We Can Haz Stuff!

There are actually a few articles up on www.Re-evolve.ning.com now!  We took some of the templates filled out by our Prince's Trust people to get an idea of how the site will look once we have more information on there.

It isn't perfect yet however.  I feel that the articles still look a little bland because they are just plain text in black and white.  Ideally I would like to work out a way to include colours and pictures, but that will involve some research to decide what will look right.

The other major problem with uploading templates is that you cannot simply copy and paste from Word.  All of the formating and spacing for the text has to be added in HTML and that takes extra time.  Colours and photos may also need to be added in this way.

I've also realised that I need to establish a set way for tagging pages.  At the moment I have some criteria, but it would be a good idea to set them down for other people to use.  Consistency is a good thing.  I also need to check that my guide to the basic HTML involved in this process makes sense to other people.  Coding is a little tricky and it's worth making sure everyone can do it.

These are not the codes I have in mind kitteh...

More graphics

We've started going in a slightly different direction graphics wise.  A simpler aesthetic is developing using bold shapes and colours.  Not much more to say this week, we just working on making some good images.

The focus is going to be on images relating to different jobs.  So far the fire hose has turned out the best because it ended up looking like a snail.  Very cute.

Graphics for the web

Graphics are hard to get right, and unfortunately that's what I'm trying to do for Re-Evolve's Ning website.  At the moment we're trying to create a good look which is both sophisticated and youthful.  Youthful I'm okay at.  Sophisticated is the issue.

Hopefully I'll work out a good solution.  At the moment I'm working on toning down my natural colour inclinations.  I tend to wok very bright.

Here's a kaleidoscope to demonstrate just how my taste works:

Where is it!?

Today I learnt about hidden pages on websites.  Jen told me about them really and they're so useful.  Essentially all they are are web pages which aren't connected to the Re-Evolve.Ning website menu but can still be accessed through links and searches.  They're going to be perfect for article pages!

I also made some nifty graphics to represent the career sectors Re-Evolve is focusing on.  They were all made in Photoshop by my using original line art.

I found the Construction sector the hardest image to compose.  It was the area I'm least familiar with so designing it was a bit of a challenge.

These are actually slightly out of date, even now, the day after I posted them!  We're thinking of adding a Sport section to appeal to the interests of many of the young people we met as part of the Princes Trust.  Logically Sport needs to have a blue theme to match the rest of the site, but we'll probably try to find some photos to match the youth orientated nature of the site.

Re-Evolve Website!

This week we finally succeeded in getting a website started for Re-Evolve!

It's based at Ning.com, which is a free website which offers loads of lovely features for us to use.  We can have a site blog for communications, a forum to talk to the young people who will hopefully use the site and facilities for photo and video hosting.  This is all very good and exciting, it's quite a work in progress at the moment.

I've spent most of the day working on branding it towards Re-Evolve by changing the colours around to match our logo and putting up a header.  It actually looks quite good already and after only a day's work.  Once it has more information and photos on it I'm sure it will look great!

10 Ways to Conquer Writer's Block

I have writer's block.  This is of course a bad think when trying to blog.  And totally unusual for me because I simply do not get writer's block.

However there are always a few ways to get around writer's block, mainly by working around the problem.  Here's a list of tips on how to deal with this dreaded plague of literary ambition. 

1)  Go read the news, under the condition that it isn't just an excuse for procrastinating.  It won't take long to find an article that's relevant to what you're writing about or can at the very least find an opinion.  Talk about that and what it means to you.  If you're lucky it may even lead to blog type number 2...

2)  Rant.  You can go on for paragraphs if you find a topic that really ticks you off.  If you're controversial it might even increase you're readership!

3)  Talk about celebrity gossip.  This really is a stretch, but it's popular and there's always going to be something to talk about.  The downside is that none of it will be relevant to anything.

4)  Hobbies and pets.  They're kind of the same since no one will care all that much but they're interesting and you'll find something to write about.  This works best if your blog can be about anything.

5)  Write an article on a topic related to what you do.  For example for Re-Evolve I could write something about job fairs or what to put in a CV.  The downside to this is that it takes actual time and effort.

6)  Write fan-fiction.  Hang on, I take that one back.  No matter how desperate you might be fan-fiction probably isn't going to help anyone.

7)  Write an ode to spring (or another seasonal event).  It's relevant and interesting(ish).  Alternatively combine it with option two and create a rant about the weather.

8)  Post photos of your weekend.  Or other similar events.  Or doodles.  Pictures are ultra spiffy to have on your blog anyway, and you can justify it as a way of introducing your readers to the real you.

