Community Integrated Care volunteers supporting Womens Rugby Super League Grand Final - Leeds Rhinos v St Helens, Headingley
Photography - Nick Harrison
In lockdown Jenny Robinson rarely socialised and spent much of her time alone at home. But then she discovered the community-integrated support project, the Learning Disability Super League (LDSL), and everything changed.
Her partner, Declan Jenkinson, was playing rugby for LDSL’s Leeds Rhinos team, in matches specially adapted to people with autism. Seeing how much he loved it, Jenny wanted to get more involved in the sport too.
“I wanted to support Declan at games, as I know how much it meant to him,” she explained.
So she decided to start volunteering for the charity, supporting the matches and spreading the word about their work.
What are the benefits of volunteerism to society?
She signed up for all kinds of volunteering roles: producing art, designing shirts and interviewing players.
Quickly, the charity recognised her skills and efforts. She contributed to the official England Rugby League World Cup warm up shirt design and displayed her art at a Leeds Rhinos fixture exhibition.
She went on to gain a huge confidence boost, hosting Community Integrated Care’s Learning Disability Super League World Cup draw at Headingley Stadium, as part of the Inclusive Volunteering programme run in partnership with Sport England.
She even stepped into the national limelight, speaking about her experiences on the hugely popular Women’s Hour on BBC Radio 4.
The benefits of volunteering have been enormous for Jenny. “It has changed my life,” she said. “Working with Community Integrated Care has given me so many things to look forward to and be excited about. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Community Integrated Care. This charity offers support for disabled people to build their skills and confidence. Find out more and support them here.
MSI Reproductive Choices. The national charity supporting disabled people through the cost of living crisis. Support them here.
Disability Rights UK. A charity led by disabled people campaigning for their rights. Find out more.
Reproductive health has been a hot topic in the United States since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the summer of last year. Farther south, in Argentina, the conversation is about making reproductive choices more accessible.
Women in Argentina will no longer require a prescription to get emergency contraception. The government said making the ‘morning-after pill’ more easily available removed an “important barrier” to reproductive health.
“This removes an important barrier to access,” Valeria Isla, director of sexual and reproductive health at the ministry, said. “People can have this method of contraception as support before an emergency happens.”
Argentina is one of the most influential countries in South America, and this is a sign of progress in the Catholic-dominated country.
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
The International Planned Parenthood Federation. This organization delivers sexual and reproductive health services around the world. Find out more and support them here.
Planned Parenthood. They offer support and care to women seeking an abortion. Find out more. MSI Reproductive Choices. They believe that everyone should have the right to decide their own future. Support them here.
For students in pupil referral units – a place for those children who struggle with mainstream education – success in a corporate world can be difficult. Perhaps that’s because of lower engagement with studies, or something else, but the effect remains the same: these students struggle to access the world of business.
Set up by Izzie Fernandes, FLAARE was an attempt to bridge a gap. With a background in corporate early talent recruitment, Izzie was used to kids coming into the corporate world from all over the place.
After volunteering with children on a community farm in South London, Izzie realised not all students are quite ready for the world of work by the time they leave school.
After some thought, Izzie came up with the idea of FLAARE – a way to give disadvantaged kids a leg up into the business world. Today, FLAARE CIC is a community creating access to entrepreneurial opportunities for young people from challenging and at-risk backgrounds.
An original, six-week pilot allowed students from a pupil referral unit to spend time in London with independent businesses. They went to workshops, listened to talks and, with the help of these small businesses and their owners, each had the opportunity to put together their own business plan. At the end of the six weeks, FLAARE provided £50 capital and gave the young people the chance to go out and turn that into a profit in their communities.
After the pilot, lifelong best friend Annie McCosker was brought on – both of them passionate about the lives and futures of young people, the two make a formidable duo; and one that will be making a difference for years to come.
“Our skills balance each other out very well in terms of what we both like to do and what we’re good at,” explains Annie.
“One has feet on the ground, one of us has a head in the clouds,” adds Izzie, with a laugh.
Now, the two work together on FLAARE – part community effort, part passion project, FLAARE has given these kids far more than just the chance to turn a profit.
“Every single student that we interviewed said they had a real sense of achievement and that they felt proud of themselves,” says Annie. “One of them said they wanted to go on and take business as a GCSE because of her having done FLAARE, and another said they wanted to carry on their first business from the enterprise.”
