January 3, 2019, by The Ingenuity Lab
Tackling Nottingham’s Poverty Problem
Marcellus Baz BEM works on the frontline with some of Nottinghamshire’s most vulnerable young people. Since being awarded the Unsung Hero Award at 2016’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year, he has become a household name in Nottingham, and a key figure in using sport to engage young people in positive activity.
He’ll be opening the upcoming Future Communities Summit with a keynote exploring the experience of poverty in Nottingham’s communities, and in particular, the barriers young men face in social and financial inclusion that he has experienced first hand. Taking us behind the headlines and statistics, Baz’s session will be an integral part of shaping your Ingenuity19 journey, and the future of young men in poverty.
With the Future Communities Summit a little over a month away, Baz has put pen to paper on why Ingenuity19 is important to transform our future…
This year’s Ingenuity19 Future Communities summit is about empowering Nottingham residents as well as encouraging greater economic activity by creating opportunities to bring innovative business ideas to life.
This absolutely reflects the aim of my mentorship programme Switch Up and its partner organisation, the Nottingham School of Boxing. My own boxing coach had such a positive impact on my personal and professional development simply by providing me with the opportunity to try something new and believe in myself. Through my own training, I know how important the role of positive role models are for building self-esteem, confidence, and the social skills needed for a successful life. I’m pleased to be working with Ingenuity19 to talk about how my own experiences have led to a career I could have never imagined, and how through Switch Up and Nottingham School of Boxing, my team is applying the same principles to help young people across the city.
The Nottingham School of Boxing
There has never been a more important time to discuss innovative solutions in relation to poverty. With further austerity on its way, additional cuts by the government to public spending, and crime rates at an all-time high, it’s crucial to support Ingeunity19 in their work to help young entrepreneurs bring their ideas to fruition. It’s only by being proactive and coming together as a community that a wider selection of people, and therefore a broader range of ideas, can be heard and realised.
I remember being a young man with a great idea, but no sense of how to move things forward and make the business a reality. It took a number of struggles and setbacks to get to where I am today – Ingenuity19 removes some of these hurdles to provide invaluable support, experience and platform for anyone, from any background, to achieve their vision.
I’m supporting Ingenuity19 as it echoes my own values and aspirations as a coach and mentor; I believe in “each one teach one” and giving a person a fishing rod to catch their own fish rather than handouts that only last a day. Similarly, Ingenuity19 gives people an opportunity and a chance to follow their dream to make this city a better place.
To find out more, to get involved, or to donate to Switch Up or Nottingham School of Boxing visit http://www.marcellusbaz.co.uk
Powering Communities – How can we enable greater engagement with communities and individuals? How can new or alternative economic structures create sustainable and lasting models of operation?
Answering these questions and coming up with innovative solutions is the purpose behind Ingenuity19’s Social pathway. Specifically, you’ll explore how to harness technology and alternative economic models to create opportunity and economic inclusion. It’s about giving everyone who attends an understanding of the experience of poverty in Nottingham, focusing on three specific low-income communities: women, children and young men. As a weekend packed full of keynotes and idea generation workshops, the Future Communities Summit will help you explore how to create real, lasting social change through non-profit, scalable technology.
With keynotes, challenges and problem-solving workshops, the Summit will take place over two days. What are you waiting for? Register for Ingenuity19 now: nottingham.ac.uk/ingenuity19.
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