic.co.uk
Leaside Business Centre
44 Gillender Street
London
E14 6RP

@SocialArkCIC