While FLAARE helps kids hit educational milestones, including integrating back into mainstream school if that’s what’s right for them, they are taking a new approach to the definition of ‘success’.
“What is success?” challenges Izzie, rightfully. “And can we just assume that everyone’s definition of success has to be a corporate nine-to-five office job? When I ask these young people from pupil referral units, ‘what do you want to do with your future?’, lots of them will be like, ‘I want to have my own business, I want to be a CEO, I’m going to be really rich’. And you’re like, ‘that’s really cool. But how?’
“The reality is, they were not yet ready to be brought into a corporate talent pipeline. But that doesn’t mean that they can never be a part of that. It just means there’s more that we need to do to engage with them.”
And, at FLAARE, engaging with what young people really want, is key. They have discovered that the traditional educational pipeline doesn’t work for everyone – particularly for kids who are already struggling with mainstream education. By working with what these young people are passionate about, and where their interests already lie, Izzie and Annie are helping to build a community of people that will support these kids in figuring out who they are, and where they want to go.
“My main observation was how well the students engaged in the project and their pride in their work… I think FLAARE did a great job in boosting their self-confidence and self-esteem,” reported Mr Ferrigan, a teacher at Haringey Learning Partnership.
Passion and fire
“We’re starting out, but we have a huge amount of passion and fire and time and energy for this,” says Izzie. “It is very much just the beginning and this will fly.”
“I think community is a really important word here,” says Izzie. “Get behind our mission, support young people, and those who are from these like tough backgrounds, those who are at risk. If you’re keen to support and you have skills in fundraising and raising the profile of this as a community through social media, let us know.”
Izzie and Annie are looking for people to get involved – whether that is fundraisers, facilitators and other volunteers, or brands to collaborate with. By getting onboard, you’re helping young people on the road to success – and helping them Find their FLAARE along the way.
One of our most important expressions of self is through our hair. But for many, particularly Black and Brown people in the United States, that expression could lead to discrimination in professional settings with locks and curls viewed as as ‘unprofessional.’
Now, thanks to the CROWN Act this discrimination will no longer be legal in Texas.
The CROWN Act, which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, would prohibit discrimination on the basis of hair texture or protective hairstyle associated with race, according to the office of Representative Rhetta Bowers, the author of the bill.
“The CROWN Act is a civil rights law that will improve the lives of countless Texans, and it will be appreciated by more people than we can imagine,” Bowers said.
The bill extends to businesses and schools, and the idea became mainstream after two Texas students were told to cut their hair or face consequences.
The bill goes into effect on September 1.
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
The Women Invested to Save Earth Fund. This organization helps support underrepresented and underfunded Black, indigenous, and women of color-led organizations across the world. Find out more and support them here.
Black Male Voter Project. They help Black men get involved in the political process around the United States. Find out more.
The Trevor Project. They focus on suicide prevention and mental health support for queer youth. Support them here.
The education system in the United States has been struggling of late, particularly after the pandemic, which interrupted formative learning time. But in the Deep South, the problem has been ongoing for many years beforehand.
Take Mississippi for example, they are currently 48th in the US for reading comprehension and literacy with a 72% rate.
It’s a great surprise then that Mississippi had a recent boom in literacy rates.
Mississippi went from being ranked the second-worst state in 2013 for fourth-grade reading, to 21st in 2022. Louisiana and Alabama, meanwhile, were among only three states to see modest gains in fourth-grade reading during the pandemic. Everywhere else saw massive learning setbacks.
The turnaround in these three states has grabbed the attention of educators nationally, showing rapid progress is possible anywhere, even in areas that have struggled for decades with poverty and dismal literacy rates. The states have passed laws adopting similar reforms that emphasize phonics and early screenings for struggling kids.
Other states have taken notice of what’s been dubbed the ‘Mississippi Miracle’ and are working to implement similar policies.
“Every time I present a bill, I say, ‘Look, Mississippi has very similar challenges to what we have in Louisiana, and they’ve been able to make this work,’” said Rep. Richard Nelson, a Republican who has championed literacy reform.
Some of the most impacted groups of kids are those under the poverty line, who were historically marginalized by the system.
“We have to break that cycle of generational poverty. One of the best ways to do that is to make multiple generations of readers,” Alabama’s state superintendent of education, Eric Mackey said. “This is something that we have to be in for the long haul.”
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
American Civil Liberties Union. This is one of the largest civil liberty defense organizations in the US. Find out more and support them here.
