WEBVTT
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I've been in this role now for for more than twelve years.
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I started Unlock when I was sixteen, you know, literally sixteen in a few days, we walked into the local accountant's office and said, help us start this company.
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I'm not sure it was confident in our capability at that time.
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I'm not sure I was confident that we were gonna pull it off.
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But at some point, this social enterprise which is unlock is gonna go from a good idea to actually transforming people's lives.
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Can you walk us through that?
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I I I don't think that young people don't want to work.
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I think there's an unhelpful misconception that, you know, young people coming through are lazy or, you know, they're snowflaky and that they, you know, they don't want to put the graft in.
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I don't think that's true at all.
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I'm actually a little I think I'm still a bit angry about that, really.
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Okay, let's pick apart that anger of yours.
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Welcome to Inspiring Working Lives, the Morgan Hunter podcast where we explore public sector leadership journeys.
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From honest chats about career highs and lows, to lessons and wisdom to inspire the next generation of leaders that will shape our society.
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Today's guest is Hayden Taylor, co-founder and chief executive of Unlock, a UK-based social enterprise dedicated to empowering young people to become changemakers in their own communities and future careers.
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Hayden.
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Hello.
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Hello.
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Great to have you here at Morgan Hunt.
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Thank you for coming in.
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My absolute pleasure, it's good to be here.
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You've got a wonderful office.
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Everyone's been incredibly friendly to me.
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I'm excited to get stuck in.
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Right, we always start in a familiar place.
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Can you tell us about your childhood?
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And did you have any career aspirations as a child?
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That's a great question.
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Um so my career aspirations are definitely not where I am now.
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Um so I was quite a creative entrepreneurial kid.
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Um I grew up in Portsmouth, but I had a kind of very kind of working class family.
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You know, my mum worked in the school canteen, my dad uh was a bricklayer, um, and I knew I was entrepreneurial because for my 10th birthday I asked for a greenhouse so that I could grow fruit and veg, which I sold on subscription to my neighbours.
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So I knew I had that kind of like creative entrepreneurial spark.
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I loved it, you know, and the and the Murray mints from the back of your bag and the you know selling cans of coke and whatever.
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Um so I knew I kind of had that spirit.
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I I did find that transitioning into secondary education though, that a lot of that kind of creative spark felt quite crushed, contained a bit, um, and I really struggled with with getting on board with the national curriculum and not having like a feeling of being able to shape things, own things, do different things.
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Um so as I kind of transitioned into secondary education, I think my at one point I decided I wanted to be uh an architect, which if you've seen me draw anything, you'll realise that you know I dodged a bullet there, really.
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Um but that yeah, so I always had that creative entrepreneurial spirit.
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I just never anticipated it living out in the way that it now does.
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Um so effectively I was you know uh finding myself in this kind of box almost, or what what felt like a box, um uh as I went through secondary education, not kind of really finding my groove, the thing that I really connected with.
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Uh, and then I got involved in an amazing youth leadership program in Portsmouth that changed my life overnight, pretty much.
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Um it gave me a platform where I felt like I was listened to, where I could try new things and failed and learn from them, and felt for the first time, I think, that I was really being listened to.
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Um, so that was a game-changing moment in my life, and um when that lost its funding, uh, that's when I was forced to be an entrepreneur.
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Uh, it wasn't really intentional, it was a case of do it or this thing disappears and dies, as many um public services, youth services have done over the last decade, really.
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So that's a really long way to kind of answer your question, but um yeah, I I think I had that inherent entrepreneurial spark within me.
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I just didn't I didn't realise it in terms of my career until I really had to.
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Okay.
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But it happened quite quickly because many people who sit in that chair and talk to me about their leadership journey, it takes them a while to find their feet and they try different things before getting pulled into something.
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But you had that spark and stuck with it.
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Yeah, I you know, I I've been in this role now for more than 12 years.
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I started Unlock when I was 16, you know, literally 16 in a few days, we walked into the local accountant's office and said, help us start this company.
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Um so it's been a pretty consistent driver of me and my kind of trajectory in life.
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But I I wouldn't say I was intentionally looking for leadership.
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Um, I would say I was drawn by a sense of of requirement almost.
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Um I felt the onus was on me to do something about it because nobody else was willing to do it to do anything about it.
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Um I remember growing up and feeling like you know, Portsmouth as a city was real disadvantage where the life expectancy gap between the the most um economically able and the least economically able uh people is is massive, enormous, um more than more than eight years.
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Wow.
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I remember growing up and thinking, how can that be?
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How can that be?
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Uh and I guess my journey into leadership came from a feeling of I've got to do this because otherwise no one else is gonna do it.
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Uh, and it was kind of thrust on me, really.
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Um I'm actually a little I think I'm still a bit angry about that, really.
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I'm I'm angry that young people were left in that place and that people like me were kind of forced to kind of pick up the baton when really we should have been investing in the things that we're gonna give kids from disadvantaged communities the things they need.
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So, yeah, I wouldn't say it was intentional, but it's been a really beautiful journey, and I wouldn't change it for the world.
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Okay, let's pick apart that anger of yours, right?
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So it's it's it's calmed down a bit.
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It was sizzling as a as as a 16-year-old.
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It's not, I would I would say I've channelled that in in a positive way now.
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Okay, but what was the genesis of that?
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Was it the the the funding disappearing for the programme you were on?
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Was that the thing that pushed you into this initially?
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I think so, yeah.
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Yeah it was.
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Because you were enjoying that and suddenly it's not there anymore.
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Exactly.
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I could see the impact it was having on young people's lives, and I could equally on the flip side of that, I could see the economic disparity in my community, and I I just couldn't add those sums up.
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Like, how can you cut 73% of youth services in Portsmouth pretty much you know, in a in a one one one-year cycle, and at the same time have that enormous disparity on show.
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I I could not make those two concepts meet.
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Um, so that's that I think was the source of of where the anger came from.
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You know, uh how do kids like me get ahead?
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If we're not going to give them the platforms to do it, you know, and uh a lot of the work that we do is about giving kids the types of skills, the opportunities, the experiences they truly deserve, but their economic reality doesn't deliver.
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Um, and so we invest in things like public speaking, like how to um craft your career plan, um, how to absolutely smash it as an entrepreneur, the kind of stuff that you might consider to be at the heart of an independent education, and actually we're saying, look, every every kid deserves that platform to really sing and shine and and smash it in life.
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Um, our role is to democratize access to that kind of stuff.
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Great, okay.
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So, once again, just going back to that bit where you're really angry, that program is pulled, the funding is pulled.
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Yeah, you have an idea at that stage, which is to actually do something about it.
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So, what did that idea sound and look like at that stage?
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So that's a great question.
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So at the time it was just about continuing what was already there.
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Um but within a year, what we'd realized was actually it was some fundamental component parts of that program's design that really made it special and really impactful for young people in their lives.
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Um some principles around um creating platforms for young people to lead rather than follow, um, allowing them to fail and learn from failure, um, telling young people that we believe in them regardless of what that aspiration looks like.
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So there were some fundamental principles that kind of that made up the premise of this program.
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So we took those principles and then we built it out into a suite of education programs which we knew would appeal to a wider range of young people, that would connect more powerfully in a kind of a a really kind of young people-friendly way, so that it it wasn't this kind of weird elite group of young people doing amazing things in their communities.
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Actually, it was accessible to everyone, and we could just take the kind of core component parts of what made it special and deliver it to you know a much larger range of young people.
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Great.
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So you had that idea that this had to be continued.
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You walk into your accountant's office and say, right, you've got to find funding for this or something.
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Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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Pretty much, pretty much.
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Yeah, he he, I'm not sure he was confident in our capability at that time.
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I'm not sure I was confident that we were gonna pull it off at that point in time.
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Um I remember after our first year of trading, uh neither me nor my co-founder Ben are finance people, that's not our bag.
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So I remember after our first year of trading, literally taking a physical blackbin bag of receipts into our accountant's office, handing it over and saying, like, good luck.
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Yeah.
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Um but do you know what?
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I think I think that's because we we didn't want to omit what we didn't know.
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I think we were fearful of owning up to the things that we didn't yet know, that we weren't good at.
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Um yeah, we we kind of try to mask all of that stuff, and actually, uh I think as an entrepreneur, as a leader generally, you have to be really up front with the things you're not good at, the things that you're you've yet to master, the things that you need to learn from others, and the team that you need around you, we hadn't worked that out.
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You know, 16-year-old Hayden hadn't worked that out at all.
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It took us a few years to really understand that good leadership requires radical honesty when it comes to who you are, what you're good at, and what you're not good at.
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Okay, right, I get that.
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But at the same time, it's propelled by this anger and this sort of punk ethos to do something about a difficult situation, which I guess to a certain extent, all the planning in the world sometimes can reduce that sort of drive and determination to make something happen.
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Yeah, the the the the odds are stacked against you, I think.
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Um it's really hard to drive social change to and to bring new ideas to life.
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That's why not ever not everybody does it, not every per every person chooses to be an entrepreneur, not not everybody chooses to engage with social change.
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Um, but I think when you are when you're driven by a vision and that sense of anger kind of fuels your direction towards that vision, it can be a a really kind of positive thing.
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Um and I I've met leaders that are driven by you know, kind of are really level-headed, and they're driven by kind of sense of purpose, but they they don't let anger kind of drive that.
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I actually think it can be a powerful tool.
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I think anger can be, or frustration can be a brilliant tool.
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And it's what drives innovation.
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I think it's what brings new products to market, it's what what moves our economy forward is people realise something's not quite right and they do something about it.
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I think certainly you need to know your emotion that's driving these things.
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That's the stuff that gets things built.
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Exactly.
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Okay, so you've dropped off your back black bin liner of receipts, the accountants going through those, but at some point, this social enterprise which is unlock is going to go from a good idea to actually transforming people's lives.
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Can you walk us through that?
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Yeah, so it it was very iterative.
