Exciting times here at Venture Trust; we're delighted to announce that Mark Bibbey, our new Chief Executive, joined us in November. Since then, it's been a whirl of meetings, introductions and heads-down brainstorming sessions. We thought you'd like to get to know our new gaffer so, now that Christmas is over and we're all ready for the year ahead, we sat down to find out all about Mark's plans and ambitions for Venture Trust.

We've asked Mark about the challenges facing Venture Trust in the coming months, his ambitions for the organisation, and his thoughts on becoming Chief Exec. By way of light relief, we also asked about his childhood ambitions, his desert-island necessitites, and his personal heroes. Read on for the full interview....

What attracted you to the post of Venture Trust’s Chief Exec?

In the lead up to leaving the military I was undecided about my second career and so did a bit of formal self analysis. The resulting ideal area of interest and job spec was, without even having heard of VT at the time, pretty much exactly this job. So when I saw it advertised, I had no choice but to apply.

How have you found your first couple of months so far?

What have been the main things you’ve learned / discovered? Apart from my weekly commute from the Highlands, I’ve enjoyed every minute, particularly when I’ve been out and about meeting people. It’s my first real exposure to this sector, but the principles are similar to elsewhere: in particular, that success is directly proportional to the quality of the people involved and and the degree of common purpose. Surprisingly, I’ve also discovered that there’s more jargon and TLAs here than anywhere else I’ve been, including the military!

What are your ambitions for the future of Venture Trust?

In 5 years time, 3 broad headlines: Firstly, no significant change to what we deliver in terms of Wilderness Based Personal Development or our target audience, because they are pretty much spot on; Secondly, to be delivering life-changing effect to as many young people as we can; in other words to have our 44 courses as close to capacity as possible; and thirdly, to have developed a Social Enterprise business which contributes funds to cover a proportion of our central costs, thereby driving down the marginal costs for each young person referred to us.

What do you think are the biggest opportunities and challenges facing Venture Trust at the moment?

Funding is probably the biggest challenge in the current economic climate, which leads to the conclusion that we must be as efficient as possible. The logical progression of this analysis leads to what is possibly the biggest opportunity, which is to build effective partnerships. I firmly believe that this is critical if we are to leverage maximum effect from every £ we receive.

Where’s your favourite wild place in Scotland?

The Aonach Eagach. Despite the fact that, although I’ve been up there several times, it was only on the last occasion (when it was perfectly clear) that I could see much further than the end of my nose!

You’re about to be marooned on a desert island... Which three items would you take with you?

A fishing net, spoon and a teach yourself Chinese book.

And which famous person (dead or alive) would you most like to be stuck there with?

Capt Scott. He could keep the diary (not my strong point) and I’m pretty sure there wouldn’t be any whingeing.

Bizarre experiences?

There have been a few, but some years ago whilst climbing in Devon, a friend and I came across a sheep stuck on a ledge about 15 ft from the top. We determined to rescue it and after some innovation and effort, succeeded; however the sheep wasn’t that grateful and as I was releasing it from the makeshift harness it kicked me where it hurts and ran off!

Age 10, what was your dream job?

A Vet. It was only the realisation, when I had to choose my A level subjects, that I had as much chance of getting the requisite 3 ‘A’ grade science A levels as fly in the sky, and so chose arts subjects and ditched the dream.

Exciting news! We’ve secured charity places (at a mega 40% discount) in Scotland’s craziest and most fun outdoor challenge event - the Deerstalker (5k) and the Mighty Deerstalker (10k). There’ll be mud, water, muddy water (!), fancy dress, a whole load of fun, and an after-party beer and music tent. What more could you want?

So join up, take on the challenge, and raise some money for a brilliant cause. We’re asking each person taking up a discounted charity place to commit to raising at least £100 for Venture Trust – and in return we’ll support you to raise the money, cheer you over the finish line, and party with you till the wee sma’ hours.