Human Rights Campaign. This is one of the largest equality-focused organizations in the US. Find out more. The Trevor Project. They focus on suicide prevention and mental health support for queer youth. Support them here.
Conservation isn’t always available to people in developing countries from a mix of financial needs, and a reliance on the land to survive. And while there are conservationists in those places they are often underpaid if paid at all for their work.
That’s something that Savimbo hopes to put an end to while empowering subsistence farmers and conservationists.
The founder, Drea Burbank, was inspired to start Savimbo after speaking with some people during a trip to Colombia.
“I met five medicine doctors here and they asked me how to stop the deforestation on their lands,” Drea tells Smiley News. “We did a pro-social, but then when we looked at the economics, you’re like, wow, we can actually do something here.
“So we started to Savimbo on their behalf.”
The way that it works is that Savimbo helps direct funds, or monthly ‘micropayments’ to farmers in developing areas for doing conservation work – like looking out for carbon and cutting back on detrimental techniques and pollution.
“We work specifically with small farmers, and almost nobody in the market does,” Drea says. “They’re not considered a viable economy. But our philosophy is that you can’t control logging only at the corporate level. You have to control it on the level of the locals and to do that they have to be economically incentivized.”
Logging in general is incredibly damaging in developing nations, particularly in regions of the world like the Amazon.
Between 2010 and 2020, South America lost an average of 2.6 million hectares of forest per year, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. In other words, the continent lost an area of forest the size of Ecuador in the space of a decade.
“The data shows that when you control industrial logging if you don’t also account for a small farmer logging, they make up the difference,” Drea says.
Essentially, what this means is that even if industrial logging is moderated and controlled, if the illegal loggers don’t have the incentive to stop they’ll actually make up for any positive impact otherwise.
“So the illegal logging then takes over so like in Brazil, the illegal logging or small farmer logging was like 30%,” Drea says. “And then when [the government] controlled corporate logging, they went up to 60%.”
Some of the people that helped Drea start Savimbo in Colombia have been working on conservationism for years with little to no financial incentive until she brought in the economic side of things. Neither of them speaks English, nearly shutting them out from the global stage.
“One of the big problems with the current market is small farmers can’t participate because the science is too complicated and it’s all in English,” Drea says. “And so we basically brought in the science part to help them scale and then we pay them on a micropayment, and then we sell carbon credits internationally. So it’s like Fairtrade coffee.”
And going back to the start of it, through Savimbo, Drea just wants to empower and shine a light on people that don’t get a lot of press on the global stage.
“I want people to see small farmers in the tropical forests as being a powerful independent nation-state with naturalist intelligence,” Drea says. “I want them to see a powerful equal group. And I don’t want them to see small farmers as weak or poor or anything because they’re not they are some of the most pragmatic, honest, hardworking people I know, and highly intelligent.
“And if we can’t learn to value them, we don’t value what they value.” If you want to learn more definitely check out some of their social media like their TikTok which just shows people going about their day.
What’s the first thing you would buy if you won the lottery? A new car, a home, maybe an expensive new hobby? Instead, a North Carolina man decided to use his winnings to help teach dance to children in Mali.
The man, named Souleymane Sana, moved to the US from the West African country. He won a six-figure prize and is dedicating it to helping schoolchildren in his home country.
“This was my dream,” Souleymane Sana said of being in a position to help schoolchildren in Mali, according to lottery administrators. “That was one of the main reasons I bought that ticket. It was to be able to keep helping them.”
Before his winnings, he started a group with the goal of preserving traditional Malian music and dance and planned to use his winnings to build classrooms and a center dedicated to teaching children to dance. The group is called Kono Gnaga.
“I love to dance, and I want to teach the children in Mali to love it, too,” Sana said in a statement issued by lottery officials. “If you talk about culture and you talk about education, they both go together.
“I’m going to keep doing my best to help build more … for the children in Mali. That is the thing that makes me really happy.
“My dream is just becoming true little by little and I hope it will keep going.”
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
American Civil Liberties Union. This is one of the largest civil liberty defense organizations in the US. Find out more and support them here.
Human Rights Campaign. This is one of the largest equality-focused organizations in the US. Find out more. The Trevor Project. They focus on suicide prevention and mental health support for queer youth. Support them here.
Food deserts – or areas with limited access to affordable and nutritious food – take up much of the United States. You might imagine these are found only in rural and uninhabited land across the country. But they also include major cities and communities in disadvantaged areas.
