Islington HuBlog

Spring – finally!

Bluebells, daffodils, Cadbury’s Cream Eggs, brighter mornings, crisp and clear skies…

and great events at the London Hubs – if you want to host an event here (at the heart of London’s social enterprise network) then call me! 020 7841 8900.

See you soon,

Alex

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In March:

Hub Screening | Starsuckers: SECOND SCREENING
Wednesday 3^rd March
Hub Islington, 6.30-10pm
Premiered in the 2009 London Film Festival and heralded by the Sunday Telegraph as “Thrilling” and “Revolutionary”, Starsuckers exposes the toxic effect that the media and celebrity are having on our world. Filmed in secret over two years, Chris Atkins (of award-winning Taking Liberties) and his production team posed as tipsters, making up stories for the tabloid press and seeing how far they could get. Chris will be joining us to introduce the film, and for Q/A at the end.

Hub Drop in | Fairtrade Fortnight
Thursday 4^th March
Hub Kings Cross, 11-4pm

An very informal celebration of Fairtrade Fortnight at The Hub King’s Cross, we invite you to come and drink some free fairtrade tea, and watch some short films on the Fairtrade industry, including insights into the important areas of tea and coffee, fruit, and cotton production. Guest speakers to be confirmed.

Attendance is free – email kingscross.hosts@the-hub.net for more information or call 020 7841 8900.

Hub Screening | Cinema Paradiso
Thursday 4^th March
Hub Kings Cross, 7-9pm

Hub Kings Cross has a lovely big screen and for a while we’ve wanted to start a cinema club. We are naming the series Cinema Paradiso, with, you guessed it, Cinema Paradiso being the first film. We will gather recommendations as we go and show as wide a selection of films as possible. The venue will hop between Kings Cross and Islington.

This will be a very chilled evening and a great way to wind down and miss the evening rush hour. We are going to keep it very casual, so friends and family are all welcome, bring a picnic basket or we will order in pizzas. I am going to keep the bar open just in case, but you are more than welcome to bring your own wine.

Attendance is free! RSVP to amy.warner@the-hub.net with the subject: Booking – Cinema Paradiso.

Hub Lunch | HemPower
Friday 5^th March
Hub Kings Cross, 1-2pm

Founder of Brixton-based AMARU Rebekah Bloom will tell the story of Hemp, its journey and produce. She’ll also bring a range of HemPower products to try and buy. HemPower Organic Human Bio-Fuel – a unique blend of Organic Shelled Hemp Seed and Organic Oats – is unique, ready to mix and prepared in under one minute using only hot water.
Come, learn and sample all over lunch!

Attendance is free to members and their guests. Please confirm your space by emailing ruby.kvalheim@the-hub.net with the subject: Booking – HemPower, or call 020 7841 3450 for more information.

Hub Surgery | Sales and Marketing Clinic with Alasdair Inglis, MD of Grow
Wednesday 17^th March
Hub Islington, 1-4pm

Could your project or business do with some expert sales and marketing advice? Grow’s MD, Alasdair Inglis will be joining us for lunch and then giving 1-1 sales and marketing advice sessions for Hub members at no cost.

Alasdair Inglis has over 10 years of experience helping businesses transform their sales and marketing, and has worked with a number of companies in the social sector. His company Grow increased The Phone Coop’s revenues by £289,000 over five years. Alasdair can show you how to market yourself with little or no budget, how to get others to promote you for little or no cost, how to get more leads and enquiries and give you a valuable outside perspective on your business. For more info about Grow and how to get a £1,000 sales and marketing grant, visit www.wearegrow.com

From 1pm-2pm Alasdair will join us for lunch and sales and marketing chit chat. From 2pm-4pm, the sales and marketing clinic will be open and Alasdair will give Hub members free 1:1 sales and marketing advice : Book asap – places are limited.

Attendance is free for Hub members and £4 for non-members, spaces are limited so please RSVP to alex.rinsler@the-hub.net with the subject: Booking – Grow, or call 020 7841 8900.

