Hi again!

If you’re new to this blog, welcome! There’s only been one edition so far so you’re not far behind at all.

How was your week readers? Did you A) make the most of your hours for the week or B) just try and skate by until the weekend? Did you A) stay focussed and fulfil your purpose or did you B) feel demotivated or depressed by the current state of affairs?

It’s very easy in today’s world to answer B and I myself am often guilty of doing so, so if you did too, then this blog is for you… Because in today’s world of election waffle and media scandals, I’m here to enlighten you with a rush of inspiration to turn those answers from a B to an A. And if you’ve already answered A, then how about something to make you smile anyway alongside this bright Monday afternoon.

So, without further ado, here is your small burst and weekly roundup of positive news to start your day as you mean to go on, ready to kick the world’s butt.

 * New grants available to tackle child exploitation (TCE) – the TCE programme focusses around developing an effective strategy and aimed at multi-agency partnerships. There are bespoke support projects designed to complement local areas' existing efforts. It’s great to see the very human and humble approach that is being taken when reviewing the applications. They aren’t scoring applications or looking for ‘perfectly crafted bids’, they are looking for potential to make real change, which I think is just great.

* Do you want to meet some new amazing people this week? Are you a Person of Colour? Head to the #POCimpact speed mating event on Wednesday in Brixton and expand your network in the social impact sector. This is a great way to meet new people with similar interests and goals and potentially spark something special.

* Letting children flourish is super important, and @jossycare on Instagram has summed that up perfectly by highlighting a lovely story where a young boy was told not to doodle in class, but has now landed a job decorating an entire restaurant in his doodles!

@jossycare said “I Can't Stress Enough Let Children Be. Children Will Always Show Us Where They Need Watering The Most. For They Are Seeds On The Verge Of Blossoming Into Flowers…If We Just Be Still, And Look Out For The Signs. Take Away What We Think We Want For Them And Let Them Lead. This Is A Beautiful Example Of Just That.”

* Action for Children’s ground breaking programme diverting young people away from life of serious organised crime, is being extended and rolled out to three major cities. This project was first seen in Glasgow where 45 out of 49 young people did not re-offend after receiving support, including one teenager who had committed over 600 offences prior to the programme. It’s great to see the work our members do and we can’t wait to see the extension of this worthwhile project get off the ground.

* Something to watch out for this week – the UK youth parliament are meeting this Friday to debate and decide the most important issues to campaign on for the year ahead. The five issues to be debated are: protecting the environment, putting an end to knife crime, mental health, tackling hate crime and a curriculum to prepare us for life. See their ‘Make your Mark 2019’ report here. At Children England, we believe in putting children at the heart of society, so we will be following this event very closely. Look out for the results of the debate in a future edition.

That’s it from me, I hope you enjoyed this week’s edition of #makethemostofmonday. If you did, please share it using the hashtag above! If you feel you’re doing something super positive that should be included in next week's edition, drop us a line at [email protected]. I hope you have a lovely rest of your week and this has inspired you to not only keep going until Friday, but to give it your best possible shot 😊