September Update

A Nomination!

September has seen a lot of brains converging around the core idea of London Creative Labs and the first Job Lab.

The Highlights:

• Outreach: The response to the Job Lab video was fabulous! People really seem to get the core idea. Our digital following has grown steadily. We were listed on @Montero's online social entrepreneurship list. We have had emails from all around the world and the mayor of Brixton is following us on twitter. :-) Thanks to Mamading Ceesay for significant, quality outreach.
• Met a number of 'elder' figures who will be advising us at a strategic level.
• The peer fund continued and with it came some wonderful affirmations. Max Schupbach from the Deep Democracy Institute wrote: "Here is the why we want to invest in Creative Labs: London Creative Labs has a great purpose - empowering people: that's needed!!! It does it with a big heart: that makes us smile!!! It rocks in its creative fun attitude: that's the leadership we are looking for worldwide!!!!"
• Started a friendship and collaboration with the University of East London, who have been a great sparring partner. They are keen for their students to get involved with the project and there are plans to run a Job Lab for them.
• Produced a ‘brain dump of all the core ideas and theory behind London Creative Labs. These make the beginnings of a business plan!
• Re-planned the Job Labs for the new year, thereby also allowing a healthy period of time to reach out to people who are long-term unemployed.
• Structured a series of monthly and micro labs that will help us to test the Job Lab process.
• Continued to design a structure of engagement and collaboration with the help of a growing ‘Evolution Team’. [Irene Rukerebuka, and David Pinto]
• Sofia got nominated as a London Leader 2010, a programme run by the London Sustainable Development Commission. What they liked was our holistic approach!

This month took us from high-level idea definition to mapping out a network of collaborators at the conceptual level, and a path forward which includes testing the process as we develop it -- putting some solid ground beneath our feet. Roll on the next month!