Hub Networking | in partnership with Create Kings
Tuesday 30^th March
Hub Kings Cross, 11-4pm

In partnership with Create KX, the Hub Kings Cross would like to invite you to a networking event.  This event is an opportunity for Hub members to meet and discuss business opportunities with creative organisations based in the Kings Cross area. CreateKX works to ensure that King’s Cross St. Pancras is recognised as a centre of creative and cultural excellence: a place to travel to not from. CreateKX aims to encourage the creative and cultural sector to exchange relevant information, develop local trading links, showcase business services, and express visions for King’s Cross as a creative place to live and work.’

Attendance is free for Hub members, please email victoria.waugh@the-hub.net with the subject: Booking – Create KX, or call 020 7841 8900.

Hub Feast | in partnership with Food Stuff
Wednesday 31^st March
Hub Kings Cross, 7pm

On the last Wednesday of every month, Food Stuff and the Hub host a feast. The invitation is for people who love food, cooking it, talking about it and most of all, eating it, to come along with both an open mind and a dish to share to eat with people that feel the same.

An informal evening with a very loose agenda, we hope to create a feast where conversation about food, life, love and everything in between, can flow freely.
If you are interested in joining please get in touch with Eleanor at Hub Kings Cross (eleanor.whitley@the-hub.net) or Holly at Food Stuff (holly@foodstuff.org.uk).

3 great videos we’ve been sent today:

Hub Amsterdam Tour

Hub Rotterdam Tour

Loco2 Update

Make yourself a cuppa and spend ten minutes checking them out…

Hub Islington

As the name of the post suggests, we have two exciting new internship opportunities based in Hub Islington – one post focusing on Attraction and the other on Communication (see below for more details). If you would like to apply, please send a current CV to london.jobs@the-hub.net, as well as a cover letter  explaining how you match what we are looking for. The deadline for applications is 5pm, Thursday 18th February. First round interviews will be held on the week beginning 22nd February and we hope you would start as soon as possible after that. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this internship more, please contact us via london.jobs@the-hub.net or call on 020 7841 8900 and ask for Holly or Alex.

Communications Intern

We invite you to play a huge part in shaping the way that we communicate with our members and with the wider world. In a short time you will be able to evidence materials that have had a global reach and be key to the thinking behind how we best meet our members’ needs through our communication. You will also be exposed to the entrepreneurs and their networks that are driving social change.

You will have frequent contact with the Hub’s Global Head of Communications and the chance to have guidance from one of the very best in the business. If you’re looking to change career or to get ahead in communications, then this is a unique opportunity for you. You will join a very small team at the centre of a growing, global network of entrepreneurs, to share with us the challenge of hosting the space and network to nurture the daily connections that are made because of it.

Your Responsibilities

Communicating outwards
- Working with members to capture their stories and successes and then communicating them around the network: conducting interviews, creating a monthly newsletter, making podcasts… it will be up to you!
- Building on our presence in the twittersphere and beyond – our blog, facebook, twitter, youtube, linkedin etc.

Communicating inwards
- Harvesting and reporting on the various news and social networks to bring back key happenings, and upcoming events in the social sector to Hub Islington
- Consider how we might communicate better to our own members here at Hub Islington – what we’re doing, what they’re doing, and what else is going on that they need to know
- Designing and producing great materials to welcome new members

But what else?
As an integral part of the Hub Islington Hosting Team, you will be invited to host Hub Islington at least one day a week and support at events as and when needed. This is vital in order to develop a deeper understanding of the Hub and the Hub vision, build a close relationship with members and become a key connector and collaborator within the network. Hosts help define Hubs and while training and mentoring will be offered, your individuality will be supported: you are welcome to use the Hub pace and network to explore your own ideas and anything else you might fancy!

Who?
A passion for communications is a must, as well as superior writing and editorial skills, and having a great way with people. If you have previous communications experience then great, particularly online or through social media. Even better would be experience in design, producing eye-catching, clear and effective materials. Above all is the right attitude: you will be self-starting, full of energy, very flexible to change and always willing to get stuck in… and a good listener, too, able to empathise
with the hundred different passions and frustrations shared by our members and beyond.

And finally…You will be able to commit full-time from Monday-Friday for a minimum of four months. Our days are 9am-6pm, except for when we’re hosting, when it’s 8.45am. Please note that the internship is not financially remunerated.

