by faithyoung | Oct 22, 2019 | Blog
So you’ve heard of Kink … what next?
Kink, just in case you don’t know, is an essential member of the Futureworks NY team.
He’s cute, adorable and loves a biscuit or two.
He’s also got four legs, a long waggy tail and won’t say no to a nice long walk.
Yes, he’s our office pooch!
Most visitors, staff and learners tend to say ‘hello’ to Kink before anyone else … so he really is ‘top dog’!
Our office is a busy one with lots going on at all times. So you might think that Kink gets under our feet or we get under his paws.
However, if Kink isn’t around we really notice it. It’s as though there’s a huge woofy-shaped hole if he’s not here. Come back, Kink, all is forgiven!
This made us think of the positive impact a pooch can have on an office … and here are a few overall advantages ..
It’s good for the dog … rather than the dog being left at home with occasional visits, he or she can benefit from having human company and interaction during working day.
It’s good for the humans … even house-trained pooches need a toilet break. Accompanied by a human and a poop scoop means someone gets a break from the desk, phone and artificial lighting!
It’s good for keeping staff happy … often regarded as another member of the office workforce, the office dog can help reduce absenteeism as job satisfaction is improved.
It improves mood … everyone has bad days. Seeing the office dog each day means employees and visitors look forward to that pooch welcome, paws and all!
It can be attractive for future employees … if you are seeking new members of the team, then most folks love a dog to be part of the working environment. However it is worth checking for any allergy sufferers …
It’s good for team building … a shared love of the dog is a shared interest. And it’s a great ice-breaker!
It’s great for working better … a pooch under the desk or lying at your feet can be both relaxing and reassuring. Stress can be reduced and therefore productivity can be increased.
Those of you who’ve met Kink know he’s a very lovable dog with the odd little growl escaping from time to time. He’s a big softie really, and we wouldn’t be without him. Keep it up, Kink … we love you!
by faithyoung | Jul 30, 2019 | Blog
Well, it finally arrived!
Our VIP evening took place at the Royal Hotel, Scarborough … and it was FANTASTIC!
After months of planning, it all came together and everyone had a brilliant time.
From rocking to Tina Turner to ‘Doing the time-warp again’, we danced the night away under the disco lights … and some of us removed our shoes and really got ‘into the groove’!
So, what was it all about?
Back in the spring, we had a great idea (well, it seemed so at the time!) of having a VIP evening, celebrating the wonderful achievements of our learners past and present.
We decided on a special 1920s theme, booked the Royal Hotel in Scarborough and the rest, as the saying goes, is history.
The whole team at Futureworks got involved … from sourcing the prom dresses to coming up with the menu and menu designs; setting the table decorations, deciding the seating plan; booking the entertainment, helping with the chair designs … and it all went like clockwork!
We were all nervous yet we had a positive energy. Everything started to take shape as the black and gold balloons arrived, and the fabulous feather decorations helped the tables look beautiful. We had golden chocolate coins, specially branded toffee souvenirs and even small bars of gold (not real, unfortunately) to help set the scene.
The evening started at 7pm and we gave out six of our awards before the first course was served. This got the evening off to a fun start.
We all enjoyed our starters and then we had another set of awards before the main course. We would like to thank the staff at the Royal Hotel as the service was very good and the food was really tasty.
The Hatton School of Dance performed a fantastic Charleston routine, with singing, amazing outfits and some incredible dance moves which included tap dancing. So much effort went into it and it was amazing. Thank you!
Other local companies that were there included Boyes and Crown Decorating, and these were just some of our supporters from the local area.
We then had our desserts and the last of the awards … #emotional. It is fair to say that those of us who could indulge in a few alcoholic tipples did so, and most of us headed to the dance floor as the DJ played some party classics.
Everyone started to throw some shapes on the dance floor as the evening progressed … and many of them were very interesting shapes indeed. Some of the napkins doubled up as bandanas and the feathers were up-cycled into some fantastic headgear. Weird yet wonderful!
It wouldn’t be a party night without some singing … the Spice Girls, anyone?
So was it worth it? Absolutely!
