It’s been almost four months since Leicester’s De Montfort University set-up DMU Square Mile.
Ahead of the official launch and big volunteer day tomorrow (September 22), I caught up with DMU Square Mile Research Director, Jason Wood, to find out all about the innovative community initiative.
Mr Wood started his career as a youth worker 12 years ago. He was the youth and community researcher for DMU before taking on the Vice Chancellor’s Square Mile project.
Tell me about DMU Square Mile
Square Mile was an idea generated by our Vice Chancellor, Dominic Shellard, to see how the university could make a difference in the community with the support of the local authorities.
I’ve been involved in the set-up of investments and assessing the potential impact of the project.
We started in May (2011) by working with the community and speaking to residents for a period of consultation.
What will happen on the Big Volunteer Day?
We’re holding a big volunteer day as the official launch of the project. We will see students, stakeholders, board members and the community all pulling together to start 21 mini projects.
Some of the projects include planting a sensory garden and setting up a community café. They’ll be some volunteers litter picking too.
We’re encouraging anyone living in local area to get involved. The success relies on community involvement.
The Square Mile project work is around the university campus covering estates such as Fosse, Abbey and Western Park.
How can people get involved?
Email Mile2@dmu.ac.uk or call 0116 2577102 or follow @DMUsquaremile
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Interview with Jason Wood
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Akram Khan's Desh
Tonight Curve will welcome audience members to the public dress rehearsal of Akram Khan's Desh.The internationally acclaimed dancer and choreographer, opens the autumn season at Curve with the World Premiere of his new dance productionthis week.
We last saw Khan at Curve with his successful co-productions with the theatre In-i and Vertical Road.
Inspired by his home country of Bangladesh, Desh, will explore the idea of transformation – of body, land, identity and memory, while examining the contradictions of Khan’s British-Asian identity. Created after a year of research both in the UK and Bangladesh and performed during the year Bangladesh celebrates the 40th anniversary of its independence from Pakistan, DESH draws together multiple tales of land, nation and resistance.
Inspired by his home country of Bangladesh, Desh, will explore the idea of transformation – of body, land, identity and memory, while examining the contradictions of Khan’s British-Asian identity. Created after a year of research both in the UK and Bangladesh and performed during the year Bangladesh celebrates the 40th anniversary of its independence from Pakistan, DESH draws together multiple tales of land, nation and resistance.
Oscar and BAFTA winning Chinese designer Tim Yip (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) has created the set and costume designs.
Monday, 15 August 2011
Summer Sundae - Review
Leicester’s crown jewels of family entertainment, Summer Sundae, returned for its eleventh year at the weekend.
The city saw De Montfort Hall and Gardens transformed into a haven for music lovers of all tastes and creeds.
With dozens of acts across five stages (main stage, indoor stage, Last FM rising stage, The Musician stage and eFestivals Comedy Tent) I was certainly spoilt for choice.
Arriving at the gates early on the Saturday I took a quick whistle stop tour of the grounds via a free rickshaw ride. This quirky little eco-friendly taxi was perfect for the chilled vibe of the weekend.
To read the rest of my review visit The Public Reviews website.
Saturday, 13 August 2011
Summer Sundae 2011
Today (Saturday, August 13) was my first festival experience - Summer Sundae @ De Montfort Hall. Some say it's quite odd that I'm 25 and only just having my first taste of festivals and others have said it's the perfect chilled festival for an introduction to a world of music, fast food, flip flops and hats. My highlights of the day include riding a rickshaw, having my palm read and soaking up the sounds of acts like Beth Jeans Houghton, Kissmet, Reef, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, The Jim Jones Revue and The Paradimes.
With dozens of acts across five stages (main stage, indoor stage, Last FM rising stage, The Musician stage and eFestivals Comedy Tent) I was certainly spoilt for choice. My day started off with a ride on the rickshaw to assess the lay of the land and then I went off for a browse through the marquee stores including a thorough hunt for gems in the vintage tents. This is where I discovered Geoff & Mildred Crank (finger puppets). This old knitted duo soon became the mascots for the days adventures (photos below).
Mildred & Geoff Crank
My full review will be uploaded to The Public Reviews website tomorrow but for now here's some opinions from other people at Summer Sundae.