 Attraction Intern

This internship centres around attraction – the name the Hub gives to the art of inviting and convening talent and resources for the realisation of imaginative initiatives for a radically better world. Attraction is not just about getting more members to sign up at Hubs – it means authentically inviting and connecting people, projects and resources into the network and continually exploring the potential for social enterprise, new economy, conversation, activism and change to collaborate.
The Hub’s impact depends on having the right mix of people in both the network and space so your focus will be split into two key areas:

1. The Hub is full of inspirational people, projects, collaborations and stories. You will create a library of case studies that showcases all the exciting things that exist within the network. You might video a day in the life of a group of members, start a “diary of members’ Tweets or create detailed online profiles that map the development of a particular project. The info you collect will become vital in designing and implementing our future Social Impact Study as well as providing a bank of inspirational information for Hub members (and beyond).

2.  You will spend a lot of time getting to know our existing network and understanding the social sector, identifying who is doing what, any missed potential, scope for development and where the Hub fits into it all. Using the information you gather, you will improve and enhance tools already in place that map the Hub community. Maintaining, developing and reporting on his map will be an ongoing part of the internship. You will work closely with the Communications Team to advise on and develop relevant and inspiring communication tools that will enhance your work. You will be able to input on both a design and content level as well as help implement a wider roll out of the material. You will be expected to report on your work and progress at weekly meetings with the rest of the team.

But what else?
As an integral part of the Hub Islington Hosting Team, you will be invited to host Hub Islington at least one day a week and support at events as and when needed. This is vital in order to develop a deeper understanding of the Hub and the Hub vision, build a close relationship with members and become a key connector and collaborator within the network. Hosts help define Hubs and while training and mentoring will be offered, your individuality will be supported: you are welcome to use the Hub space and network to explore your own ideas and anything else you might fancy!

Who?
We care much more about your core qualities, skills and approach than we do about ticking off boxes on your CV. Primarily, we’re looking for someone who is able and willing to expand this internship above and beyond the detailed brief. To do that, you’ll need great research skills, the ability to turn a lot of information into coherent, useful, interesting content and if you have video editing skills, great. You will also be enthusiastic about the Hub and its ethos, as well as the social sector in
London – whether it be as a newcomer or a veteran in the field. You will be a team player who communicates exceptionally well and is comfortable liaising with people from all walks of life, with an eye for detail and the ability to see the potential in both people and projects. You will be flexible and proactive and have a can-do attitude with a creative approach. Hopefully you’ll also enjoy sharing food and laughing! Finally, there is the invitation to take your experience above and beyond its primary
attraction focus. Fresh eyes and ideas are a gift that we welcome at all times. There is lots of opportunity to get involved with designing and developing a variety of social media tools, providing event support and facilitation and helping to turn Hub Islington into a beacon of sustainable, eco space design. Plus a million and one other things which might inspire, excite, annoy, confuse and encourage you!

And finally…
You will be able to commit full-time from Monday-Friday for a minimum of four months. Our days are 9am-6pm, except for when we’re hosting, when it’s 8.45am. You will have weekly progress meetings with both the Operations and Programming Directors of the Hub, who will also be your points of contact during the internship. Please note that the internship is not financially remunerated.

2010 is upon us. A new decade, cold snap, general election… and you can no longer wear comedy glasses that have two-eye-eye-eight, or nine.

2010 glasses look rubbish

Having fun back at work? Great events to come in the next month: if you’re looking to make a big change this year, then think about a free coaching session this week.

Look out for the Feast of Fools on the 22nd, if you’ve not heard of Jonathan Kay then look him up. Not many people have continual sell-out shows at Edinburgh, or can call themselves fifteen-year veterans of headlining a field at Glastonbury.

And there’s the Hub Feast at Hub Kings Cross on the 27th at 7pm: eat lovely food, meet great people and just enjoy the sharing a meal with others.

Lastly, if you had a great 2009, your project got off the ground and now you’re looking to up to the next level, get in touch about the UnLtd Advantage event at Islington on the 28th. What could you do with £250,000 loan or equity investment?

If you have any questions about this month’s events or want to book your place then get in touch with me at alex.rinsler@the-hub.net, or call on 020 7841 8900.’

…am open to suggestions as well for events from February to April, so if you have an idea or want to hold an event here at the Hub then be in touch.

