Populo Living hold another successful Young Designers Group on The Carpenters Estate
Posted 06 September 2023
Between the 22-25 August, 20 young individuals from the local area took part in this year’s Young Designers Group programme held at The Dovetail on The Carpenters Estate. This year the theme was envisioning the ‘Future of Work’. Given the growth of hyper-local businesses particularly within the creative industry, the sessions gave an insight into establishing small enterprises. The ideas presented by the groups of young people ranged from conceptualising a mixed cuisine café that would mirror the diversity of the borough, to devising a hub for mental health and wellbeing coaching. As well as the exploration of ethnically inspired artwork as a concept demonstrated their insightful perspective on community and culture.
The programme featured a workshop on business planning led by Carpenters local resident James Kaguima, an award-winning Social Entrepreneur and founder of Skate Cabal - a platform that amplifies stories & safe spaces for the Roller-Skating community.
The sessions built up to a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style presentation, whereby groups presented their concepts and business plans to a panel featuring Populo Living team members, James Kaguima, Alla David (General Manager, Westbridge Hotel Stratford), Ayesha- Munro (Lush Cosmetics) and Councillor Amar Virdee. The winning team won complimentary tickets to the Sidemen charity football tournament courtesy of London Stadium.
Councillor Amar Virdee said: 'It was a fantastic experience to partake in the Young Designers judging panel. This project highlighted the level of talent within the borough. The groups were enthusiastic, professional and demonstrated advanced calibre of ideas. I want to commend all the groups that partook and showcased their talents. I look forward to supporting further initiatives.'
James Kaguima said: 'Carpenters Estate holds a special place in my heart as I used to frequent a youth centre here 10 years ago which closed. To witness a new community space empowering young people in the area felt like a meaningful full-circle moment.'
One of the participants said: 'I enjoyed the enriching experience of learning about the behind-the-scenes and tactics to running a successful business. The guest speakers really introduced a new perspective to my thoughts on business, going from not being too interested in the topic to potentially starting my own business. I enjoyed creating a business plan and breaking down the components of mine and my team's business idea, and I also really enjoyed the food!'
If you are a Newham resident aged between 16-25 and would like to be involved in the next Young Designers Group. Please e-mail carpenters@populoliving.co.uk.