I spoke to father, daughter, Cliff and Fiona about their highlights of the festival so far.
First, I caught up with parents of a member of I am In Love. The couple from Milton Keynes had never been to a festival before.
23-year-old Adam tells me his highlights so far.
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
In Pictures: Leicester Riots
Jacobs, Granby Street
Curve Side Cafe
Pound Stretcher, Granby Street
Exchange Bar - boarded up
Exchange Bar - boarded up
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
The City Gallery @ Pedestrian Arts
(Me) enjoying the 'no frills' exhibition at Pedestrian Arts created by The City Gallery
The City Gallery Exhibition @ LCBDepotWednesday, 13 July 2011
A How-to guide for using Twitter
Twitter is a micro-blogging platform, designed to get quick messages, news and updates out to the world in no more than 140 characters.
Below you will find information about Twitter jargon and how to start your very own Tweet journey.
Homepage
When you’re logged in to Twitter you will see five tabs: ‘timeline’/@Mentions/Retweets/Searches/Lists
You’ll find descriptions, examples and guidelines for these tabs below
Followers
You can follow people/organisations by searching for them using the search box at the top of the web page and clicking the follow button on their profile.
Once you’ve clicked follow you will then see their Tweet updates on your ‘timeline’ which is your home page of Twitter which appears when you log in.
Conversations
To speak to someone or mention/reference someone in your Tweets just simply put a ‘@’ symbol in front of their Twitter name.
Examples:-
I had a very productive meeting @LCBDepot today
@Richard_TMC what will the weather be like today?
Sharing links
If you would like to share a website link or promote a website to your followers it is always a good idea to shorten the URL (the website title) first because you only have 140 characters per Tweet.
You can shorten your URL easily by copying the URL you wish to share and going to http://www.tinyurl.com/
on this website you will see a box which asks you to paste your long URL into and simply click make tiny URL and click access clipboard when the box appears. You will then be able to go to your Twitter status box and click paste to add the shortened link to the site you wish to share.
Hashtags #
The # symbol called hashtag is used to mark topics or keywords in Tweets. You will often find events such as conferences, meetings or courses have their own hashtag. This allows people to monitor, follow or keep up-to-date on events or subjects.
For instance, The Mighty Creatives used #AICDerby and #AICLincoln for the Adventures in Creativity Summer events 2011.
Retweets
On your ‘timeline’ you will see Tweets from all the people/organisations that you are following. A Retweet is where you simply Tweet someone else’s Tweet.
If you hover the cursor over a Tweet that you like you will then see three options appear: - Favourite/Retweet/Reply
If you want to share someone else’s Tweet with your followers simply click Retweet.
Favourite
This option allows you to add a star next to Tweets you like. You may want to use this function if a Tweet has a link on you wish to explore later but don’t have the time to look at it then.
You can then return to that Tweet later by clicking on your profile (either at the top of the screen or on the right hand column) and you’ll see your ‘favourites’ tab next to the timeline and your Tweets.
Reply
You can click this button to make a comment to someone’s Tweet. This button adds the persons @ Twitter name into your Tweet status box and allows you to type a message and when they receive it they’ll be able to see which of their Tweets you’re replying/commenting to by clicking on a small arrow which will appear at the end of the Tweet.
Searches
The search tab allows you to save your regular search subjects. For instance, if you wanted to keep up-to-date with a hashtag or particular word you could use the search box and save it so you can re-visit it at any point.
Lists
You may find it useful to group the people/organisations your following into lists. This allows you to then view the Tweets from a particular group in its own ‘timeline’.
For instance, you could choose to create a list of journalisrs. This way you’ll be able to view all journalists’ Tweets in a single ‘timeline’ without having to sift through your main ‘timeline’. This tool is useful if you follow lots of people or if you like to categorize subjects.
For instance, you could create lists for each region so that you view all the Tweets from people/organisations that live in Leicester under one ‘timeline’.
Trends
You will see the word Trends in the right hand column when you’re signed into your account which will list the most popular search words or hashtags being used on Twitter.
These are great for keeping up-to-date with popular worldwide discussions, topics and even sometimes great for finding out ‘news’ before the newsreaders know themselves.
Your Twitter settings
By clicking on your name in the top right hand corner when your logged in and choosing settings you can amend your profile and notifications.
