turning dreams into reality

“Youth is,

after all, just a moment,

but it is the moment,

the spark, that you

always carry in your heart”.

Raisa M Gorbachev

Welcome to Inspira

We are a powerful and dynamic organisation dedicated

to inspiring and supporting people as they take key

decisions to shape their own futures.

Our experts help them individually with some of the

most critical life choices they will ever have to make.

But Inspira teams also work with other organisations

in the field to help them reach their corporate aims and

objectives—innovatively, efficiently and cost-effectively.

Our record of achievement is firmly underpinned by

the strategic partnership we have enjoyed with Cumbria

County Council since 2001 and which we look forward

to developing further in years to come.

The excellent reputation of our people is built on

demonstrable success, and Inspira itself is constantly

seeking new challenges and opportunities to serve

communities nationwide.

Mark Bowman Chief Executive

www.inspira.org.uk

01

Inspiring Success

Success has many different dimensions, according to ability and aspiration.

A minor, everyday achievement for one person may be a major triumph in

overcoming obstacles for another. At Inspira, our aim is to help individuals

and groups recognise their potential, identify and define what success

means for them, and then help them gain the confidence to achieve it,

particularly through careers guidance and youth support.

Our roots run deep. We were created in 2001 following the Learning and

Skills Act, as part of a Government-funded partnership service for young

people. We are built on the long-established and nationally-recognised

name of Connexions Cumbria. Inspira is our new brand name, but individual

services will continue using their current names.

Our branches spread widely, both geographically and in the scope of our

activities. We offer comprehensive solutions to a wide variety of social

challenges, including delivery of statutory services to public bodies and

strategic support for local authority programmes supporting young people

in the community.

We are a people business, inside as well as outside; a talented, multi-faceted

team, experienced in all aspects of community work, social behaviours

and project planning and management. We work in partnership with many

organisations nationwide, providing invaluable, expert input.

02

Inspira is an award winning, Cumbrian based social enterprisecompany with a national reputation. We are a delivery-basedprovider of community services, and our name reflects our purposewhich is to inspire people, organisations and communities to besuccessful.

03

Dedication to Challenge

In the delivery of careers guidance and youth work, interaction can take place

on many levels and between different groups. These might be face-to-face,

in the classroom, in advice centres or with social agencies.

Our aim is to achieve the most effective outcome for young people and

adults as they make their way through transitional stages of their lives.

We take account of their environment and the expectations of others, but

their individual needs take precedence. We seek to build inspired, innovative

solutions that set them firmly on the path to a secure, fulfilling future.

Our Objective: To inspire people to realise their dreams by

providing a support service that meets their individual needs,

raises their aspirations and encourages them to continue

developing throughout their lives.

Our depth of experience enables us to extend our services to other areas

of social need by assembling specialist teams with relevant expertise,

dedicated to answering your challenge.

You may want to fulfil a statutory service or develop a community-wide

programme. You might be concerned about a social issue affecting a particular

individual or group of young people, for example, the homeless. Or, perhaps

you want to address an information gap that is undermining a project’s

progress.

We listen, question and research until we completely understand the goal,

then search for the best solutions. We test these proposed solutions, then

develop bespoke programmes to ensure their effective implementation,

continuously seeking to identify new needs and improve ourselves.

We know that every service requirement is unique and we do not have

formulaic responses.

When you identify a need, we provide the solution and deliver the service.

“There is no passion to be found playing small

- in settling for a life that is less than

the one you are capable of living.” Nelson Mandela

04

Although every programme is unique, both in requirements andsolutions, the way we work follows an agreed path and commonprinciples.

“The company has developed the ability to

tender for and win further funded projects to support

a wide range of client support initiatives due to

the successes achieved in its core provision.” Investors in People

Hands-On Expertise

We build structured teams of dynamic professionals to deliver comprehensive

community support services or create highly-effective one-off strategies.

Our approach can be:

• Strategic – structuring programmes and services within the broader context of strategy, policy or statutory requirement

• Wide-ranging – embracing many areas of social need, and broad-scope activities such as youth support

• Focused – able to tackle even the most complex project single-mindedly • Guiding – providing direction and support on future actions• Influencing – playing a more subtle role to stimulate activities and responses

• Implementing – putting services and approved recommendations into action

• Managing – overseeing successful programme fulfilment and ensuring compliance with statutory requirements

• Proactive – acting as a catalyst for action when we see a need or an opportunity for service improvement

Effective communication is important to us. We agree measures of success

at the outset, report regularly on progress, and seek feedback as part of a

process of continuous improvement.