9)  Talk about other people's blogs.  They did the hard work of creating a topic.  You can reap some of that glory by writing a response and linking to theirs!  You might even be able to attract some of their readers!

10)  Write about your writer's block.  That'll teach it to show its face!

Re-Evolve Marketing Event

Re-Evolve is holding a marketing event in London on the 25th March.  We'll be heading off into Westminster in the morning to interview young people about what they would want from a careers resource.  In the afternoon we will retire to the Greenside Community Centre to discuss what we have discovered from the survey.  Hopefully the result will help us work out exactly what we need for our website!

If you are age 16-25 and interested in coming to the event as a volunteer please contact Re-Evolve@cwh.org.uk

Tel Mon, Tues, Fri – 0207245 2267

Tel Wed, Thurs – o2o8 9620 721

Everyone is welcome and it's a great opportunity to find out about the practical side of marketing and business!

Newsletters and other fun stuff

I've been researching how to set up a newsletter for Re-Evolve. We've been thinking that we need to reinstate it as a communication tool and that we want it to be better designed and more eye catching than ever before. However, to do that we need to have a system set up so I've been researching all the different options. Incidentally if anyone knows of a free newsletter distributor which gives users the ability to subscribe and unsubscribe automatically I'd love to hear about it!

The newsletter stuff is all very well of course but it isn't the most fascinating thing to look at. I could show you my research, although I doubt many people would find it all that riveting. Useful maybe. So instead here is a little sketch I did to keep in practice.

It was done using black watercolour paint (because I hate using ink and watercolour is easily available) and a paint brush on a piece of A5. The rules were that it had to be a quick painting with no guide lines. Every line I drew had to remain visible because I can't erase paint and no touch ups to make it neater on the PC. Additionally I wanted to test my ability to draw movement. It also helps that it's quite fun to paint this way :)

Volunteering for the RSPCA

I've been volunteering to the East Finchley branch of the RSPCA for a couple of months now as part of their newly created marketing committee. The branch does do a lot of good work in the area and runs a clinic to provide reduced rate pet care for people on income support as well as working with fostering and rehoming programs. Since vet fees can be very expensive it's an important resource for the community how have them around.

However, there are also a lot of issues with people not knowing exactly what it is that the branch does and how they work. Their clinic is small and they can't keep animals over night, much less run an animal shelter! The main thing I've been doing for them recently is to create a couple of different flyers for them to distribute in their clinic and for more general publicity. It's a simple project, but has given me good experience in communicating information and presenting it in an attractive way. I also drew up a little dog graphic for use on the flyers, which makes me happy. I want to do some other animals as well, but the dog is all that's needed for now.

Presentation

We at Re-Evolve have been working on a presentation recently to send to companies we'd like to make partnerships with.  In the future we hope to have a group of affiliated companies that will be able to provide our volunteers with work experience.  This way our volunteers will be able to get practical work experience and our careers resource will grow exponentially with quality resources!  We also hope that the system will benefit the companies by giving them the help of a volunteer in their company.

Of course this needs presenting to the companies and that's what the presentation is for.  The last few weeks have been spent organising and debating the best way in which to write out and present our information.  As part of this I've made up some graphics to help convey what we do.

I did want to add an image of my graphics but for some odd reason the computer and Blogger are conspiring against me.  This is annoying, but I'll try and add the picture in later instead.  Basically my graphics look like DNA exploding out of the test tube in the Re-Evolve logo.  It's meant to be a bit like a spider diagram, but more attractive.

Jack and the Careerstalk!

Long time, no blog. I should do something about that. Mainly this is because we haven't been in the office much over the holiday period, and we were mainly writing up information. As important as this is talking about writing up careers resources and interviews does not make for a particularly interesting blog entry.


However, I haven't spoken yet about the presentation Re-Evolve did for Vital Regeneration's Award Ceremony which attempted to explain the goals of Re-Evolve through the medium of panto. The basic concept is that Re-Evolve can help a young person's career grow like the beanstalk in Jack and the Beanstalk. So Jack and the Careerstalk was born!
With the volunteers dressed as fairies to symbolise how we are enabling young people and volunteers representing the young people the beans were changed into growing flowers to symbolise the potential of the young person to grow and follow their chosen career.

Sadly I was unable to attend the event, due to a prior commitment with the RSPCA. (I was volunteering though, that must prove my dedication!) I do enjoy dressing as a fairy from time to time so it was a little disappointing. I was involved in making all those props though, so I was happy enough. I love crafting :)