Profile options: - photo/bio/location/web address/profile background/password/Twitter name
Notifications: - email alerts about direct messages, @metions, retweets and new followers
Applications: - linking your account with other accounts such as Linkedin, Foursquare etc
Mobile: - receiving update notifications via text messages
This was a basic guide to for those Twitter virgins. Please add comments if you would like to share your tips on using Twitter.
Below you will find information about Twitter jargon and how to start your very own Tweet journey.
Homepage
When you’re logged in to Twitter you will see five tabs: ‘timeline’/@Mentions/Retweets/Searches/Lists
You’ll find descriptions, examples and guidelines for these tabs below
Followers
You can follow people/organisations by searching for them using the search box at the top of the web page and clicking the follow button on their profile.
Once you’ve clicked follow you will then see their Tweet updates on your ‘timeline’ which is your home page of Twitter which appears when you log in.
Conversations
To speak to someone or mention/reference someone in your Tweets just simply put a ‘@’ symbol in front of their Twitter name.
Examples:-
I had a very productive meeting @LCBDepot today
@Richard_TMC what will the weather be like today?
Sharing links
If you would like to share a website link or promote a website to your followers it is always a good idea to shorten the URL (the website title) first because you only have 140 characters per Tweet.
You can shorten your URL easily by copying the URL you wish to share and going to http://www.tinyurl.com/
on this website you will see a box which asks you to paste your long URL into and simply click make tiny URL and click access clipboard when the box appears. You will then be able to go to your Twitter status box and click paste to add the shortened link to the site you wish to share.
Hashtags #
The # symbol called hashtag is used to mark topics or keywords in Tweets. You will often find events such as conferences, meetings or courses have their own hashtag. This allows people to monitor, follow or keep up-to-date on events or subjects.
For instance, The Mighty Creatives used #AICDerby and #AICLincoln for the Adventures in Creativity Summer events 2011.
Retweets
On your ‘timeline’ you will see Tweets from all the people/organisations that you are following. A Retweet is where you simply Tweet someone else’s Tweet.
If you hover the cursor over a Tweet that you like you will then see three options appear: - Favourite/Retweet/Reply
If you want to share someone else’s Tweet with your followers simply click Retweet.
Favourite
This option allows you to add a star next to Tweets you like. You may want to use this function if a Tweet has a link on you wish to explore later but don’t have the time to look at it then.
You can then return to that Tweet later by clicking on your profile (either at the top of the screen or on the right hand column) and you’ll see your ‘favourites’ tab next to the timeline and your Tweets.
Reply
You can click this button to make a comment to someone’s Tweet. This button adds the persons @ Twitter name into your Tweet status box and allows you to type a message and when they receive it they’ll be able to see which of their Tweets you’re replying/commenting to by clicking on a small arrow which will appear at the end of the Tweet.
Searches
The search tab allows you to save your regular search subjects. For instance, if you wanted to keep up-to-date with a hashtag or particular word you could use the search box and save it so you can re-visit it at any point.
Lists
You may find it useful to group the people/organisations your following into lists. This allows you to then view the Tweets from a particular group in its own ‘timeline’.
For instance, you could choose to create a list of journalisrs. This way you’ll be able to view all journalists’ Tweets in a single ‘timeline’ without having to sift through your main ‘timeline’. This tool is useful if you follow lots of people or if you like to categorize subjects.
For instance, you could create lists for each region so that you view all the Tweets from people/organisations that live in Leicester under one ‘timeline’.
Trends
You will see the word Trends in the right hand column when you’re signed into your account which will list the most popular search words or hashtags being used on Twitter.
These are great for keeping up-to-date with popular worldwide discussions, topics and even sometimes great for finding out ‘news’ before the newsreaders know themselves.
Your Twitter settings
By clicking on your name in the top right hand corner when your logged in and choosing settings you can amend your profile and notifications.
Profile options: - photo/bio/location/web address/profile background/password/Twitter name
Notifications: - email alerts about direct messages, @metions, retweets and new followers
Applications: - linking your account with other accounts such as Linkedin, Foursquare etc
Mobile: - receiving update notifications via text messages
This was a basic guide to for those Twitter virgins. Please add comments if you would like to share your tips on using Twitter.
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