To transform one of these deserts into a haven, Compton California has unveiled a new indoor farm with the goal of improving access to fresh food while bringing more jobs to the city.
The farm was built by Plenty, an organization that specializes in vertical farming – a form of agriculture suited to the limited space afforded in densely packed urban areas.
The company expects the farm to produce up to 4.5 million pounds of leafy greens annually in a single city block.
“Plenty is an indoor growing company so we grow plants inside without the sun in controlled environments,” said Plenty CEO Arama Kukutai. “We are producing leafy greens and we also produce tomatoes, in the future, we’ll be producing strawberries and other fruit and produce.”
The Compton farm has only been open for six months but is already benefiting the community.
“The Plenty Compton Farm is bringing field-scale farming back to Compton and introducing a new generation of our community to careers in agriculture – more than 30% of the farm’s hires came from Compton,” said Mayor Emma Sharif. “Plenty’s farm is a model for how we can increase access to fresh, locally grown food for urban populations, while supporting cities’ economic development.”
Ideally, the farm in Compton will serve as a template for future endeavors, improving the California farming system.
“California agriculture is at the forefront of efforts to ensure climate-resilient food systems through the adoption of innovative technologies and practices,” said Secretary Karen Ross, California Department of Food and Agriculture. “Plenty’s new indoor vertical farm is an example of those efforts and provides an important additional method to grow fresh produce in urban centers, closer to consumers, reducing the draw on our natural resources.”
Plenty’s greens are now available at Bristol Farms, Whole Foods Market stores and local grocers in Compton.
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Beacon Food Forest. This is one of the largest food forests in the country. Find out more and support them here. Cultural Survival. They are an indigenous-led nonprofit focused on empowering indigenous Americans and helping the planet. Find out more.
Incentivizing public transit benefits both people and planet; it cuts emissions, is more affordable than car ownership, and reduces traffic in major cities.
One town in Ontario, Canada is doing just that by allowing youth and seniors to ride for free.
The town, called Oakville, voted on the proposition in February and launched the initiative this month.
“Providing free public transit for youth and seniors is an important investment Council is making to enhance transportation options for the overall well-being of our community,” Mayor Rob Burton said.
“Removing the cost to travel on Oakville Transit means more people can get around town more easily and will increase uptake in transit usage. Free transit promotes sustainability and equity and supports Council’s continued efforts to create a thriving and livable Oakville.”
The free rides are available to anyone under the age of 20 and over the age of 65.
Local officials say taking public transit “is a sustainable mode of transportation. It helps get people where they need to be while taking more cars off the road. Less congestion on roads means more opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, leading to a cleaner environment.”
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Beacon Food Forest. This is one of the largest food forests in the country. Find out more and support them here. Cultural Survival. They are an indigenous-led nonprofit focused on empowering indigenous Americans and helping the planet. Find out more.
Amid the ongoing legislative attacks on LGBTQ+ communities, people across the United States are beginning to speak out. One of the most vocal has been the Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, and body positivity advocate, Lizzo, who has consistently used her platform to demand a better world.
One of her most recent stands was at a show in Nebraska. After a filibuster lasting nearly three months, by representatives including Machaela Cavanaugh, state lawmakers approved a ban on abortion care at roughly 10 weeks of pregnancy, combined with a bill that bans gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
“It really breaks my heart that there are young people growing up in a world that doesn’t protect them,” Lizzo said at the show. “Don’t let anyone tell you who you are. … These laws are not real. You are what’s real, and you deserve to be protected.”
She has spoken out in other states around the country, including Texas, where she stood up against transphobia.
“I’m proud to rep Houston, but I’m not proud to rep Texas politics right now,” Lizzo said. “There are very regressive laws being passed. They’re taking away the right for young children to have a chance to live authentically as themselves. It’s a violation of human rights. Trans rights are human rights.”
Other celebrities have also spoken out, like the pop idol, Madonna.
“The oppression of the LGBTQ+ is not only unacceptable and inhumane; it’s creating an unsafe environment; it makes America a dangerous place for our most vulnerable citizens, especially trans women of color,” Madonna said in a statement.
If you want to help, make sure to check out organizations like The Trevor Project, which helps support the mental health of queer youth.
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Path Home. This organization helps families facing homelessness in Portland, Oregon. Find out more and support them here.
Hope South Florida. They help people affected by homelessness across the tri-county South Florida. Find out more. National Coalition for the Homeless. They aid homeless people around the country through their many branches. Support them here.