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We we knew what we wanted to achieve, we knew what we wanted young people to feel at the back end of an unlocked program.
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So we started there.
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What does it mean to have been on an unlocked program?
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What would we have done for that young person?
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You know, and we defined it as confidence, connection to purpose, and skills to get ahead.
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Um, so we knew what the end outcome was, and it was then really about how do we you know work back from that and build experiences that were gonna deliver those those outcomes.
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And in a way that was interesting, that was dynamic, that was gamified, that wasn't kind of tokenistic.
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You know, you can see a lot of stuff, particularly in the youth space, that feels a little bit kind of like performative or or even dare I say it kind of cringy.
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You know, how do we actually deliver this in a way that that doesn't patronize young people and says actually look, the reason we're doing this is to genuinely support you to get ahead, it's not a performative action.
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Um so that that's that's what happened.
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So we we got a bunch of head teachers together, we've got a bunch of young people together, and we started designing these programs together in a very kind of creative fashion.
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They didn't all work.
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Some of them were were not what we hoped or envisaged they would be, and some of them have stood the test of time and have just grown and evolved over the last 12 years into what they are today.
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Um so I I I think um if I reflect on that journey of like how did we build this thing, it was it was very iterative and it was it it was built with co-production in mind.
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Like we didn't have all the answers, head teachers didn't have all the and principals didn't have the answers, neither did young people.
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But if we could try and bring all of those groups together centred around that vision, those outcomes that we wanted to achieve, then we could build something that could be quite magical.
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And I think that's what we've now got is a suite of things that are genuinely quite magical.
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And through that suite of experiences, education, uh where are you getting young people to?
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Or almost where do they start and where do they come out through the unlock experience?
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That's a great question.
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Um so we really think you've got to start early.
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Yes.
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You know, we talk about developing change-making potential in young people, and that is skills, confidence, connection, purpose, so that you can shape your own life in terms of your career, your next steps, but also the world around you.
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Um for me, that starts in primary schools, um, and starting to plant those seeds, helping young people to connect to their community, um, understanding what it means to drive change, what drives you, who you are as a person, all of that introspection stuff.
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Um so it starts in primary school and it has to taper all the way through into FE and beyond, and then once you've got to that point, you then need to invest in the brilliant ideas that come out from those young people.
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So we developed a change makers fund.
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So once young people had gone from age nine, starting to discover the thing that they care about, connecting to their community, and they've got all the way through to being 16, 17, 18, and they they now have a project idea or something they want to get off the ground, maybe it's a business, maybe it's a community idea, we have the resource to actually invest in that idea and bring it to life.
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Um so that's the ecosystem.
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Cradle to grave, start early, and then invest in their ideas.
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Great, okay.
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And do you have some sort of poster children for this uh generation who've been through the uh Yeah, there are some incredible alumni of our programs that have gone on to do insane things.
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In fact, in fact, our chair of our board was involved in our work and on one of our programs when she was 15.
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Uh, she then um came and worked for us when she was 17, uh, and now she's gone on to having the most incredible career in the civil service.
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She's now head of budget at the UK Treasury, um, so has a huge job reporting straight into the Chancellor.
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Um, and that came from uh, you know, she was brilliantly talented, um, but she's a great example of how you can nurture that wider set of skills to enable somebody to really kind of level up their game in terms of what they do next.
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Uh, and there's there's so many examples of young people that have gone on to do incredible things.
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It's not always their career, sometimes it's what they've done outside of their career.
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Um, and for me, the most magical moments are those young people who've gone through our experiences and developed a sense of inner confidence they didn't have before.
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Um, there's one young lady that we work with called Katie.
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I remember this because it was so powerful, she was selective mute, she she didn't want to engage with our program.
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I actually delivered that program, so I got to know her quite well.
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Um, by the end of her journey with us, she was talking at the Houses of Parliament in front of decision makers and legislators about mental health and her journey and how she battled with that and um with with real passion and honesty and rawness.
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So, you know, that for me was just a kind of a textbook example of what you can do when you create the right conditions for a young person.
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Brilliant.
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Okay.
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So this is wonderful.
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So this is setting them up, this is this is information and experiences and education which aren't normally in college, school syllabuses, it's all added and they're coming out and they're going off to do wonderful things across the uh across the country.
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That's the idea at least, maybe.
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That's the idea.
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What's the idea?
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Well, I've met some of your alumni, and I I that they blew me away with their confidence at such young age in quite an intimidating environment.
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Yeah, yeah, they and that's at the heart of it, right?
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If if if you have the confidence to be able to show up in a room full of people you don't know, and you can you can start conversation, you can showcase who you are and the unique offer that you can deliver to that um person or indeed to that situation.
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Um what a game-changing skill set that is.
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And I think it's um it's a skill set that needs more love and attention, particularly in an in an era of of AI, in an era driven by technical disconnection, driven by emerging you know technology.
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That that skill set of being able to show up, have a powerful first impression, connect with other human beings in a in a really powerful way, is a skill set that needs much more um investment in terms of time, resource, and intentionality uh put into it.
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Yes, because that's all the stuff that AI can't do.
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Exactly.
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Which is interact with human beings and yeah, and make stuff happen.
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100%.
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Okay.
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Okay, so during this journey of building this whole thing and having suddenly you've got people going through the programmes, etc., but you've also got staff members.
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What was there a day where this all dawned on you that this thing is real and people are dependent on you for their salary and other aspects of it?
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Yes, definitely.
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After the I think we had our first employee after a couple of years of developing this idea, and um yeah, that was the moment it kind of all felt real.
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Uh, it was no longer just our kind of baby anymore.
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There were other people that were gonna take what we'd started to develop and take it to the next level.
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Um, and there's not a day that that response that that goes past where that responsibility isn't ingrained in my brain.
00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:46.400
Um the sector we work in is really poorly resourced, as you'll know.
00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:54.880
Uh, so we have to be very creative, very entrepreneurial, and very quick on our feet to make the numbers stack up every year.
00:20:55.119 --> 00:21:05.279
Um, so I lose a lot of sleep over the potential of not having the resource to pay people and therefore those people's ability to pay their mortgages and so on and so forth.
00:21:05.519 --> 00:21:14.000
Um so there was definitely a moment in time where it felt real, and it that moment of responsibility I don't think is ever left.
00:21:14.319 --> 00:21:14.559
Right.
00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:18.880
Can sometimes be very shack, you know, it can be very shackling.
00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:26.960
It feels feels like it can hold us back at times because we're so dependent on the re resource of others to deliver the overall mission.
00:21:27.279 --> 00:21:37.119
Yes, and it sounds to me that you had this this anger-driven, we've got to do something here, let's make something happen, and then sort of the everyday reality of kicks in.
00:21:37.440 --> 00:21:39.200
Kicks in, and then it's like, gosh.
00:21:39.440 --> 00:21:43.759
And has that blunted your sword in any way in terms of what you're doing with the organisation?
00:21:44.079 --> 00:21:44.960
Well, almost certainly.
00:21:45.119 --> 00:21:45.440
Yeah.
00:21:53.279 --> 00:21:59.759
You know, we have sponsors, partners, um, that want a defined outcome from working with us.
00:22:00.400 --> 00:22:04.559
Not everybody jumps on board because they totally believe in our mission.
00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:05.200
Yes.
00:22:06.400 --> 00:22:14.720
So that does mean that to an extent our focus is diluted because we're meeting the needs of a wider range of stakeholders.
00:22:15.839 --> 00:22:17.920
So yeah, that's a challenge for us.
00:22:18.079 --> 00:22:20.000
But it's also an economic reality.
00:22:20.160 --> 00:22:27.519
Without the support of those organizations, without grant funders, without businesses getting behind our work, we just wouldn't be able to do it in the first place.
00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:32.160
So I take quite a pragmatic view that actually sometimes you need that.
00:22:32.880 --> 00:22:47.279
You've got to service those wider needs, the economic benefit that the businesses get from working with us, the talent that they attract as a result, because that gives us the resource to be able to power up the engine in the first place.
00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:55.119
Okay, and then from a funding point of view, so clearly there are partner organizations who I guess are contributing to you.
00:22:55.200 --> 00:22:56.799
Where else does funding come from?
00:22:57.119 --> 00:22:59.680
So schools and colleges chip in where they can.
00:23:00.160 --> 00:23:04.720
We're really cognizant of the fact that budgets are tight in the education space.
00:23:05.039 --> 00:23:08.319
So we we try and operate subsidized models where we can.
00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:17.279
So schools and colleges will chip in, but often there's a business that's also contributing to the cost of the program, which means it's more accessible for them as an organization.
00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:28.160
We also have support from businesses, as you as you mentioned, some big household names that get behind what we do, and grant funders and philanthropists.
00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:37.119
It's my belief that you've got to have all of those in order to sustain a diverse set of income streams that mean that we're sustainable for the long run.
00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:39.119
The modelling is dead simple.
00:23:39.200 --> 00:23:44.240
A third comes from academia, a third comes from businesses, and a third comes from public sector.
00:23:44.799 --> 00:23:55.680
And if we can get all of those partners paying in towards the mission, then we can do far more than if we rely on any one of those kind of uh legs of the three-legged stool.
00:23:56.000 --> 00:24:03.359
This episode is brought to you by Morgan Hunt, a public sector recruitment agency with over 30 years of experience.
00:24:03.839 --> 00:24:13.119
Whether you're looking for your next role or growing your team, we match purpose-driven people with organizations making a real difference.
00:24:13.359 --> 00:24:19.279
Visit Morganhunt.com to find out how Morgan Hunt inspires working lives.
00:24:19.759 --> 00:24:22.319
Okay, so it's all wonderful stuff, Hayden.
00:24:22.640 --> 00:24:29.039
Um, I mean, it's really in my personal life, I'm getting hit with lots of stories about NEETs at the moment as well.
00:24:29.440 --> 00:24:38.559
And there does seem to be this huge gap that's forming in some cases between this population coming out of education and how they get that first job.
00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:38.880
Yes.