All good times,

Alex

PS…  a heads-up for two great events in February at Hub Islington, a visiting lecture on the 17th from Professor David Nutt, who until November was the Government’s chief advisor on drugs policy, and a screening of the highly acclaimed Starsuckers documentary on the 25th. But let’s not wish January away!

In January…

Hub Clinics | Finance – Sort your money in 2010

Fresh back for the New Year, what could be more useful than some direction on money matters? Hub Kings Cross is offering two lunchtime clinics giving just that. On the 13th and 27th January Phil King (former Head of Strategic Finance at Ecotricity, and former Finance Director of Cafédirect plc) is coming to give you advice on identifying your financial options, planning and how to get that crucial cash without losing sight of your social mission.

Hub Clinic | Finance – Part 1 | What kind of finance?
Wednesday 13th January 2009, Hub Kings Cross, 1-2pm

Part one will focus on identifying what kind of finance you need. Asking fundamental questions such as whether you actually need finance, what’s your business structure, and why that matters? We’ll also look at management, control some of the crucial basics.

Hub Clinic | Finance – Part 2 | Getting the finance
Wednesday 27th January 2009, Hub Kings Cross, 1-2pm

Part two will look at how to get hold of essential finance. We’ll tackle key questions about what makes for financial success. We’ll touch on how the fundraising process works, preparing a business plan, valuing your business, working towards a legal framework,  identifying potential investors and pitching. All that in one hour!
To put your name down for either or both lunches get in touch with Eleanor Whitley on 0207 841 3450 or eleanor.whitley@the-hub.net

Hub Clinic | New Year, New You – Coaching Surgery
Thursday 14^th and Friday 15^th January, Hub Islington 2-5pm

“Ok, I love what I do, but where’s my work-life balance? How can I get things done without getting distracted constantly? How can I be more confident?” or “I’m new! How can I even start my new project?” These are some of the challenges clients bring to Ginger Training & Coaching’s Sarah Lloyd-Hughes.

Sarah enjoys working with people who don’t need another to-do list. She uses techniques which help you look at your unique challenges differently: it can be life changing stuff!

We’re offering Hub members the opportunity to sign up for a 1:1 coaching surgery session and work on your toughest and most stubborn personal or professional challenges with Sarah. Each session lasts 30-45 minutes and you bring the agenda. You’ll leave with a fresh understanding of your challenge and some juicy homework to take your learning forward.

Email alex.rinsler@the-hub.net for more information or to schedule your slot. The session is ‘pay what you think this was worth’. A financial commitment supports the outcomes of the session… “I paid for this, so I’d better do it.”

Hub Breakfast | A Case Study in Social Media
Wednesday 20^th January, Hub Islington 8.30-9.30am

Becky Willam and David Hawksworth, co-founders of the brand communications agency Given London, decided to do something a little different at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference – the ThisPlace project. They asked one simple question on twitter: what’s worth saving in #thisplace?
Answers came in from all over the world and they squeezed them into a pocket-sized book, beautifully illustrated by London-based artists. The aim was to get the books into the hands of delegates at COP15, to remind them of the personal, local and immediate context of climate change.
The success of the ThisPlace project has demonstrated how social media can be used to make positive impact. Join Becky and David for breakfast here at the Hub to hear more about their campaign, where it’s going next and what they have learnt about the ways social media can best be used to create change.
Attendance is free to Hub members and £4 for non-members. Email alex.rinsler@the-hub.net if you want to come, with the subject line Booking: Hub Breakfast. Breakfast will be provided.

Hub Performance | Feast of Fools
Friday 22^nd January, Hub Islington 7.30pm-10pm

An evening of foolish entertainments and never-before-seen material brought to you by Jonathan Kay and the Nomadic Academy of Fools.

Jonathan Kay will perform his legendary show Know One’s Fool. Over the last 35 years Jonathan has developed a unique artistic practice, which he calls Fooling. There is something timeless about his work, both familiar and yet like nothing you have ever experienced before. He leads you down the path of the Fool, where you will free up your minds, find inspiration and see that anything is possible. Drinks will be available and fun times are guaranteed.
Attendance is by donation on the night and is open to members and non-members – contact alex.rinsler@the-hub.net with the subject line: Booking – Feast of Fools

Hub Launch | in partnership with
In The Dark & London International Documentary Festival
Tuesday 26th January, Hub Kings Cross, 7-9.30pm

Join us for the launch of the partnership between the London International Documentary Festival (LIDF) and In The Dark. In The Dark is an organization dedicated to breathing new life into the culture of radio documentary in the UK, encouraging audiences to close their eyes and open their ears to the world of aural story telling.

