CommUniLAB

I have not said much about CommUniLAB of late, but the project is quietly progressing. A website is being constructed, and we had a great session with one of our Trustees (ex European Marketing Director for a major corporate) about the strapline that we might use. Great emphasis on the emotional content of words: positive, neutral or negative. So we have arrived at a strapline – more later. We met on Tuesday morning  with a our principal funders and sponsors of CommUniLAB, Barclays, and had an really positive meeting. The basic website should be launched in late June, and the project launched in September.

Tuesday was a long day (8.00am to 9.00pm) as we had a Trustees meeting in the evening when an Interim Business Plan was agreed – interim pending the appointment of my successor (announcement next week)  and the Board received a presentation from the project manager about CommUniLAB.  I gave a summary of the “Young Surrey : Strategic Review 2014-15” which I am rushing to get ready for an evening reception at County Hall on 15 May for our existing and prospective members. We have some 90 people coming – the event is being hosted very generously by the Chairman of the County Council who is one of our Patrons. 

The Strategic Review covers national context, Government policy, organisational changes and, interestingly, the impact of changes in the values and behaviours of young people between generations. It concludes with an update on the key issues affecting Surrey's young people. The point of it is to provide a strategic context for  grant bids and strategic positioning for member organisations.

Our reputation grows in relation to social media - we have 2,464 followers on Twitter - @SurreyYF and we were chosen by @CharityHourUK as their focused charity for an hour in a storm of tweeting (#charity hour) on Wednesday evening.

I mustn’t forget my wife’s birthday on Sunday - all under control really. Food Bank project going well at home. Another long week-end!

          Mike