00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:40.640
And is it a job that's meaningful?
00:24:40.799 --> 00:24:47.519
Is it a job where they feel their skills and unique talents appropriately showcased?
00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:49.279
Yeah, there's a real challenge here.
00:24:49.359 --> 00:24:49.599
Yeah.
00:24:49.759 --> 00:24:55.839
Um, and I think uh I think it's really hard for young people today to find that first gig.
00:24:56.079 --> 00:25:02.000
Um and often their first experience of work is not as early as it once was.
00:25:02.240 --> 00:25:19.359
You know, the the the death of the Saturday job, yeah, or the weekend job or the after school job has meant that young people's taste of work comes much later and they have less experience to talk about, less relevant um threads to pull on in an interview interview.
00:25:19.599 --> 00:25:23.599
Um and there's also a there's a disconnection problem here as well.
00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:29.279
I I I think um young people find it hard to navigate the complexity of the job market.
00:25:29.680 --> 00:25:31.599
That's one of the things I'm excited about.
00:25:31.759 --> 00:25:36.240
Technology is an enabler of of uh of addressing that kind of problem.
00:25:36.400 --> 00:25:45.920
You know, how can we use AI to do a better job of helping young people explore how their unique skills, passions, and interests connect to what's out there in the labour market?
00:25:46.559 --> 00:25:50.799
Um but it's a complex it's a really complex problem.
00:25:51.680 --> 00:25:56.960
Um and I I I don't think that young people don't want to work.
00:25:57.200 --> 00:26:07.440
I think there's an unhelpful misconception that you know young people coming through are lazy or you know they're snowflaky and that they you know they don't want to put the graft in.
00:26:07.599 --> 00:26:09.440
I don't think that's true at all.
00:26:09.680 --> 00:26:24.640
I think they're struggling to navigate what's a really, really complex labour market right now, and at the same time, I think their exposure to the world of work is it's is a it's further away than it once than it once was.
00:26:24.960 --> 00:26:40.400
Um and at the same time, in the economic reality we find ourselves in in the UK, you know, right now, employers don't have a huge amount of resource to offer those early stage gigs that require real nurturing of the individual.
00:26:40.559 --> 00:26:44.480
You know, we've seen apprenticeship numbers come down as well, which I think are part of that equation.
00:26:44.640 --> 00:26:51.119
Businesses are looking to make safer bets because the economy feels topsy-turvy right now.
00:26:51.680 --> 00:26:56.079
Um so those are some of the reasons why I think we are where we are.
00:26:56.240 --> 00:27:14.960
Um, and we we've got to be more intentional about creating those early career opportunities for young people and finding new ways to support businesses to take on early career talent, whether that's an apprenticeship, whether that's a pre-apprenticeship program, um, there's a lot of work to do in there.
00:27:15.279 --> 00:27:16.319
Yes, yeah.
00:27:16.559 --> 00:27:29.920
And from a recruitment point of view, not relying on the CV, which is a rear view mirror, and we should be looking at what skills somebody possesses in terms of their future prospects in the workplace, those are the important things I think for employers.
00:27:30.240 --> 00:27:30.559
Exactly.
00:27:30.720 --> 00:27:35.680
Well, that doesn't that does not filter through into careers advice and guidance very often.
00:27:35.920 --> 00:27:48.240
Um there is a an enormous gap between the reality of what businesses want from new talent and what we're delivering as a message in schools and colleges.
00:27:48.400 --> 00:27:48.640
Yes.
00:27:48.880 --> 00:27:53.359
We're making some progress, but that gap is still way too big.
00:27:53.519 --> 00:28:00.960
There is a lot of work to do to make careers, information, advice, and guidance relevant, real, and up to speed.
00:28:02.240 --> 00:28:09.119
And if somebody's involved in giving that advice right now, maybe in a college or something, what advice would you give to them at this stage?
00:28:09.519 --> 00:28:10.720
That's a that's a great question.
00:28:10.799 --> 00:28:14.480
I'd I'd encourage you to get out there and spend time with local employers.
00:28:14.559 --> 00:28:27.440
Um immerse yourself in their environments as much as you possibly can so you can understand the shifting patterns that are that are that are emerging in terms of the types of people they're recruiting, how they're recruiting.
00:28:27.680 --> 00:28:45.200
Um I think colleges in particular have made a a really kind of positive step towards having meaningful employer advisory boards which can deliver that insight, but they're often only going, they're only being plugged into the commercial side of those organizations.
00:28:45.440 --> 00:28:55.680
Actually, employer advisory boards are really powerful as an engine of connectivity between the labour market and the careers information advice and guidance that young people are getting.
00:28:55.839 --> 00:29:11.599
So I'd encourage colleges to think about how they join those dots between the two and get their staff, uh particularly careers information advice and guidance staff, out into the industries that they're spending an awful lot of time talking about.
00:29:11.839 --> 00:29:18.319
Some of my favourite models from the Nordics, for example, you kind of have to do work experience as a careers advisor.
00:29:18.480 --> 00:29:22.240
You've got to you've got to spend a chunk of your year back in industry.
00:29:22.559 --> 00:29:31.839
Um, and I know some colleges that are doing doing something similar where careers advisors and those in that space are spending time back in industry.
00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:33.839
I think that's that's an awesome model.
00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:38.960
And it means that the content they're delivering is more real, is more relevant, it's more up to speed.
00:29:39.279 --> 00:29:39.680
Great.
00:29:39.839 --> 00:29:45.279
Yeah, I think Morgan Hunt can help there because we've got a number of recruiters up and down the country.
00:29:45.440 --> 00:29:50.799
If there's a local college who wants to engage and find out who we're recruiting for, what skills they need, they should get in touch.
00:29:51.119 --> 00:29:51.759
So that's good.
00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:58.160
I'm I'm sure there's tons of insight you've got on that front because you get the opportunity to have all the kind of mega trend stuff, right?
00:29:58.240 --> 00:30:00.960
You're seeing where the resource is going, what people are asking for.
00:30:01.200 --> 00:30:05.039
So, yeah, I think that's that's hugely valuable insight.
00:30:05.440 --> 00:30:06.160
Brilliant.
00:30:06.400 --> 00:30:07.039
Good.
00:30:07.359 --> 00:30:16.559
Okay, we were talking there on the mission of Unlock and what you're trying to do in terms of driving for better outcomes for young people.
00:30:17.200 --> 00:30:30.000
I want to take you back to the running of Unlock now and sort of challenges, because it's inevitable this sort of organization gets challenges, which probably land on a Monday morning and go, oh my goodness, didn't see that coming.
00:30:30.640 --> 00:30:36.559
You personally, sort of way you cope with that and deal with those challenges as and when they come along.
00:30:37.680 --> 00:30:39.519
Yeah, it's a great question.
00:30:39.759 --> 00:30:52.880
Um to start with, I'm I'm a big believer in being really open with my team about those challenges and not trying to make them my uh solely my challenge.
00:30:53.119 --> 00:31:04.319
Um I have a really strong leadership team that I feel very capable and able to share those challenges with and tackle them together head on.
00:31:04.799 --> 00:31:14.640
Um so I think that's that's one of my coping mechanisms is not seeing it as solely my challenge to address, but actually as a team challenge that we can address together.
00:31:15.039 --> 00:31:29.200
Um I think uh secondly, I kind of I kind of have faith that if we stick to the mission and we do the right things for the right people in the right way, we'll get to where we need to be and the money will follow.
00:31:29.440 --> 00:31:34.960
Um that steadfast belief has carried us through our entire journey up to this point.
00:31:35.200 --> 00:31:53.440
Um we've had funding challenges in the past, we've had big funders who are no longer able to be big funders for us, and you know it felt like the world was gonna crumble around us, but because we've stuck to our strategy and our belief in what we're doing, it's all come good in the end.
00:31:53.680 --> 00:32:04.079
Um and then thirdly, I think reflection and introspection is is the other thing that I've learned to do.
00:32:04.640 --> 00:32:13.920
Not perfect at it, uh, and it often takes me a couple of days of kind of breathing space before I can find myself in that headspace.
00:32:14.240 --> 00:32:43.039
But taking the time just to reflect on what that issue is, uh, whether it's an existential issue that we need kind of really need to build a strategy or response around, or whether actually it's just a perspective thing that in the heat of the moment it felt bigger than it really was, and actually this is something we can we can manage, we can tackle, um, and to not let my emotions drive that response to what comes next.
00:32:43.519 --> 00:32:46.799
So those are a few of the things that I do, but it's not easy, you know.
00:32:46.880 --> 00:32:56.640
That the nature of running a non-profit is is throughout with challenge financially, in terms of people, in terms of the work that we do.
00:32:57.839 --> 00:32:59.599
It's our bread and butter.
00:32:59.839 --> 00:33:07.519
We we have to be good at dealing with challenges because pretty much every day we've got some some something something new that's landing on our on our lap.
00:33:07.839 --> 00:33:09.359
Yeah, okay.
00:33:09.759 --> 00:33:25.680
And I guess there's this sort of balance there, isn't there, between you being so passionate about this as a subject and driven from really young age in terms of like this is what we've got to do, this is the right thing to do, yes, plus the commercial realities of the whole thing.
00:33:25.839 --> 00:33:26.480
Yeah.
00:33:26.799 --> 00:33:32.480
And there's just an element of you know, you won't have been round the block that many times to begin with.
00:33:32.559 --> 00:33:34.400
And how did you get through that?
00:33:34.480 --> 00:33:36.480
Who supported you for those things?
00:33:36.720 --> 00:33:42.000
I've I've had some incredible mentors through the years that have supported me on that journey.
00:33:42.160 --> 00:33:59.119
Um, one of the key pieces of advice we give to every young person on an unlocked program is find a mentor, even if that's a friend, if that's somebody at college, maybe that's an unlock uh you know, member of the of our ecosystem, um, because we know how transformative they can be.