We will feature the 2009 Prix Europa Award-winning documentary Mighty Mac followed by a Q&A with Liam O’Brien, series producer for RTÉ’s “Documentary on One”. This will be the first of a series of festival events that will bring radio producers from around the world to showcase and discuss their radio features with UK audiences.

Attendance is free! For more information or to book a place get in touch with Eleanor Whitley on 0207 841 3450 or eleanor.whitley@the-hub.net

Hub Feast | Hub Feast
Wednesday 27th January, Hub King’s Cross, 7pm

Following a festive break, The Feasts are back for 2010. Back with a bang! With a full year ahead of cooking, eating, growing and talking about food, we’ll be bringing you a few surprises in the next 12 months. The same invitation stands – bring a dish to share, an empty tum, a friend and an open mind. We’ll provide a nice setting so you can meet some new faces, get a great big plate of deliciousness and talk about all things food related. We’ll also be inviting some special guests each month – they might be fountains of knowledge in sustainable fishing, know exactly where to find the best mushrooms in Central London or run one of the hottest restaurants in town. You’ll be able to pick their brains, find out what’s really happening in the world of London food and tell them your Mum’s secret recipe for Chocolate Brownies (if you’re so inclined!). January’s guest is to be confirmed so watch this space…

The Feasts will take place on the last Wednesday of every month throughout 2010 – if you’d like to find out more please get in touch with either holly@foodstuff.org.uk or eleanor.whitley@the-hub.net

Hub Funding | UnLtd Advantage – Getting Ready for Investment
Thursday 28th January, Hub Islington, 1-3pm

Could your project make great use of £250,000 of loan or equity investment?

The UnLtd Advantage programme helps join successful social enterprises with suitable investors. If you’re making money, have a scalable, sustainable, great idea and a strong management team to boot, then this afternoon is for you. After an introduction to the investment readiness programme, Jonathan Jenkins, Jo Hill and Jason Mollring from the UnLtd Ventures Team, will be on hand for 1:1 meetings to talk through your enterprise, your funding requirements and what you might need to be able to attract investment.

Attendance is free, please contact alex.rinsler@the-hub.net if you wish to attend, with the subject line Booking: Hub Finance  There is no cost, but there are only 12 places available.

The Hub is the place for people with ideas. We’re borrowing from the best of a members club, a business incubator, an innovation agency, a dynamic public space, and a think-tank to create a very different kind of institution. Our model is developing; we’ve helped set up Hubs all over the world, from London to San Francisco, Sao Paulo to Mumbai.

Have a great January and hope to see you (with the comedy glasses) in the coming weeks.

The Islington Hosts

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ThisPlace09 is a project that seeks to capture personal thoughts about climate change, to help the delegates, and regular people see the personal, local and immediate context of the Copenhagen Climate Conference. The contributions, from people all around the world, will be brought to life through artists and illustrators in a book that will be placed in the hands of delegates at COP15.

The project, started by three friends, asked one simple question… “What’s worth saving in #thisplace?” Personal answers have been collected from places everywhere and compiled into a small book that will be distributed to as many as possible of the 15,000 delegates attending the conference. The team is hoping that simplifying the effects of climate change into just 140 characters, and bringing them together creatively, will appeal to the delegates in a more personal and emotional way to focus on the bigger picture.

USING TWITTER FOR GOOD
Twitter users from all around the world have been tweeting their answers using the hashtag ‘#thisplace’ (the twitter way of tying a number of posts together) which have been captured for the project. For people who don’t use twitter, answers are being captured directly through the ThisPlace09 website – www.thisplace09.com. In less then one month, the team got hundreds of submissions from every continent in the world including, among others, tweets from notable eco activists like David De Rothschild.

CAN ART HELP COMMUNICATE CLIMATE CHANGE?
To make the content more emotive while staying true to the personal stories being shared, DIY WOMP, the people behind the ‘Arts & Things’ website and magazine, briefed the project out to a number of established and up and coming artists. The artists’ task was to impact upon the perception of people in regards to climate change by doing what they do best; sparking their imaginations. “Having a personal tweet from a complete stranger halfway around the world and then an artist bringing it to life is a really powerful combination that has surpassed our expectations.” said David Hawksworth one of the co-creators of ThisPlace09.

