17th October 2011
Could a community work exchange help people find employment & skills?
Working with people across Cornwall, we have co-designed a service that brings people who are at risk of redundancy, unemployed or looking for an employment change together to facilitate the sharing of knowledge, skills, services, advice and positivity. New Work Exchange is a "community hub" where individuals use the resource of the community to help meet their employment goals, increase their employment prospects and quality of life.
We envisage that "new work exchange" hubs could be online and/or within existing community facilities such as job centres, libraries or colleges.
This new service aims to address the main aspects that are missing from conventional skills and employment support channels.
Skills Exchange:
Individuals can exchange skills and services amongst a community using a credit system based on time, this can be used by individuals to gain skills in new areas of interest, as a way of updating skills relevant to employment or as a means of accessing free services.
Positive Mentoring:
Individuals can arrange to meet with a mentor; this can be anyone from a life coach to the local electrician, the two individuals arrange a meeting where the mentor can provide the individual with advice in an informal relaxed manner, this might be insights into an industry, advice from someone who has been in their position or just some positive thinking. A mentor shares their advice and in return receives time credits.
Advice Events:
These are events where a group or individuals in similar circumstances and interests can come together in an informal and friendly space and share advice and experiences. Events could be organized by shared interest or location groups.
Professional Connections:
One of the key innovations of the website is that each individual has their own profile which records their activity on the site and can link with business and support providers. This provides an additional level of support, matching up those in need of support with providers; and giving businessa direct link to a pool of potential candidates, providing an opportunity to headhunt talent
Information:
As well as these core-sharing functions the site will also provide a means for discussion and sharing of digital content, which would provide the chance for individuals to share their stories, tips and things that inspire them. A key feature of the service we wish to develop is a radio show which focuses on employment issues, a panel of experts answer questions submitted by listeners as part of a weekly show.
For more information about this project - please watch our video
http://vimeo.com/seacommunications/innovation-in-giving
10th October 2011
How can we present GB expenditure & benefit data to show opportunities for innovation?
Central to finding opportunities for innovation is understanding the data surrounding the challenge. We have been looking at figures for benefit claimants and the cost of unemployment in Great Britain from 2009 to 2010. You can see a visual breakdown of this information by clicking the image above.
29th September 2011
How can we use technology to create a global movement against human trafficking?
Human Trafficking is a growing problem and between two to four million men, women and children are trafficked across borders and within their own country every year. It happens all around the UK, but it's very hidden.
We are delighted to be working with international charity Stop The Traffik in the development of a unique global crowdsourcing website to encourage activism against human trafficking and help them create a global movement.
Our online mapping tools will enable individuals and community groups to learn about the problem, collaborate and share information.
The charity, which has more than 1000 member organisations in 50 countries and tens of thousands of activists all over the world, hope the website will help in spreading the message.
Bex Keer, Stop The Traffik's UK Manager, said: "We're really excited to be working with Sea Communications."Their technology is all about empowering, connecting and networking communities with their own ideas and solutions. This really matches our ethos in equipping and enabling communities."
"We knew we wanted to do this, but we didn't know how to achieve this online and having found Sea Communications just really delighted and excited us. I think we're going to pioneer something quite new in our combat to conquer trafficking."
11th November 2010
How can data help people to make better choices about their future?
Project / New Work Cornwall
Presenting data, in engaging ways, can help citizens to make better decisions and choices about their future. In Cornwall, for example, there are 8,298 citizens claiming Jobseekers Allowance and 85,600 economically inactive (figures: Dec 2010). The average cost per person per year of someone on benefits is est. £50,000. We believe data can help to solve great social and economic challenges of our time, such as unemployment and deprivation - and so we made this video as part of a pitch for pilot funding to the Technology Strategy Board.
Video / A Little Introduction to the Big Idea