00:33:59.680 --> 00:34:11.280
I've been very lucky to have some incredible mentors through the years, and that started with my head teacher at secondary school who could see I was driven to to achieve what I wanted to achieve.
00:34:11.519 --> 00:34:11.760
Mr.
00:34:11.920 --> 00:34:14.159
Lebeds, an absolute legend.
00:34:14.559 --> 00:34:30.320
Um then, kind of fast forward a couple of years, the principal of my college, Portsmouth College, uh Steve Frampton, um you know, personally mentored me, supported me, helped me work work out what that economic model needs to look like.
00:34:30.480 --> 00:34:34.320
Um he was the first person to give us an office at Portsmouth College.
00:34:34.559 --> 00:34:45.119
We had literally a prospectus cupboard that we were offered as our office, and we had to clean it out ourselves, turn it into something that was usable.
00:34:45.519 --> 00:34:48.559
Um, yeah, that early support really made a difference.
00:34:48.639 --> 00:34:58.239
And as I've as I've gone on and developed in my career, I've always looked for um who the right mentor is at the right stage.
00:34:58.400 --> 00:35:10.239
Uh I'm very, very lucky now to have a couple of mentors, one in the corporate sphere and one in the third sector, that have helped me to work through those challenges and find our economic model.
00:35:10.800 --> 00:35:12.880
And you approached those mentors, did you?
00:35:13.119 --> 00:35:13.360
Yeah.
00:35:13.519 --> 00:35:13.840
Yeah.
00:35:14.000 --> 00:35:14.239
Yeah.
00:35:14.400 --> 00:35:16.079
I think most people want to help.
00:35:16.559 --> 00:35:27.039
I almost I don't think I've ever asked for support from a mentorship point of view where somebody has said no, unless they've got a really good personal reason.
00:35:27.199 --> 00:35:29.440
Most people, I find, want to help.
00:35:29.920 --> 00:35:32.639
They want to support the next generation to get ahead.
00:35:32.800 --> 00:35:35.440
Um, you know, we instill that in young people.
00:35:35.599 --> 00:35:36.559
Just ask.
00:35:36.800 --> 00:35:37.920
Just ask.
00:35:38.159 --> 00:35:44.960
Um, you'll be surprised how many people there are there are out there that want to help other young people get on the career ladder.
00:35:45.599 --> 00:35:47.519
I'd agree, I think it's really important.
00:35:48.079 --> 00:35:50.239
Okay, good stuff.
00:35:50.960 --> 00:36:07.679
So if we now turn our sort of views to sort of advice now, if there's somebody out there who doesn't get feels they need access to the sort of um experience you're giving people and they can't get it, what should they do?
00:36:08.400 --> 00:36:10.320
Um that's a great question.
00:36:10.480 --> 00:36:15.679
Um there are a number of entry points, but the the starting point is just to have a conversation with us.
00:36:15.840 --> 00:36:16.079
Yes.
00:36:16.239 --> 00:36:22.559
We have some brilliant open access programs that people can lean into, that they can benefit from.
00:36:22.960 --> 00:36:26.480
Um we have some fabulous online programs.
00:36:26.639 --> 00:36:35.039
Uh we have a platform called Unlock Plus, where there's a whole host of opportunities, learning tools, and so on to help people go on that journey.
00:36:35.199 --> 00:36:48.239
Um but I think the starting point is to recognize that and uh get in touch and we can work out how we can support you to access those kind of opportunities, those platforms that we've been speaking about.
00:36:48.559 --> 00:36:49.119
Great.
00:36:49.440 --> 00:36:49.760
Okay.
00:36:50.880 --> 00:37:04.400
And then the second question about advice if there's somebody out there who believes they've got an idea for a social enterprise that's going to make a big difference, and they could be young or they could be old, what would you say to them?
00:37:05.199 --> 00:37:12.639
Uh I would probably I would echo some of the things I shared earlier about what I've learnt on this journey.
00:37:14.000 --> 00:37:23.920
The first thing is to to be honest, radically honest, about what you're really good at and what you're not good at, and then find the people who can fill the gaps.
00:37:24.079 --> 00:37:24.639
Yeah.
00:37:24.880 --> 00:37:35.360
Secondly, find a mentor, somebody in the social enterprise world or the charity world, that has been there, done it, and got the t-shirt and built something similar before.
00:37:35.519 --> 00:37:39.039
There's an enormous amount you can learn from them.
00:37:39.360 --> 00:37:43.440
And then third and finally is be brave and give it a go.
00:37:43.599 --> 00:37:47.280
Um, we really believe that you've got to start somewhere.
00:37:47.519 --> 00:38:05.119
Um, we use this kind of phrase that uh that really resonates with me, which is start small, think big, um, which was a tagline of an amazing program that used to exist called O2 Think Big, which gave us our first grant of£300 when we began as an organization.
00:38:05.360 --> 00:38:07.440
So start small, think big.
00:38:07.599 --> 00:38:10.239
Um, nobody else is gonna do it for you.
00:38:11.280 --> 00:38:21.440
Yeah, and it's just that first conversation, and even that conversation doesn't lead to direct support, they'll could give you a name or somebody else that you should speak to so and so.
00:38:21.599 --> 00:38:24.159
Yeah, people want to help people.
00:38:24.559 --> 00:38:28.559
Yeah, you you've just got to start somewhere, ask the question, be brave.
00:38:28.960 --> 00:38:30.559
Brilliant, okay.
00:38:31.280 --> 00:38:34.800
Hayden, thank you so much for coming in and sharing your story today.
00:38:35.119 --> 00:38:36.079
Pleasure, it's been really fun.
00:38:36.719 --> 00:38:36.800
Good.
00:38:37.039 --> 00:38:38.719
Yeah, I wish you every success.
00:38:38.800 --> 00:38:44.320
It's it's a righteous cause, and I will all power to you in terms of driving this forward.
00:38:44.400 --> 00:38:45.920
And uh thanks for sharing your passion.
00:38:46.159 --> 00:38:51.199
No, thank you for having me, thank you for Morgan Hunt for creating the platform for me to be able to share this story.
00:38:51.360 --> 00:38:52.400
It's been really good fun.
00:38:52.719 --> 00:39:00.880
Thank you for listening to Inspiring Working Lives, the Morgan Hunt podcast driving positive change and helping you to grow your career.
00:39:01.519 --> 00:39:08.159
If you've enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe so you don't miss another inspiring conversation.
00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:02.959
I've been in this role now for for more than twelve years.
00:00:03.040 --> 00:00:11.279
I started Unlock when I was sixteen, you know, literally sixteen in a few days, we walked into the local accountant's office and said, help us start this company.
00:00:11.439 --> 00:00:13.759
I'm not sure it was confident in our capability at that time.
00:00:13.839 --> 00:00:15.919
I'm not sure I was confident that we were gonna pull it off.
00:00:16.160 --> 00:00:23.519
But at some point, this social enterprise which is unlock is gonna go from a good idea to actually transforming people's lives.
00:00:23.760 --> 00:00:25.039
Can you walk us through that?
00:00:25.359 --> 00:00:28.800
I I I don't think that young people don't want to work.
00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:39.280
I think there's an unhelpful misconception that, you know, young people coming through are lazy or, you know, they're snowflaky and that they, you know, they don't want to put the graft in.
00:00:39.439 --> 00:00:41.200
I don't think that's true at all.
00:00:41.439 --> 00:00:44.479
I'm actually a little I think I'm still a bit angry about that, really.
00:00:44.719 --> 00:00:46.960
Okay, let's pick apart that anger of yours.
00:00:47.439 --> 00:00:54.560
Welcome to Inspiring Working Lives, the Morgan Hunter podcast where we explore public sector leadership journeys.
00:00:54.799 --> 00:01:04.159
From honest chats about career highs and lows, to lessons and wisdom to inspire the next generation of leaders that will shape our society.
00:01:04.480 --> 00:01:18.719
Today's guest is Hayden Taylor, co-founder and chief executive of Unlock, a UK-based social enterprise dedicated to empowering young people to become changemakers in their own communities and future careers.
00:01:19.040 --> 00:01:19.680
Hayden.
00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:20.400
Hello.
00:01:20.640 --> 00:01:21.040
Hello.
00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:23.200
Great to have you here at Morgan Hunt.
00:01:23.359 --> 00:01:24.079
Thank you for coming in.
00:01:24.319 --> 00:01:25.840
My absolute pleasure, it's good to be here.
00:01:25.920 --> 00:01:27.200
You've got a wonderful office.
00:01:27.359 --> 00:01:29.200
Everyone's been incredibly friendly to me.
00:01:29.439 --> 00:01:31.040
I'm excited to get stuck in.
00:01:31.280 --> 00:01:33.359
Right, we always start in a familiar place.
00:01:33.599 --> 00:01:35.439
Can you tell us about your childhood?
00:01:35.599 --> 00:01:38.799
And did you have any career aspirations as a child?
00:01:39.120 --> 00:01:40.719
That's a great question.
00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:45.040
Um so my career aspirations are definitely not where I am now.
00:01:45.359 --> 00:01:49.519
Um so I was quite a creative entrepreneurial kid.
00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:54.000
Um I grew up in Portsmouth, but I had a kind of very kind of working class family.
00:01:54.079 --> 00:02:09.919
You know, my mum worked in the school canteen, my dad uh was a bricklayer, um, and I knew I was entrepreneurial because for my 10th birthday I asked for a greenhouse so that I could grow fruit and veg, which I sold on subscription to my neighbours.
00:02:10.080 --> 00:02:14.159
So I knew I had that kind of like creative entrepreneurial spark.
00:02:14.319 --> 00:02:20.000
I loved it, you know, and the and the Murray mints from the back of your bag and the you know selling cans of coke and whatever.
00:02:20.159 --> 00:02:23.759
Um so I knew I kind of had that spirit.
00:02:23.919 --> 00:02:44.560
I I did find that transitioning into secondary education though, that a lot of that kind of creative spark felt quite crushed, contained a bit, um, and I really struggled with with getting on board with the national curriculum and not having like a feeling of being able to shape things, own things, do different things.