We would like to thank everybody involved and also to all our guests. It was a way of thanking you, too.
A fabulous evening … cheers, guys!
by faithyoung | Jun 4, 2019 | Blog
June is here … long daylight hours … summer on the horizon … and another Community Works 12-week workshop session is due to start!
Kink, our office pooch, knows when it’s time for our next workshop session as there’s the chance of extra custard creams in the biscuit tin: everyone needs to keep their energy levels up!
So, what are we talking about? What’s this 12-week workshop ‘thing’ all about?
Part of our Community Works project (18 to 25 years olds), we’ve had some Big Lottery funding so young adults can learn some practical skills that will help them throughout their lives.
We, the Futureworks team (Kink included although his spanner skills leave a lot to be desired) help young people learn woodwork, basic plumbing and electrical skills … let’s face it, all of us will need to fix a tap, wire a plug and put up a few shelves as we make our way through life!
Our learners are fully supported by tutors who have years’ experience (sometimes too many to mention) and there are no minimum requirements to join. To make the learning even more fun, we keep the groups small and very welcoming.
And then there’s the community bit!
So you’ve got your kit, you know what to do with it … now it’s time to help people in the big, wide world!
This is nothing to worry about though. Our fully supportive team help leaners to help others and get a great sense of achievement. Some of our Scarborough residents need a bit of assistance here and there and our learners are ready to help where they can.
Our workshops have lots of different goals and outcomes. We help in the wider community. We help our learners develop practical skills. Our learners also gain confidence in a world that can have its challenges.
The learners acquire their skills in a fully supported way with no such thing as a ‘daft question’.
And our next one is due to start June 2019!
Does this sound like something you could join? Are you aged between 18 and 25? Then we’d love to hear from you! You can phone us on 01723 449616, or email us info@futureworksny.co.uk- we’d love to hear from you!
by faithyoung | May 29, 2019 | Blog
Well, you can probably imagine it … we’re in the mini-bus, perhaps feeling just that bit too excited as we made our way to Carlton Lodge, near Thirsk.
That’s where the sensibleness ended!
So what does Carlton Lodge do? And why did we go? And, more importantly, did we survive it ?!?!
It’s an activity centre about an hour’s drive from Scarborough.
The site includes tree climbing, axe-throwing, archery, kayaking and high ropes. Definitely a challenge if you’re not a fan of the great outdoors … however, most of us enjoy fresh air, blue skies (if we’re lucky) and the occasional dip in the water…
So we arrived and our energy levels just about bursting out of the mini-bus!
Like a bunch of excited teenagers … actually, most of us were an excited bunch of teenagers LOL … we checked in and headed for the water area.
Zip wire was the first activity, everyone was scared it was hard climbing the pole onto the platform but everyone managed it with lots of encouragement and positive vibes! Next on the activity list, raft building and kayaking.
So if you think of boating as being chilled out like Peasholm Lake and the laid-back dragon pedaloes, think again! All the water-based sports need safety kit and training before choosing your boat, donning your helmet and picking up your paddle!
And not only had water underneath the kayaks, we also had a dousing of rain from above. To be honest, we couldn’t have got any wetter if we’d tried.
And that’s when the fun began, because we all started to laugh … particularly when Sarah managed to roll in her kayak and go underwater. Sarah surfaced with a smile on her face!
After a meal and a bit of sleep, we then tackled axe-throwing and archery.
Axe-throwing is dangerous and you need a good eye … yet we were all okay … and then we came to the archery.
Believe it or not, this is actually quite hard! When you see it on the TV, it looks so easy as in archery they pull back the bow and let the arrow fly.
It’s no wonder it’s an Olympic sport because most of us had sore fingers and arms at the end of it.
Carlton Lodge offers lots of problem-solving activities, so there’s lots to do and we loved our visit.
We feel we hit the bulls-eye with this particular trip as we had a such a laugh, got out into the fresh air and learned to work as a team as well as acquire some new skills.
We’d like to thank the team at Carlton Lodge … we’re sure ‘we’ll be back!’
by futureworks | May 8, 2019 | Blog
Famous for over 40 rides and lots of screaming … we can only be talking about Alton Towers!