We look for opportunities to innovate and to exploit technology, but we do

not reinvent the wheel. Staying abreast of social enterprise developments

and maintaining links with academics and other experts gives us access to

current best practice and expertise.

05

At Inspira, our key strength is the way we support each other. We respect each other's individualism but we are a team in every sense, working together to provide great service and sound solutions.

Team Strength

Our team is accomplished in providing guidance and support for young people

and adults. When we need outside expertise, we do not hesitate to get it.

For some social enterprise projects, we hand-pick, brief and train new team

members. Our passion and knowledge is shared throughout the entire

organisation.

Here is our code:

• We have the common goal of serving the needs of our clients, building relationships and earning their trust

• We train for success, keeping up-to-date with the latest thinking and best-practice in our service

• We show mutual respect for each other by behaving openly and honestly, as we do with our clients

• We support and inspire each other with direct help, ideas and suggestions when needed

• We keep each other informed of our progress, mindful of how our work impacts on others

• We challenge the status quo and constantly seek to improve

Collectively, we make a point of acknowledging that each member of the

Inspira team is accountable for their own actions and outcomes. We encourage

staff to be self-critical and to recognise others' achievements. We celebrate

diversity and seek to exploit individuals’ strengths to the benefit of all.

Finally, and importantly, we work together with good humour, celebrate

our success and have fun in the process.

06

Encouraging Participation

Youth support relies on participation not just from young people, but also

their families and learning providers, as well as government bodies and

other leading social enterprise and not-for-profit organisations. Much of our

work involves formal or informal partnerships, where we share the common

objective of helping others identify and fulfil their aspirations.

In the broader field of social enterprise, we work with:

• Schools, academies, sixth forms, colleges and training providers• Local and national businesses - as employers, concerned members of communities, programme sponsors and providers of resources

• Local Authorities• Partners and consortia• Universities - as key sources of knowledge, guidance, advice and ideas• Public agencies such as health, housing and law enforcement services, as concerned providers of support services

• Third sector, charities, other social enterprises and not-for-profit organisations

We appreciate that by working with others we can achieve even more than

we do alone. Each person working with us plays an important role in

framing our activities and providing feedback on our performance. They

also help us to prioritise solutions and budgets. Our board members bring

special expertise, support and advice to provide strategic direction, but

we listen to all views with care and act in response to them.

We seek to inspire people. In turn, they often show us new waysof looking at situations and galvanise our activities with theirskills and attitudes.

“An organisation providing clear

strategic and operational direction.”

Ofsted

07

Achieving Results

• We have had over one million personal contacts with young people resulting in 60,000+ young people placed into education, employment

and training

• We received recognition from the Institute of Careers Guidance for our groundbreaking and innovative work with pre 14 year olds

•We have maintained a solid financial performance despite nationwide economic stringency

• We hold the Matrix Standard, which sets rigorous criteria for delivering Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG)

• We hold the National Youth Agency’s Quality Mark, which recognises highquality services and support in organisations working with young people

• One of our team was named National Guidance Practitioner of the Year 2011 by the Institute of Careers Guidance

• In a recent survey 94% of young people said our services were easy to use and felt we respected and listened to them

However, we believe there is always an opportunity to do better. We do not

rest on our laurels.

We measure our performance by comparing our results to the highstandards we set, and by analysing our feedback. We are also proudto earn external recognition for our efforts. We believe the highstandards we achieve reflect the passion we commit to our work.

08

“I find it easier to talk to people now, and not to be that shy,

which helped me with an interview I had a while ago.

I got the job!” NCS participant

Changing Lives

Case Study 1 Helping Young People Grow

Like so many young people, Adam had no clear idea of what he wanted

to do. Amidst the often bewildering array of teenage diversions, careful,

thoughtful consideration of a fulfilling way forward in life was not high

on his agenda.

We got to know Adam well. As we listened to him, it was possible to draw

out where a rewarding future might lie. His skills, aptitude and interests

suggested a possible career in mechanical engineering.

We helped him with his CV and arranged for him to go to relevant careers

events. We even rang him up to remind him to attend! In short, we treated

him as an individual, opened his eyes and widened his horizons.

Adam received three apprenticeship offers and now works happily and

successfully for a major engineering company. He may have had some

difficulty looking forward, but he has never looked back.