00:02:44.800 --> 00:03:00.960
Um so as I kind of transitioned into secondary education, I think my at one point I decided I wanted to be uh an architect, which if you've seen me draw anything, you'll realise that you know I dodged a bullet there, really.
00:03:01.120 --> 00:03:05.520
Um but that yeah, so I always had that creative entrepreneurial spirit.
00:03:05.599 --> 00:03:09.599
I just never anticipated it living out in the way that it now does.
00:03:09.840 --> 00:03:26.000
Um so effectively I was you know uh finding myself in this kind of box almost, or what what felt like a box, um uh as I went through secondary education, not kind of really finding my groove, the thing that I really connected with.
00:03:26.080 --> 00:03:33.840
Uh, and then I got involved in an amazing youth leadership program in Portsmouth that changed my life overnight, pretty much.
00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:46.639
Um it gave me a platform where I felt like I was listened to, where I could try new things and failed and learn from them, and felt for the first time, I think, that I was really being listened to.
00:03:46.960 --> 00:03:56.560
Um, so that was a game-changing moment in my life, and um when that lost its funding, uh, that's when I was forced to be an entrepreneur.
00:03:56.719 --> 00:04:09.280
Uh, it wasn't really intentional, it was a case of do it or this thing disappears and dies, as many um public services, youth services have done over the last decade, really.
00:04:09.439 --> 00:04:19.120
So that's a really long way to kind of answer your question, but um yeah, I I think I had that inherent entrepreneurial spark within me.
00:04:19.279 --> 00:04:23.920
I just didn't I didn't realise it in terms of my career until I really had to.
00:04:24.399 --> 00:04:24.720
Okay.
00:04:25.519 --> 00:04:36.480
But it happened quite quickly because many people who sit in that chair and talk to me about their leadership journey, it takes them a while to find their feet and they try different things before getting pulled into something.
00:04:36.800 --> 00:04:39.600
But you had that spark and stuck with it.
00:04:39.920 --> 00:04:44.000
Yeah, I you know, I I've been in this role now for more than 12 years.
00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:52.879
I started Unlock when I was 16, you know, literally 16 in a few days, we walked into the local accountant's office and said, help us start this company.
00:04:53.040 --> 00:05:00.000
Um so it's been a pretty consistent driver of me and my kind of trajectory in life.
00:05:00.319 --> 00:05:04.399
But I I wouldn't say I was intentionally looking for leadership.
00:05:04.560 --> 00:05:11.199
Um, I would say I was drawn by a sense of of requirement almost.
00:05:11.439 --> 00:05:18.079
Um I felt the onus was on me to do something about it because nobody else was willing to do it to do anything about it.
00:05:18.240 --> 00:05:38.160
Um I remember growing up and feeling like you know, Portsmouth as a city was real disadvantage where the life expectancy gap between the the most um economically able and the least economically able uh people is is massive, enormous, um more than more than eight years.
00:05:38.399 --> 00:05:38.879
Wow.
00:05:39.360 --> 00:05:41.680
I remember growing up and thinking, how can that be?
00:05:41.920 --> 00:05:43.120
How can that be?
00:05:43.360 --> 00:05:50.639
Uh and I guess my journey into leadership came from a feeling of I've got to do this because otherwise no one else is gonna do it.
00:05:50.800 --> 00:05:53.839
Uh, and it was kind of thrust on me, really.
00:05:54.160 --> 00:05:57.920
Um I'm actually a little I think I'm still a bit angry about that, really.
00:05:58.079 --> 00:06:10.079
I'm I'm angry that young people were left in that place and that people like me were kind of forced to kind of pick up the baton when really we should have been investing in the things that we're gonna give kids from disadvantaged communities the things they need.
00:06:10.319 --> 00:06:19.360
So, yeah, I wouldn't say it was intentional, but it's been a really beautiful journey, and I wouldn't change it for the world.
00:06:19.759 --> 00:06:22.480
Okay, let's pick apart that anger of yours, right?
00:06:22.639 --> 00:06:25.120
So it's it's it's calmed down a bit.
00:06:25.920 --> 00:06:28.639
It was sizzling as a as as a 16-year-old.
00:06:28.720 --> 00:06:32.079
It's not, I would I would say I've channelled that in in a positive way now.
00:06:32.319 --> 00:06:34.560
Okay, but what was the genesis of that?
00:06:34.639 --> 00:06:37.680
Was it the the the funding disappearing for the programme you were on?
00:06:37.839 --> 00:06:40.800
Was that the thing that pushed you into this initially?
00:06:41.199 --> 00:06:41.759
I think so, yeah.
00:06:41.839 --> 00:06:42.399
Yeah it was.
00:06:42.800 --> 00:06:45.360
Because you were enjoying that and suddenly it's not there anymore.
00:06:45.600 --> 00:06:46.000
Exactly.
00:06:46.639 --> 00:06:59.279
I could see the impact it was having on young people's lives, and I could equally on the flip side of that, I could see the economic disparity in my community, and I I just couldn't add those sums up.
00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:12.879
Like, how can you cut 73% of youth services in Portsmouth pretty much you know, in a in a one one one-year cycle, and at the same time have that enormous disparity on show.
00:07:13.519 --> 00:07:17.600
I I could not make those two concepts meet.
00:07:17.839 --> 00:07:22.959
Um, so that's that I think was the source of of where the anger came from.
00:07:23.120 --> 00:07:26.079
You know, uh how do kids like me get ahead?
00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:38.240
If we're not going to give them the platforms to do it, you know, and uh a lot of the work that we do is about giving kids the types of skills, the opportunities, the experiences they truly deserve, but their economic reality doesn't deliver.
00:07:38.480 --> 00:08:01.680
Um, and so we invest in things like public speaking, like how to um craft your career plan, um, how to absolutely smash it as an entrepreneur, the kind of stuff that you might consider to be at the heart of an independent education, and actually we're saying, look, every every kid deserves that platform to really sing and shine and and smash it in life.
00:08:01.839 --> 00:08:05.360
Um, our role is to democratize access to that kind of stuff.
00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:07.120
Great, okay.
00:08:07.439 --> 00:08:13.759
So, once again, just going back to that bit where you're really angry, that program is pulled, the funding is pulled.
00:08:13.920 --> 00:08:18.160
Yeah, you have an idea at that stage, which is to actually do something about it.
00:08:18.800 --> 00:08:22.720
So, what did that idea sound and look like at that stage?
00:08:23.199 --> 00:08:24.480
So that's a great question.
00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:28.000
So at the time it was just about continuing what was already there.
00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:44.000
Um but within a year, what we'd realized was actually it was some fundamental component parts of that program's design that really made it special and really impactful for young people in their lives.
00:08:44.159 --> 00:08:59.440
Um some principles around um creating platforms for young people to lead rather than follow, um, allowing them to fail and learn from failure, um, telling young people that we believe in them regardless of what that aspiration looks like.
00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:05.840
So there were some fundamental principles that kind of that made up the premise of this program.
00:09:06.240 --> 00:09:25.519
So we took those principles and then we built it out into a suite of education programs which we knew would appeal to a wider range of young people, that would connect more powerfully in a kind of a a really kind of young people-friendly way, so that it it wasn't this kind of weird elite group of young people doing amazing things in their communities.
00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:35.120
Actually, it was accessible to everyone, and we could just take the kind of core component parts of what made it special and deliver it to you know a much larger range of young people.
00:09:36.159 --> 00:09:36.559
Great.
00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:39.360
So you had that idea that this had to be continued.
00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:44.000
You walk into your accountant's office and say, right, you've got to find funding for this or something.
00:09:44.320 --> 00:09:45.039
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:09:45.120 --> 00:09:46.559
Pretty much, pretty much.
00:09:47.200 --> 00:09:50.559
Yeah, he he, I'm not sure he was confident in our capability at that time.
00:09:50.639 --> 00:09:54.240
I'm not sure I was confident that we were gonna pull it off at that point in time.
00:09:54.720 --> 00:10:05.200
Um I remember after our first year of trading, uh neither me nor my co-founder Ben are finance people, that's not our bag.
00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:15.120
So I remember after our first year of trading, literally taking a physical blackbin bag of receipts into our accountant's office, handing it over and saying, like, good luck.
00:10:15.200 --> 00:10:15.600
Yeah.
00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:18.000
Um but do you know what?
00:10:18.080 --> 00:10:22.559
I think I think that's because we we didn't want to omit what we didn't know.
00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:28.399
I think we were fearful of owning up to the things that we didn't yet know, that we weren't good at.
00:10:28.639 --> 00:10:47.600
Um yeah, we we kind of try to mask all of that stuff, and actually, uh I think as an entrepreneur, as a leader generally, you have to be really up front with the things you're not good at, the things that you're you've yet to master, the things that you need to learn from others, and the team that you need around you, we hadn't worked that out.
00:10:47.840 --> 00:10:50.879
You know, 16-year-old Hayden hadn't worked that out at all.
00:10:51.200 --> 00:11:00.799
It took us a few years to really understand that good leadership requires radical honesty when it comes to who you are, what you're good at, and what you're not good at.
00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:03.279
Okay, right, I get that.
00:11:03.440 --> 00:11:21.840
But at the same time, it's propelled by this anger and this sort of punk ethos to do something about a difficult situation, which I guess to a certain extent, all the planning in the world sometimes can reduce that sort of drive and determination to make something happen.
00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:26.080
Yeah, the the the the odds are stacked against you, I think.
00:11:26.240 --> 00:11:30.720
Um it's really hard to drive social change to and to bring new ideas to life.
00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:39.519
That's why not ever not everybody does it, not every per every person chooses to be an entrepreneur, not not everybody chooses to engage with social change.
00:11:39.919 --> 00:11:52.399
Um, but I think when you are when you're driven by a vision and that sense of anger kind of fuels your direction towards that vision, it can be a a really kind of positive thing.
