07810825600 – Matt Wilcox (Business Manager) or email matt@unitystoke.co.uk

• Registered manager (Experience, LMCS/NVQ 4 qualified)Deadline 31st January

• Deputy Manager (Experience and NVQ level 3, Level 4 preferable) Deadline 31st January

• Senior Residential care staff (Experience and NVQ level 3 or above) Deadline 29th January

• Casual / Flexible Residential care staff (No formal training required just a passion for working with young people in an exciting and innovative way). Rolling deadline

For more information please contact our business manager Matt Wilcox by email Matt@unitystoke.co.uk for an application form.

For more info go to www.unityresidential.co.uk

This week I was fortunate enough to spray paint the meeting area of Inspired Film & Video, a small company based in Keele. They remembered me from a short documentary they filmed for Groundwork many moons ago where they interviewed me about one of the programmes Groundwork facilitated. They decided they wanted to spruce up the meeting area at their office and immediately contacted me where we bounced ideas and came up with the abstract concept. Whilst painting, the team kindly documented it and put it into a cool little time lapse of it coming together.

You can watch me decorating their space below:

Enjoy the festive period and see you all next year,

Nick (Roachie)

Today Nick and I delivered a T-shirt customization workshop to our students on the programme.  This session taught them how to use Adobe Illustrator, Vinyl cutter & the heat press. Aswell as delving into a little mathematics for sizing the students were able to create and produce their own personal design on a white t-shirt.

The students all had fun, learnt something new & were VERY pleased with their designs.  Some dedicated theirs to their favourite movie and others focused on their favourite artists.  One student, who is very skilled in art illustration, and hopes to go to college to study art drew her picture free hand, uploaded it to Adobe Illustrator and using the pen tool, outlined her design.  A VERY impressive finished t-shirt. I will be uploading the picture later…. Well done to the students!

remember – STTAAAYYYY creative!

Nina & Nick

Another day another Sentinel!  We are very pleased with all the work we deliver at Uniy and as much as possible we try to let the rest of the City know about it!  There are young talented people out there and we hope to develop their skills and help guide them to achieve their goals in life.  We do this through many different provisions that we have at Unity.

One in particular is STOKE CHALLENGE, working with 16-18 year olds who are not engaged in either employment or education. This may be for many different reasons, so we work with students as individuals and aim to move them into a position that allows them to take the next step into either education or employment.

The Sentinel will be coming to Unity this week to produce an article based on our programme – so look out for us!!!

Please get in contact if you know anyone who is 16-18 and not engaged with anything, WE ARE HERE TO HELP!

Nina

Long time no blog!!! I wanted to inform you of an amazing event that happened last month! Jam’it 2011 – our 4th music event, this time held at The Mitchell Arts Centre! Jam’it provided an opportunity to showcase the talent of young people in Stoke on Trent and celebrate the diversity in our community. This event was put together in partnership between Unity and Uth Services via Soniq Studios.

The Centre was split into subject spaces inlcuding, Graffiti by our very talented Nick Roach, (photo attached) a DJ/MC room with a mixture of local talents alongside professional acts such as MIK & Zeo Zeonardo.  The main foyer was filled with Arts & Crafts activities from The Cultural Sisters & Freelance FacePainter.  Aswell as Stilt Walkers, the Trent Vale Poet, Live Band The Control & Dance Nuvo there was Beatboxing Midlands Championship Lucas ‘The Beatbox’, Football Freestylers Global Freestyle & 3 very special local singers gaining more experience in their field.

To top the whole day off – we had the extremely entertaining STAVROS FLATLEY from Britains Got Talent!!! performing exceptional Greek dances, the entire audience were included in this & they even stayed at the end for a que of photos and signature requests!

For those that came and supported, who took time out to help me develop this event, who enabled the young artists of Stoke On Trent blossom… I THANK YOU!!!!!

Till next time.. Nina

Please call Matt on 01782 409508 or email matt@unitystoke.co.uk for more details

Yesterday I had the unusual task of doing a graffiti mural at Church. To begin with I was a bit weary, but the space to be decorated was actually a part of their community centre and not the church itself. The wall was on a rooftop edge and was approximately 12ft tall, so I had to use step ladders to reach the top. With it being so windy it was quite the experience but the mural was completed and both the church attendees and the local community all commented on how brilliant it looked. The design is meant to represent the community, illustrating different ages/genders/races whilst incorporating the church name and a water splash (to tie it in with their logo).

Below is a picture of the finished mural…

Until next time…

Nick (Roachie)

This role would suit a dynamic, confident person preferably with a creative or educational background who has worked with or like to work with a client group of young people who are educated outside of mainstream school.

Starting pay is between £12-13k for the initial probationary period with a review after 6 months.

For more information please contact Matt Wilcox on 07810825600

ps. We are always looking for good quality volunteers who want to get involved please email your details to matt@unitystoke.co.uk

This week I worked alongside the young people from our Alternative Provision to spray paint a mural at Central Forest Park. The graffiti project has been run throughout the term, to which the young people have looked at the works of other artists as well as experiment with freehand and stenciled graffiti art. I did a consultation with the group a fortnight ago, which was also attended by a representative of the company DHL who aided in the funding of this project. The young people came up with various suggestions of things they would of liked to include and I offered creative support in piecing their ideas together and finalizing a concept to be painted.

Whilst spray painting the mural, we were fortunate to have nice weather. Passers by both young and old were giving positive feedback and I am sure this raised the aspirations of those participating in the project. Facilitating it was great fun and the end product is definitely one of my favourite graffiti projects in the 4 years I have worked for the company. The young people were patient, they listened to the instructions given and learned the spray painting techniques very quickly.

Below you can find a photo of the finished mural done by the young people of Unity’s Alternative Provision. Thanks again to all those who took part in the project, especially those from DHL as without them the project would not have been possible.

Until next time…

Nick (Roachie)

Alternative Provision and DHL Graffiti Project at Forest Park, Hanley, led by Nick from Unity