ontentι™ - work beyond your horizons

An international advanced employability programme
to help you find paid work

Sooner or later, many of us reach a point in our lives when we are forced to rethink our futures. This programme is designed to help new and less recent graduates explore how they can find meaningful work in today's challenging economic, social and environmental times.

After a series of preparation activities, we spend a fortnight in the highly creative and values-based environment of a human rights film festival, where we explore how we might work with employers to help them survive and thrive.

Delegates can build a contacts book, have their work published, work towards a management qualification, and earn work and personal references. All will be invited to apply to join the Contented cooperative, where they continue to support each other and collaborate to bring in paid work.

The intention is to adopt an action-research approach to getting employers to part with cash. Delegates will take a fresh (appreciative) look at what they have to offer society and interview a range of creative business people to understand how they address that same challenge. Once we return, we'd like to apply some of these processes to help other businesses back home to innovate and increase performance.

Are you a UK citizen with a degree, looking for work? Would you like an expenses-paid international research trip? Are you highly flexible with a spare fortnight this March? Read on!

Who is this for? The ontentι™ programme has been designed for people who are struggling to find work. We want to help them stand back and take a fresh perspective on their lives, recognise and develop transferrable skills, and build networks, experience, and a deeper sense of purpose.

Many of our target group are facing particular difficulties in the labour market because they do not have extensive professional networks or families with strong connections, because they have little relevant work experience, or find themselves without the skills to manage rapid change. Does that sound familiar?

Why can't I find work? We don't know. But we think it might not only be about the economy. Furthermore, we have some provocative ideas. Many people don't know what their value is - or how to package that for a business. Watch this and think about it:

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

And a solution? Again, we don't know. Watch this and think about it:

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc&feature=relmfu

Are you starting to get the idea? Try this one: http://www.anecologyofmind.com

We want to help you think about work beyond your existing horizons.

Does it matter where I live? You must live in the UK and have citizenship and a UK passport. If you don't, please get in touch anyway as we can talk about organising another programme for people like you. We particularly want to help people from economically depressed areas of the UK - where unemployment was already among the highest in the country, even before the economy contracted.

What if I'm self-employed but have no work? That's fine. We want to recruit unwaged freelancers and unemployed graduates, including those recently made redundant.

I am a company director. May I come? We are currently negotiating with the EU agency to allow us to accept sole-directors who can show they have poor turnover and/or no income. Please get in touch.

What about my degree? We welcome applications from anyone with a Level 4 or Level 5 qualification in any discipline, especially engineering, law, accountancy, business, media, psychology and the natural sciences, who are open to applying their skills in new sectors. Contented believes that our diversity is our creativity and, as an equal opportunities employer, we are committed to helping people with special needs.

Ideally, we would like to work with mature candidates with excellent communications skills who can demonstrate creativity, enterprise, an enthusiasm for film/media, and a passion for social justice and environmental stewardship, with the potential and willingness to take creativity into other sectors. Because we work with responsible employers, we are looking for your potential to work with local business to lead a project in your community.

Alumni of our programmes are invited to send us descriptions of candidates with whom they would like to collaborate but we are always open to anyone.

	Benefits: - Develop your professional network including senior employers; - Experience work that internationalises your CV; - Improve skills and employability through creative projects; - Work towards a modern professional qualification; - Develop a role that meets a commercial need; - Apply for business incubation and ongoing support.		Dates & Location Prague is one of Europe's golden cities. Great place, great ethic, great friends. We plan to attend the OneWorld International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, the largest of its kind in the world. 6-15 March 2012 www.oneworld.cz/2012 We will prepare delegates throughout February 2012 via email, phone, Skype and facebook, with surveys and individual activities, plus a day together in London or Birmingham (date to be announced, featuring induction, networking, film, language learning and a Czech meal).
	You will: - Carry out research to understand key processes for success; - Receive coaching and training in an international context; - Build a portfolio to evidence your leadership skills; - Shadow a senior member of Contented at UK business networking and/or other meetings; - Present your project proposal toContented's senior management.		Your Facilitators: Anna Franklin - General Manager, Film New Europe, www.filmneweurope.com; Director Medialink Corporate Strategies. For 20 years Anna has reported on the content industries of Central and Eastern Europe. She's worked as a senior reporter for Screen International and Variety, covering industry festivals from Cannes to Canada, and as a foreign news producer for Channel Four, Sky TV and BBC Newsnight. She's worked in PR for multinationals from the City of London to the Urals, running a financial communications company that is currently the strategic partner of Capital MS&L, a company of the Publicis Group. Anna has the most amazing contacts in the creative and cultural industries across Europe and will help open doors for our delegates. Gerard Davies - Director, Contented; Founder, NetProZ A social entrepreneur, facilitator/coach, and advisor on responsible leadership and sustainable organisational development. Gerard worked as a print and broadcast journalist/producer across Eastern Europe, Britain, Latin America and South Africa. He has worked with investors to prepare entrepreneurs for funding. A SFEDI-certificated business advisor, he has an MSc in Responsibility & Business Practice from the international Centre for Action Research in Professional Practice, and is a certified auditor of the Responsible Business Standard. Gerard is an Associate of the British Council, Learning and Skills Network, Tribal, the Association of Sustainability Practitioners, and a student member of the European Academy of Business in Society.
	To apply, you must: - Be an unemployed or struggling freelance graduate with the right to work in the UK; - Provide evidence of written English; - Agree to our Terms and Conditions.		Your Accommodation: Hostel with own secure single-sex dormitories with self-catering.
	For more information: - including our terms & conditions, please email ontente@contented.net with your CV and samples of your written English.		The Programme: The Czech Filmmakers' Union (to be confirmed) OneWorld International Human Rights Film Festival Prague City tours (and some spring shopping) Discussion and VIP networking with business figures on a range of topics from corporate practice to environment and social justice Work experience undertaking a business research assignment using the medium of your choice. Masterclasses and projects on business research, networking, interviewing, report-writing and presention Leadership skills including creative thinking, peer-mentoring and action learning processes Support from Contented mentors to source paid work. On return to the UK, you will prepare your business-community project for pitching to Contented for ongoing support.
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