00:11:52.799 --> 00:12:05.360
Um and I I've met leaders that are driven by you know, kind of are really level-headed, and they're driven by kind of sense of purpose, but they they don't let anger kind of drive that.
00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:07.679
I actually think it can be a powerful tool.
00:12:07.840 --> 00:12:11.759
I think anger can be, or frustration can be a brilliant tool.
00:12:11.919 --> 00:12:13.679
And it's what drives innovation.
00:12:13.759 --> 00:12:21.600
I think it's what brings new products to market, it's what what moves our economy forward is people realise something's not quite right and they do something about it.
00:12:23.039 --> 00:12:26.559
I think certainly you need to know your emotion that's driving these things.
00:12:26.639 --> 00:12:28.159
That's the stuff that gets things built.
00:12:28.399 --> 00:12:29.200
Exactly.
00:12:29.440 --> 00:12:43.279
Okay, so you've dropped off your back black bin liner of receipts, the accountants going through those, but at some point, this social enterprise which is unlock is going to go from a good idea to actually transforming people's lives.
00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:45.360
Can you walk us through that?
00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:48.720
Yeah, so it it was very iterative.
00:12:49.519 --> 00:12:56.000
We we knew what we wanted to achieve, we knew what we wanted young people to feel at the back end of an unlocked program.
00:12:56.399 --> 00:12:57.679
So we started there.
00:12:57.840 --> 00:13:00.320
What does it mean to have been on an unlocked program?
00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:02.559
What would we have done for that young person?
00:13:02.720 --> 00:13:08.720
You know, and we defined it as confidence, connection to purpose, and skills to get ahead.
00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:18.399
Um, so we knew what the end outcome was, and it was then really about how do we you know work back from that and build experiences that were gonna deliver those those outcomes.
00:13:18.559 --> 00:13:24.799
And in a way that was interesting, that was dynamic, that was gamified, that wasn't kind of tokenistic.
00:13:24.960 --> 00:13:33.919
You know, you can see a lot of stuff, particularly in the youth space, that feels a little bit kind of like performative or or even dare I say it kind of cringy.
00:13:34.080 --> 00:13:45.039
You know, how do we actually deliver this in a way that that doesn't patronize young people and says actually look, the reason we're doing this is to genuinely support you to get ahead, it's not a performative action.
00:13:45.279 --> 00:13:48.720
Um so that that's that's what happened.
00:13:48.799 --> 00:13:58.960
So we we got a bunch of head teachers together, we've got a bunch of young people together, and we started designing these programs together in a very kind of creative fashion.
00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:00.720
They didn't all work.
00:14:01.360 --> 00:14:13.519
Some of them were were not what we hoped or envisaged they would be, and some of them have stood the test of time and have just grown and evolved over the last 12 years into what they are today.
00:14:13.759 --> 00:14:27.440
Um so I I I think um if I reflect on that journey of like how did we build this thing, it was it was very iterative and it was it it was built with co-production in mind.
00:14:27.759 --> 00:14:33.600
Like we didn't have all the answers, head teachers didn't have all the and principals didn't have the answers, neither did young people.
00:14:33.759 --> 00:14:43.039
But if we could try and bring all of those groups together centred around that vision, those outcomes that we wanted to achieve, then we could build something that could be quite magical.
00:14:43.200 --> 00:14:49.200
And I think that's what we've now got is a suite of things that are genuinely quite magical.
00:14:50.399 --> 00:14:57.919
And through that suite of experiences, education, uh where are you getting young people to?
00:14:58.159 --> 00:15:02.480
Or almost where do they start and where do they come out through the unlock experience?
00:15:03.120 --> 00:15:04.399
That's a great question.
00:15:04.879 --> 00:15:08.799
Um so we really think you've got to start early.
00:15:08.960 --> 00:15:09.279
Yes.
00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:22.000
You know, we talk about developing change-making potential in young people, and that is skills, confidence, connection, purpose, so that you can shape your own life in terms of your career, your next steps, but also the world around you.
00:15:22.240 --> 00:15:39.519
Um for me, that starts in primary schools, um, and starting to plant those seeds, helping young people to connect to their community, um, understanding what it means to drive change, what drives you, who you are as a person, all of that introspection stuff.
00:15:39.759 --> 00:15:51.759
Um so it starts in primary school and it has to taper all the way through into FE and beyond, and then once you've got to that point, you then need to invest in the brilliant ideas that come out from those young people.
00:15:51.919 --> 00:15:53.840
So we developed a change makers fund.
00:15:54.159 --> 00:16:15.840
So once young people had gone from age nine, starting to discover the thing that they care about, connecting to their community, and they've got all the way through to being 16, 17, 18, and they they now have a project idea or something they want to get off the ground, maybe it's a business, maybe it's a community idea, we have the resource to actually invest in that idea and bring it to life.
00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:18.639
Um so that's the ecosystem.
00:16:18.879 --> 00:16:23.679
Cradle to grave, start early, and then invest in their ideas.
00:16:24.080 --> 00:16:25.120
Great, okay.
00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:37.120
And do you have some sort of poster children for this uh generation who've been through the uh Yeah, there are some incredible alumni of our programs that have gone on to do insane things.
00:16:37.200 --> 00:16:45.360
In fact, in fact, our chair of our board was involved in our work and on one of our programs when she was 15.
00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:54.159
Uh, she then um came and worked for us when she was 17, uh, and now she's gone on to having the most incredible career in the civil service.
00:16:54.240 --> 00:17:00.000
She's now head of budget at the UK Treasury, um, so has a huge job reporting straight into the Chancellor.
00:17:00.159 --> 00:17:17.279
Um, and that came from uh, you know, she was brilliantly talented, um, but she's a great example of how you can nurture that wider set of skills to enable somebody to really kind of level up their game in terms of what they do next.
00:17:17.519 --> 00:17:22.480
Uh, and there's there's so many examples of young people that have gone on to do incredible things.
00:17:22.640 --> 00:17:26.799
It's not always their career, sometimes it's what they've done outside of their career.
00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:37.279
Um, and for me, the most magical moments are those young people who've gone through our experiences and developed a sense of inner confidence they didn't have before.
00:17:37.599 --> 00:17:40.559
Um, there's one young lady that we work with called Katie.
00:17:41.039 --> 00:17:46.640
I remember this because it was so powerful, she was selective mute, she she didn't want to engage with our program.
00:17:47.200 --> 00:17:51.279
I actually delivered that program, so I got to know her quite well.
00:17:51.599 --> 00:18:11.440
Um, by the end of her journey with us, she was talking at the Houses of Parliament in front of decision makers and legislators about mental health and her journey and how she battled with that and um with with real passion and honesty and rawness.
00:18:11.759 --> 00:18:21.039
So, you know, that for me was just a kind of a textbook example of what you can do when you create the right conditions for a young person.
00:18:21.359 --> 00:18:22.000
Brilliant.
00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:22.559
Okay.
00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:24.559
So this is wonderful.
00:18:24.640 --> 00:18:39.359
So this is setting them up, this is this is information and experiences and education which aren't normally in college, school syllabuses, it's all added and they're coming out and they're going off to do wonderful things across the uh across the country.
00:18:39.759 --> 00:18:40.799
That's the idea at least, maybe.
00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:41.440
That's the idea.
00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:42.240
What's the idea?
00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:50.400
Well, I've met some of your alumni, and I I that they blew me away with their confidence at such young age in quite an intimidating environment.
00:18:50.640 --> 00:18:53.839
Yeah, yeah, they and that's at the heart of it, right?
00:18:53.920 --> 00:19:07.920
If if if you have the confidence to be able to show up in a room full of people you don't know, and you can you can start conversation, you can showcase who you are and the unique offer that you can deliver to that um person or indeed to that situation.
00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:11.039
Um what a game-changing skill set that is.
00:19:11.200 --> 00:19:27.279
And I think it's um it's a skill set that needs more love and attention, particularly in an in an era of of AI, in an era driven by technical disconnection, driven by emerging you know technology.
00:19:27.839 --> 00:19:45.599
That that skill set of being able to show up, have a powerful first impression, connect with other human beings in a in a really powerful way, is a skill set that needs much more um investment in terms of time, resource, and intentionality uh put into it.
00:19:45.839 --> 00:19:48.400
Yes, because that's all the stuff that AI can't do.
00:19:48.559 --> 00:19:48.960
Exactly.
00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:52.640
Which is interact with human beings and yeah, and make stuff happen.
00:19:52.960 --> 00:19:53.440
100%.
00:19:54.160 --> 00:19:54.480
Okay.
00:19:55.680 --> 00:20:05.680
Okay, so during this journey of building this whole thing and having suddenly you've got people going through the programmes, etc., but you've also got staff members.
00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:14.000
What was there a day where this all dawned on you that this thing is real and people are dependent on you for their salary and other aspects of it?
00:20:14.400 --> 00:20:15.279
Yes, definitely.
00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:25.119
After the I think we had our first employee after a couple of years of developing this idea, and um yeah, that was the moment it kind of all felt real.
00:20:25.279 --> 00:20:27.920
Uh, it was no longer just our kind of baby anymore.
00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:34.559
There were other people that were gonna take what we'd started to develop and take it to the next level.
00:20:34.799 --> 00:20:41.839
Um, and there's not a day that that response that that goes past where that responsibility isn't ingrained in my brain.
00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:46.400
Um the sector we work in is really poorly resourced, as you'll know.
00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:54.880
Uh, so we have to be very creative, very entrepreneurial, and very quick on our feet to make the numbers stack up every year.
00:20:55.119 --> 00:21:05.279
Um, so I lose a lot of sleep over the potential of not having the resource to pay people and therefore those people's ability to pay their mortgages and so on and so forth.
00:21:05.519 --> 00:21:14.000
Um so there was definitely a moment in time where it felt real, and it that moment of responsibility I don't think is ever left.
00:21:14.319 --> 00:21:14.559
Right.