Case Study 2 Working in Partnership

Extending the philosophy that two heads are better than one, we established

a large network of collaborators to help us deliver youth work. Now, we all

work as a partnership to find the best training initiatives, understand policy

changes and develop plans. As a result, not only do we come up with better

ideas, but more people are in a position to benefit from them. We currently

work throughout Cumbria and manage projects in other regions.

09

Case Study 3 Developing Pilot Programmes

In 2010, we were selected from hundreds of applicants to run one of

twelve pilots of the Government's new National Citizen Service (NCS).

This programme aims to help 16-year-old school leavers become responsible

and engaged members of adult society. With seven other voluntary sector

partners, we ran a challenging personal development programme for over

400 Cumbrian young people in socially mixed teams. We met 20% of the

cost with direct contributions, sponsorships, in-kind assistance and other

support from public and private sector organisations.

Our success has been rewarded with an enhanced contract for 2012, to pilot

a developed version of NCS and help introduce it in other parts of the country.

This reinforces our link with central government, where we have gradually

become established as a trusted partner.

Case Study 4 Managing Transitions

As part of a national initiative, we formed a joint venture partnership with

seven other social enterprise organisations. This joint venture aims to

deliver high quality support for young people and adults during key

transitions in their lives, in particular, focusing on employment, education

and training. This partnership aspires to be the national social enterprise

provider of choice for information, advice and guidance services. It has

already secured significant grants from the Department for Education and

is actively pursuing other bids.

“Now I have lots of hope, enthusiasm and a clear

plan of where I want to be.” Participant

Taking Initiative

We keep our fingers on the pulse of technology, encourage innovative

thinking, and draw on the growing body of social enterprise knowledge.

As a consequence, we are able to provide practical solutions and make

positive changes to people's life experiences.

• Our innovative Wheels to Work (W2W) scooter loan scheme enables

hundreds of young people without other transport to secure jobs that

require them to travel to work

We like to be approached. We encourage individuals, organisations and

communities to tell us about their needs. We are always keen to maintain

best practice, so we liaise closely with relevant experts, both academics

and people working in the field.

10

We have a listening approach that allows us to identify people’schallenges. When we find them, we see it as an opportunity totake the initiative and act to implement a solution.

“The bike gave me more independence....

because I was able to get a job. Then I had

enough money to buy my own bike.” W2W participant

11

Our Approach

We offer:

• Clarity of purpose – we listen to what you want and how you want us to help you achieve it

• Exploration – we question the most appropriate route to the solution, in light of our experience and best practice

• Measurable results – we agree not only your aims and objectives but the progress milestones along the way

• Realistic goals – we expect to deliver on time and on budget• The right experts – we have the depth of expertise and breadth of experience to tackle most social issues, or we know where to find it

• Answers – we provide structured, workable solutions, not just reports that tell you what is wrong

• Satisfied stakeholders – we balance different priorities and interests, to fulfil their aspirations

• Improved perceptions – we participate in programmes that make a positive statement about your organisation, increasing support and

commitment to it

• A map for the way forward – we do not see challenges in isolation, but as stepping stones to the achievement of your long term goals

12

Working together

Inspira is all about partnership.

Partnership with individuals.

Partnership with organisations.

We listen, we engage and we act, taking the lead where appropriate. Our

approach is carefully-planned and structured. We communicate clearly to

ensure our clients achieve the outcomes they want, on time and within budget.

We work in collaboration with a wide range of organisations including:

Academies

Arts Council England

Big Lottery Fund

Brathay Trust

Carlisle Youth Zone

Colleges

Cumbria Alcohol & Drug Advisory Service

Cumbria Chamber of Commerce

Cumbria Constabulary

Cumbria County Council

Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service

Cumbria Youth Alliance

Cumbria Youth Offending Service

Department for Education

Department for Work and Pensions

Furness Building Society

GMCP

If you would like to learn more about our work or how we might be able

to help your organisation, please get in touch.

Health Bodies

Jobcentre Plus

Local Authorities

Nacro

National Apprenticeship Service

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Office for Civil Society

Open College Network

Schools

Sellafield LTD

Skills Funding Agency

Social Landlords

Tata Steel UK

The Outward Bound Trust

Training Providers

University of Cumbria

Young Cumbria

www.inspira.org.uk

t: 01931 711300 / f: 01931 711301 e: info@inspira.org.uk

Gillan Way, Penrith 40 Business Park, Penrith, CA11 9BP