TAXI TO COP15
Getting the 5,000 books from London to Copenhagen is a challenge. The solution to this is an unusual one – they are going by taxi. After contacting the owners of greentomatocars (www.greentomatocars.com,) the green taxi company, they agreed that two Prius’ from their fleet can be used for the project. In fact the founders liked the idea so much they decided to drive the cars themselves.

GETTING THE BOOKS TO THE DELEGATES
The ‘grassroots’ nature of the idea follows through to distribution. In addition to leveraging the contacts of the global TckTckTck network, of which ThisPlace09 is an official partner, the book will be handed out through placing them in coffee shops, hotels where delegates are staying, and giving them one by one at the entrance to the Conference. Additionally the book idea is intended to be ‘viral’ and people are encouraged to pass it on once they have read it.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER COPENHAGEN?
The team sees a future for the project post Copenhagen. This is important especially in light of recent events, as consensus is that a legally binding agreement is highly unlikely during the Copenhagen Climate Conference. In order to keep pressure on the delegates and keep the issue top of mind amongst the general population the team are also planning:
* A documentary of the team’s efforts to get to Copenhagen whilst expanding on the issues brought to light in the book.
* An art exhibit of the pieces that were inspired by the tweets.

Contact: Becky Willan on +44 7815147138 becky@givenlondon.com or +44 20 7017 3989 for more information.

Day One.

Having watched the beginning of the opening ceremony, followed #cop15 on Twitter and checked out numerous blog posts about the event, I realised following this from a far is going to be pretty time consuming. So, if you know of any blogs, videos, tweets, emails, updates etc that we really should be following, do get in touch via islington.hosts@the-hub.net

In the meantime, if you haven’t already, check out the opening film from COP15:

Please Help The World – Opening Film from COP15

For now, I guess we just have to sit and wait. I don’t know whether to cross my fingers, say a prayer, go out and protest, or go home and make sure my flat is as green as possible. I might just do it all….with a little bit of hope chucked in for good measure…

Holly

Around 4.30pm, everyone in the Hub starts to get a bit tetchy and needs a break. Sometimes the Fun Fed step in with a game or two. Sometimes we go play fusball in the Gallery. Today, we did this:

All in the name of charity. The Wallace and Gromit Children’s Charity to be precise! They have launched an extreme tea drinking challenge – think we’re in with a chance of winning!

The Hub started nearly 5 years ago now by a core team who are very much still around today (although their roles, wrinkles and relationship status may have changed somewhat!). The organisational structure of the Hub looks like this:

Local Hubs i.e. Hub Islington Are all independently run. We share knowledge, infrastruture, IT systems, hosting practice, vision and so on. We all might work in different ways and be at different stages of development but Local Hubs spend lots of time supporting each other, sharing best practice and most importantly, connecting our international pool of members.

Hub World is the kind of franchising mother ship (!). They coordinate the growth of the Hub network, meet with people looking to start Hubs, guide, mentor, share knowledge, help with design and IT set up, help negotiate funding and just, well, lots of things. Primarily the teams are split into: Hosting, Design, IT, Strategy and oh, many teams.

Anyway, the point I’m leading to is that while Hub World is connected with all the Hubs in the Hub network, it has a special relationship with Hub Islington because it is based here (at least for the short term anyway!). This is a very exciting for Islington as we get to see first hand, the Hub developing, growing, decision making, strategising and oozing innovation. While we work separately, we are all very close – close enough that last weekend we went on a Team Frivolities Weekend to the Isle of Sheppey.

We stayed at the beautiful Connett’s Farm run by the lovely Maria and her husband. She had farm eggs, bacon, butter, milk, bread – in fact the whole breakfast ensemble – all ready for us in the fridge on arrival. Then on Sunday she left us croissants! Heaven. We drove down on the Friday afternoon and as soon as we arrived, London felt very far away.

We did nothing really, had glorious food (Fish N Chips thanks to Synnove’s friends mum shop on the Island) and lots of nice wine. Heaven!