00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:18.880
Can sometimes be very shack, you know, it can be very shackling.
00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:26.960
It feels feels like it can hold us back at times because we're so dependent on the re resource of others to deliver the overall mission.
00:21:27.279 --> 00:21:37.119
Yes, and it sounds to me that you had this this anger-driven, we've got to do something here, let's make something happen, and then sort of the everyday reality of kicks in.
00:21:37.440 --> 00:21:39.200
Kicks in, and then it's like, gosh.
00:21:39.440 --> 00:21:43.759
And has that blunted your sword in any way in terms of what you're doing with the organisation?
00:21:44.079 --> 00:21:44.960
Well, almost certainly.
00:21:45.119 --> 00:21:45.440
Yeah.
00:21:53.279 --> 00:21:59.759
You know, we have sponsors, partners, um, that want a defined outcome from working with us.
00:22:00.400 --> 00:22:04.559
Not everybody jumps on board because they totally believe in our mission.
00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:05.200
Yes.
00:22:06.400 --> 00:22:14.720
So that does mean that to an extent our focus is diluted because we're meeting the needs of a wider range of stakeholders.
00:22:15.839 --> 00:22:17.920
So yeah, that's a challenge for us.
00:22:18.079 --> 00:22:20.000
But it's also an economic reality.
00:22:20.160 --> 00:22:27.519
Without the support of those organizations, without grant funders, without businesses getting behind our work, we just wouldn't be able to do it in the first place.
00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:32.160
So I take quite a pragmatic view that actually sometimes you need that.
00:22:32.880 --> 00:22:47.279
You've got to service those wider needs, the economic benefit that the businesses get from working with us, the talent that they attract as a result, because that gives us the resource to be able to power up the engine in the first place.
00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:55.119
Okay, and then from a funding point of view, so clearly there are partner organizations who I guess are contributing to you.
00:22:55.200 --> 00:22:56.799
Where else does funding come from?
00:22:57.119 --> 00:22:59.680
So schools and colleges chip in where they can.
00:23:00.160 --> 00:23:04.720
We're really cognizant of the fact that budgets are tight in the education space.
00:23:05.039 --> 00:23:08.319
So we we try and operate subsidized models where we can.
00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:17.279
So schools and colleges will chip in, but often there's a business that's also contributing to the cost of the program, which means it's more accessible for them as an organization.
00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:28.160
We also have support from businesses, as you as you mentioned, some big household names that get behind what we do, and grant funders and philanthropists.
00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:37.119
It's my belief that you've got to have all of those in order to sustain a diverse set of income streams that mean that we're sustainable for the long run.
00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:39.119
The modelling is dead simple.
00:23:39.200 --> 00:23:44.240
A third comes from academia, a third comes from businesses, and a third comes from public sector.
00:23:44.799 --> 00:23:55.680
And if we can get all of those partners paying in towards the mission, then we can do far more than if we rely on any one of those kind of uh legs of the three-legged stool.
00:23:56.000 --> 00:24:03.359
This episode is brought to you by Morgan Hunt, a public sector recruitment agency with over 30 years of experience.
00:24:03.839 --> 00:24:13.119
Whether you're looking for your next role or growing your team, we match purpose-driven people with organizations making a real difference.
00:24:13.359 --> 00:24:19.279
Visit Morganhunt.com to find out how Morgan Hunt inspires working lives.
00:24:19.759 --> 00:24:22.319
Okay, so it's all wonderful stuff, Hayden.
00:24:22.640 --> 00:24:29.039
Um, I mean, it's really in my personal life, I'm getting hit with lots of stories about NEETs at the moment as well.
00:24:29.440 --> 00:24:38.559
And there does seem to be this huge gap that's forming in some cases between this population coming out of education and how they get that first job.
00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:38.880
Yes.
00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:40.640
And is it a job that's meaningful?
00:24:40.799 --> 00:24:47.519
Is it a job where they feel their skills and unique talents appropriately showcased?
00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:49.279
Yeah, there's a real challenge here.
00:24:49.359 --> 00:24:49.599
Yeah.
00:24:49.759 --> 00:24:55.839
Um, and I think uh I think it's really hard for young people today to find that first gig.
00:24:56.079 --> 00:25:02.000
Um and often their first experience of work is not as early as it once was.
00:25:02.240 --> 00:25:19.359
You know, the the the death of the Saturday job, yeah, or the weekend job or the after school job has meant that young people's taste of work comes much later and they have less experience to talk about, less relevant um threads to pull on in an interview interview.
00:25:19.599 --> 00:25:23.599
Um and there's also a there's a disconnection problem here as well.
00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:29.279
I I I think um young people find it hard to navigate the complexity of the job market.
00:25:29.680 --> 00:25:31.599
That's one of the things I'm excited about.
00:25:31.759 --> 00:25:36.240
Technology is an enabler of of uh of addressing that kind of problem.
00:25:36.400 --> 00:25:45.920
You know, how can we use AI to do a better job of helping young people explore how their unique skills, passions, and interests connect to what's out there in the labour market?
00:25:46.559 --> 00:25:50.799
Um but it's a complex it's a really complex problem.
00:25:51.680 --> 00:25:56.960
Um and I I I don't think that young people don't want to work.
00:25:57.200 --> 00:26:07.440
I think there's an unhelpful misconception that you know young people coming through are lazy or you know they're snowflaky and that they you know they don't want to put the graft in.
00:26:07.599 --> 00:26:09.440
I don't think that's true at all.
00:26:09.680 --> 00:26:24.640
I think they're struggling to navigate what's a really, really complex labour market right now, and at the same time, I think their exposure to the world of work is it's is a it's further away than it once than it once was.
00:26:24.960 --> 00:26:40.400
Um and at the same time, in the economic reality we find ourselves in in the UK, you know, right now, employers don't have a huge amount of resource to offer those early stage gigs that require real nurturing of the individual.
00:26:40.559 --> 00:26:44.480
You know, we've seen apprenticeship numbers come down as well, which I think are part of that equation.
00:26:44.640 --> 00:26:51.119
Businesses are looking to make safer bets because the economy feels topsy-turvy right now.
00:26:51.680 --> 00:26:56.079
Um so those are some of the reasons why I think we are where we are.
00:26:56.240 --> 00:27:14.960
Um, and we we've got to be more intentional about creating those early career opportunities for young people and finding new ways to support businesses to take on early career talent, whether that's an apprenticeship, whether that's a pre-apprenticeship program, um, there's a lot of work to do in there.
00:27:15.279 --> 00:27:16.319
Yes, yeah.
00:27:16.559 --> 00:27:29.920
And from a recruitment point of view, not relying on the CV, which is a rear view mirror, and we should be looking at what skills somebody possesses in terms of their future prospects in the workplace, those are the important things I think for employers.
00:27:30.240 --> 00:27:30.559
Exactly.
00:27:30.720 --> 00:27:35.680
Well, that doesn't that does not filter through into careers advice and guidance very often.
00:27:35.920 --> 00:27:48.240
Um there is a an enormous gap between the reality of what businesses want from new talent and what we're delivering as a message in schools and colleges.
00:27:48.400 --> 00:27:48.640
Yes.
00:27:48.880 --> 00:27:53.359
We're making some progress, but that gap is still way too big.
00:27:53.519 --> 00:28:00.960
There is a lot of work to do to make careers, information, advice, and guidance relevant, real, and up to speed.
00:28:02.240 --> 00:28:09.119
And if somebody's involved in giving that advice right now, maybe in a college or something, what advice would you give to them at this stage?
00:28:09.519 --> 00:28:10.720
That's a that's a great question.
00:28:10.799 --> 00:28:14.480
I'd I'd encourage you to get out there and spend time with local employers.
00:28:14.559 --> 00:28:27.440
Um immerse yourself in their environments as much as you possibly can so you can understand the shifting patterns that are that are that are emerging in terms of the types of people they're recruiting, how they're recruiting.
00:28:27.680 --> 00:28:45.200
Um I think colleges in particular have made a a really kind of positive step towards having meaningful employer advisory boards which can deliver that insight, but they're often only going, they're only being plugged into the commercial side of those organizations.
00:28:45.440 --> 00:28:55.680
Actually, employer advisory boards are really powerful as an engine of connectivity between the labour market and the careers information advice and guidance that young people are getting.
00:28:55.839 --> 00:29:11.599
So I'd encourage colleges to think about how they join those dots between the two and get their staff, uh particularly careers information advice and guidance staff, out into the industries that they're spending an awful lot of time talking about.
00:29:11.839 --> 00:29:18.319
Some of my favourite models from the Nordics, for example, you kind of have to do work experience as a careers advisor.
00:29:18.480 --> 00:29:22.240
You've got to you've got to spend a chunk of your year back in industry.
00:29:22.559 --> 00:29:31.839
Um, and I know some colleges that are doing doing something similar where careers advisors and those in that space are spending time back in industry.
00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:33.839
I think that's that's an awesome model.
00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:38.960
And it means that the content they're delivering is more real, is more relevant, it's more up to speed.
00:29:39.279 --> 00:29:39.680
Great.
00:29:39.839 --> 00:29:45.279
Yeah, I think Morgan Hunt can help there because we've got a number of recruiters up and down the country.
00:29:45.440 --> 00:29:50.799
If there's a local college who wants to engage and find out who we're recruiting for, what skills they need, they should get in touch.
00:29:51.119 --> 00:29:51.759
So that's good.
00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:58.160
I'm I'm sure there's tons of insight you've got on that front because you get the opportunity to have all the kind of mega trend stuff, right?
00:29:58.240 --> 00:30:00.960
You're seeing where the resource is going, what people are asking for.
00:30:01.200 --> 00:30:05.039
So, yeah, I think that's that's hugely valuable insight.
00:30:05.440 --> 00:30:06.160
Brilliant.
00:30:06.400 --> 00:30:07.039
Good.
00:30:07.359 --> 00:30:16.559
Okay, we were talking there on the mission of Unlock and what you're trying to do in terms of driving for better outcomes for young people.