When we first thought about visiting this famous venue, we wondered if perhaps we’d had a bit of wacky idea … however, we’re heading off to the theme park later this month! Hold on to your hats!
So … if the thought of a rollercoaster turns you a pale shade of green, you’re not alone …
The attraction is in the Midlands so we have to get there first before finding our accommodation and settling in.
Alton Towers itself is absolutely huge so we’ll have to be organised before the visit. There are so many rides, we might have to a wish list and see how far we get.
There are some scary names for these rides … Nemesis … Oblivion … The Smiler … Blade … we think some of the team might prefer Postman Pat’s Parcel Post ride!
So as well as a day or two away from Scarborough, what are hoping to get out the Alton Towers trip?
A change of scene … a chance for everyone to experience a world-class attraction … maybe learn a bit of patience if there are lots of queues.
We’re looking forward to the visit as some of our fabulous learners haven’t ventured outside of Scarborough very much so it’s a great opportunity to see motorways, busy towns and have a change of scene.
We’re also hoping to help get some new and useful skills acquired … buying tickets … building confidence … also being away from a familiar setting and getting used to new surroundings.
We are sure some of us will need to ‘have a rest’ after a ride, especially if the rides make some of us feel sick! We’ll just make sure we don’t eat too many hot dogs and ice creams beforehand.
We are really looking forward to it and we’ll update you when we get back. And to keep you interested, here’s five things you (probably) didn’t know about Alton Towers …
You can stay at Alton Towers in a hotel, a tree house, a lodge or even a stargazing pod!
They also host events at Alton Towers including street dance festivals.
The attraction has an extraordinary golf course.
If you fancy a bit of pampering, it also has a spa facility.
The site itself dates back over 200 years while the theme park opened in 1980 (some of weren’t even born then – eek!)
by futureworks | Apr 17, 2019 | Blog
Welcome to our latest blog! We hope you’re all okay!
Well, we’ve got something totally ‘darb’ to announce … in fact, we’re going to be talking about a fantastic ‘sockdollager … if you know your onions’ … confused Don’t be!
The weird and wonderful phrases in the above sentence are words that were used in 1920’s America (and some in the UK, too).
And the 1920’s will be the theme for our special, invite-only, red carpet event on Friday 19th July at The Royal Hotel, Scarborough.
‘Darb’ means something amazing; a ‘sockdollager’ is a special event and ‘know your onions’ doesn’t mean a stint in the kitchen … it means ‘to know what’s going on’!
We’ve had this idea – always dangerous with our team, particularly if too much coffee’s been consumed – and that idea was to have an awards night based around a Roaring Twenties theme.
The event will include a three-course dinner, proper invitations, brilliant table settings and the awards ceremony. The awards will have a fun element as well as recognising the hard work that goes on here at Futureworks NY HQ.
How did we come up with the 1920’s theme, we hear you ask?
We did some brainstorming and created lots of mood boards, which included many different ideas … the Roaring Twenties was the overall favourite.
You know here at Futureworks NY we’ve got a fantastic crew … ages range from 14 to 58, lots of different people with all sorts of stories to tell. All our learners aspire to make changes and improve their life journeys.
So our Roaring Twenties event will be a chance for some serious motivation, celebration and achievement.
As we LOVE cake – actually any food is great by us! – sorting out the delicious menu for the evening is our first priority, followed by ordering the trophies for ‘the big night’, and designing the invites.
And this is just the start …
We’re looking forward to putting the table settings together, getting the guest list ready and of course, one of the best parts of the event is to get all glammed up!
Thanks to Our Co… on Northway, the prom dresses are sorted.
We’re also going to be looking at getting some fantastic prizes for the evening … watch this space!
The ladies are going to have their hair and make-up done and look gorgeous on the night. The guys can dig out their dinner suits, dickie bows and be gallant gentlemen for the event.
We’ll keep you posted on this blog as this exciting project takes shape. Hopefully by the 19th July everything will be ‘jake’ (alright) on the night!