Fancy it? Check out all the details at the official Deerstalker website, then get in touch with Kathryn Welch on kathryn@venturetrust.org.uk.

See you at the start line....!

Venture Trust is a dynamic, exciting organisation, where you’ll have a real opportunity to transform the lives of people who are struggling with difficult circumstances. We’ll give you the support you need to grow and develop, and to help you make the most of your skills and experience. Whatever your background, we treat all applications fairly – all you need to do is show us why you’d be a great addition to our team.

We look forward to meeting you...

Current Vacancies: 3 x Fundraising Internships

We are currently offering:

3 x Internships in our Funding Team – based in Edinburgh (unpaid), for 3 months at 2 days per week.

Candidates will ideally have some knowledge of and interest in the third sector in Scotland, a track record in raising funds for charity and/or volunteering and a real desire to take the next step in their fundraising career.

You will be given real responsibility for one or more areas of Venture Trust’s funding strategy and, with on-the-job training and support, will be expected to form a key part of the funding team. The role is ideally suited to second or penultimate-year undergraduates looking to gain valuable experience in fundraising and the third sector during their summer break.

Start date: Early June 2012 (negotiable)

For more information, please download the role description, which includes a person specification. Application forms can be downloaded here.

The closing date for all applications is Friday 24th February 2012 at 12 noon. Interviews will be held in the week commencing Monday 5th March.

Please send your completed application form to:
Nicola Schreuder
6D Bruntsfield Terrace
Edinburgh
EH10 4EX

Or e-mail it to: nicola@venturetrust.org.uk

Please note we do not accept CVs.

Another of our partners blogging about our work this week; this time out in Malawi.

Irish Rule of Law; one of our working partners in Kachere, attended Venture Trust's Christmas party 'with a difference' in the prison. The following extract is taken from their blog:

"While everyday is obviously tough in a prison which is so significantly overcrowded and I could talk in detail about the difficulties these boys face and the harsh sentences they are getting from the courts, I want to leave that aside for just one day and focus on the positive work that is going on there and the changes that good people are trying to bring about to improve the lives of the boys living there. They have been significant in trying to guide young men towards positive destinations on release" - Irish Rule of Law's blog

As with all our work in Malawi (and indeed, worldwide), the day was a chance for our participants to showcase the skills they'd already learnt, develop and strengthen newer skills, and prepare for independent adulthood and successful futures. Here, the young men taking part showed off their skills in planning ahead, working as part of a group, and communicating effectively, all skills that will serve them well on release. They also had the chance to think about some of the challenges which may still be ahead of them, and seek support to help them overcome such difficulties:

"The boys really took to their roles and had written the dialogue themselves with the help of a local drama group who work with the prisoners. The drama group, who are from Area 23 in Lilongwe, then put on a play which was centered around the story of two young men leaving the facility at the end of their prison sentence and the difficulties they could encounter once released... The play while touching on some very serious issues was done in a very lighthearted manner and went down a treat with everyone present".

The day ended on a lighter note - with an appearance by a secret visitor from the North....! All in all a really successful day: skills learnt, relationships developed, and fun had by all.

Merry Christmas Kachere... or Unjoya Christmasi, Chisangalalo Kwamberi, and Joyeaux Noel!

We were delighted recently to stumble across the blog of Colin Falconer - Director of Innovation at the Foyer Federation.

We've worked in partnership with the Foyer Federation for years - supporting young people to become more independent and develop skills for positive futures. Venture Trust's next 'Transitions to Independent Living' programme is due to run in February 2012, and we're looking forward to continuing to work closely with Colin and all at Foyer in the months and years to come. Colin's blog - http://advantagedthinking.blogspot.com/ is well worth a look, particularly for his thoughts on 'advantaged thinking'.

Anyway, here's Colin's blog on his meeting with Mark Bibbey, our new Chief Executive (reproduced here with permission, thanks Colin)...

Harry Potter and Tommy Cooper