00:30:17.200 --> 00:30:30.000
I want to take you back to the running of Unlock now and sort of challenges, because it's inevitable this sort of organization gets challenges, which probably land on a Monday morning and go, oh my goodness, didn't see that coming.
00:30:30.640 --> 00:30:36.559
You personally, sort of way you cope with that and deal with those challenges as and when they come along.
00:30:37.680 --> 00:30:39.519
Yeah, it's a great question.
00:30:39.759 --> 00:30:52.880
Um to start with, I'm I'm a big believer in being really open with my team about those challenges and not trying to make them my uh solely my challenge.
00:30:53.119 --> 00:31:04.319
Um I have a really strong leadership team that I feel very capable and able to share those challenges with and tackle them together head on.
00:31:04.799 --> 00:31:14.640
Um so I think that's that's one of my coping mechanisms is not seeing it as solely my challenge to address, but actually as a team challenge that we can address together.
00:31:15.039 --> 00:31:29.200
Um I think uh secondly, I kind of I kind of have faith that if we stick to the mission and we do the right things for the right people in the right way, we'll get to where we need to be and the money will follow.
00:31:29.440 --> 00:31:34.960
Um that steadfast belief has carried us through our entire journey up to this point.
00:31:35.200 --> 00:31:53.440
Um we've had funding challenges in the past, we've had big funders who are no longer able to be big funders for us, and you know it felt like the world was gonna crumble around us, but because we've stuck to our strategy and our belief in what we're doing, it's all come good in the end.
00:31:53.680 --> 00:32:04.079
Um and then thirdly, I think reflection and introspection is is the other thing that I've learned to do.
00:32:04.640 --> 00:32:13.920
Not perfect at it, uh, and it often takes me a couple of days of kind of breathing space before I can find myself in that headspace.
00:32:14.240 --> 00:32:43.039
But taking the time just to reflect on what that issue is, uh, whether it's an existential issue that we need kind of really need to build a strategy or response around, or whether actually it's just a perspective thing that in the heat of the moment it felt bigger than it really was, and actually this is something we can we can manage, we can tackle, um, and to not let my emotions drive that response to what comes next.
00:32:43.519 --> 00:32:46.799
So those are a few of the things that I do, but it's not easy, you know.
00:32:46.880 --> 00:32:56.640
That the nature of running a non-profit is is throughout with challenge financially, in terms of people, in terms of the work that we do.
00:32:57.839 --> 00:32:59.599
It's our bread and butter.
00:32:59.839 --> 00:33:07.519
We we have to be good at dealing with challenges because pretty much every day we've got some some something something new that's landing on our on our lap.
00:33:07.839 --> 00:33:09.359
Yeah, okay.
00:33:09.759 --> 00:33:25.680
And I guess there's this sort of balance there, isn't there, between you being so passionate about this as a subject and driven from really young age in terms of like this is what we've got to do, this is the right thing to do, yes, plus the commercial realities of the whole thing.
00:33:25.839 --> 00:33:26.480
Yeah.
00:33:26.799 --> 00:33:32.480
And there's just an element of you know, you won't have been round the block that many times to begin with.
00:33:32.559 --> 00:33:34.400
And how did you get through that?
00:33:34.480 --> 00:33:36.480
Who supported you for those things?
00:33:36.720 --> 00:33:42.000
I've I've had some incredible mentors through the years that have supported me on that journey.
00:33:42.160 --> 00:33:59.119
Um, one of the key pieces of advice we give to every young person on an unlocked program is find a mentor, even if that's a friend, if that's somebody at college, maybe that's an unlock uh you know, member of the of our ecosystem, um, because we know how transformative they can be.
00:33:59.680 --> 00:34:11.280
I've been very lucky to have some incredible mentors through the years, and that started with my head teacher at secondary school who could see I was driven to to achieve what I wanted to achieve.
00:34:11.519 --> 00:34:11.760
Mr.
00:34:11.920 --> 00:34:14.159
Lebeds, an absolute legend.
00:34:14.559 --> 00:34:30.320
Um then, kind of fast forward a couple of years, the principal of my college, Portsmouth College, uh Steve Frampton, um you know, personally mentored me, supported me, helped me work work out what that economic model needs to look like.
00:34:30.480 --> 00:34:34.320
Um he was the first person to give us an office at Portsmouth College.
00:34:34.559 --> 00:34:45.119
We had literally a prospectus cupboard that we were offered as our office, and we had to clean it out ourselves, turn it into something that was usable.
00:34:45.519 --> 00:34:48.559
Um, yeah, that early support really made a difference.
00:34:48.639 --> 00:34:58.239
And as I've as I've gone on and developed in my career, I've always looked for um who the right mentor is at the right stage.
00:34:58.400 --> 00:35:10.239
Uh I'm very, very lucky now to have a couple of mentors, one in the corporate sphere and one in the third sector, that have helped me to work through those challenges and find our economic model.
00:35:10.800 --> 00:35:12.880
And you approached those mentors, did you?
00:35:13.119 --> 00:35:13.360
Yeah.
00:35:13.519 --> 00:35:13.840
Yeah.
00:35:14.000 --> 00:35:14.239
Yeah.
00:35:14.400 --> 00:35:16.079
I think most people want to help.
00:35:16.559 --> 00:35:27.039
I almost I don't think I've ever asked for support from a mentorship point of view where somebody has said no, unless they've got a really good personal reason.
00:35:27.199 --> 00:35:29.440
Most people, I find, want to help.
00:35:29.920 --> 00:35:32.639
They want to support the next generation to get ahead.
00:35:32.800 --> 00:35:35.440
Um, you know, we instill that in young people.
00:35:35.599 --> 00:35:36.559
Just ask.
00:35:36.800 --> 00:35:37.920
Just ask.
00:35:38.159 --> 00:35:44.960
Um, you'll be surprised how many people there are there are out there that want to help other young people get on the career ladder.
00:35:45.599 --> 00:35:47.519
I'd agree, I think it's really important.
00:35:48.079 --> 00:35:50.239
Okay, good stuff.
00:35:50.960 --> 00:36:07.679
So if we now turn our sort of views to sort of advice now, if there's somebody out there who doesn't get feels they need access to the sort of um experience you're giving people and they can't get it, what should they do?
00:36:08.400 --> 00:36:10.320
Um that's a great question.
00:36:10.480 --> 00:36:15.679
Um there are a number of entry points, but the the starting point is just to have a conversation with us.
00:36:15.840 --> 00:36:16.079
Yes.
00:36:16.239 --> 00:36:22.559
We have some brilliant open access programs that people can lean into, that they can benefit from.
00:36:22.960 --> 00:36:26.480
Um we have some fabulous online programs.
00:36:26.639 --> 00:36:35.039
Uh we have a platform called Unlock Plus, where there's a whole host of opportunities, learning tools, and so on to help people go on that journey.
00:36:35.199 --> 00:36:48.239
Um but I think the starting point is to recognize that and uh get in touch and we can work out how we can support you to access those kind of opportunities, those platforms that we've been speaking about.
00:36:48.559 --> 00:36:49.119
Great.
00:36:49.440 --> 00:36:49.760
Okay.
00:36:50.880 --> 00:37:04.400
And then the second question about advice if there's somebody out there who believes they've got an idea for a social enterprise that's going to make a big difference, and they could be young or they could be old, what would you say to them?
00:37:05.199 --> 00:37:12.639
Uh I would probably I would echo some of the things I shared earlier about what I've learnt on this journey.
00:37:14.000 --> 00:37:23.920
The first thing is to to be honest, radically honest, about what you're really good at and what you're not good at, and then find the people who can fill the gaps.
00:37:24.079 --> 00:37:24.639
Yeah.
00:37:24.880 --> 00:37:35.360
Secondly, find a mentor, somebody in the social enterprise world or the charity world, that has been there, done it, and got the t-shirt and built something similar before.
00:37:35.519 --> 00:37:39.039
There's an enormous amount you can learn from them.
00:37:39.360 --> 00:37:43.440
And then third and finally is be brave and give it a go.
00:37:43.599 --> 00:37:47.280
Um, we really believe that you've got to start somewhere.
00:37:47.519 --> 00:38:05.119
Um, we use this kind of phrase that uh that really resonates with me, which is start small, think big, um, which was a tagline of an amazing program that used to exist called O2 Think Big, which gave us our first grant of£300 when we began as an organization.
00:38:05.360 --> 00:38:07.440
So start small, think big.
00:38:07.599 --> 00:38:10.239
Um, nobody else is gonna do it for you.
00:38:11.280 --> 00:38:21.440
Yeah, and it's just that first conversation, and even that conversation doesn't lead to direct support, they'll could give you a name or somebody else that you should speak to so and so.
00:38:21.599 --> 00:38:24.159
Yeah, people want to help people.
00:38:24.559 --> 00:38:28.559
Yeah, you you've just got to start somewhere, ask the question, be brave.
00:38:28.960 --> 00:38:30.559
Brilliant, okay.
00:38:31.280 --> 00:38:34.800
Hayden, thank you so much for coming in and sharing your story today.
00:38:35.119 --> 00:38:36.079
Pleasure, it's been really fun.
00:38:36.719 --> 00:38:36.800
Good.
00:38:37.039 --> 00:38:38.719
Yeah, I wish you every success.
00:38:38.800 --> 00:38:44.320
It's it's a righteous cause, and I will all power to you in terms of driving this forward.
00:38:44.400 --> 00:38:45.920
And uh thanks for sharing your passion.
00:38:46.159 --> 00:38:51.199
No, thank you for having me, thank you for Morgan Hunt for creating the platform for me to be able to share this story.
00:38:51.360 --> 00:38:52.400
It's been really good fun.
00:38:52.719 --> 00:39:00.880
Thank you for listening to Inspiring Working Lives, the Morgan Hunt podcast driving positive change and helping you to grow your career.
00:39:01.519 --> 00:39:08.159
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