Category Archives: Latest News – 2024

John Lyon’s Charity Announces New Directorate Structure Following Departure of Long-Serving Grants Director

Posted on by

One of London’s leading Grant-Givers in the Children and Young People’s sector, John Lyon’s Charity, announces their plans to adopt a new Directorate structure, effective from 1st September. This organisational model shift follows the news that Cathryn Pender, the Charity’s esteemed Grants Director, will be stepping down after 34 years of dedicated service. 

Dr Lynne Guyton, Chief Executive Officer of John Lyon’s Charity, comments: “After much consideration and discussion of different organisational models with the Charity’s Management Board, I am delighted to announce we will be promoting the Charity’s current Senior Grants Managers – Anna Hoddinott, Erik Mesel, and Karen Millen – to Grants Directors, each responsible for a different area of the Charity’s work.” 

Under the new structure, their roles will be as follows: 

  • Erik Mesel – Director of Public Policy & Partnerships 

Anna, Erik, and Karen will begin their new roles in September and are committed to maintaining the Charity’s legacy while exploring new ways to effectively allocate grants for the maximum benefit of children and young people in the Beneficial Area. 

Cathryn Pender, the Charity’s hugely respected and experienced Grants Director, will be stepping down after over thirty years. Reflecting on Cathryn’s time at John Lyon’s Charity, Guyton comments: 

“Cathryn has been instrumental in the creation of John Lyon’s Charity, shaping the direction, style, and ethos from the very beginning.  She started working for the late Andrew Stebbings, Clerk to the Trustee at Harrow School and assisted him in laying the foundations for what was to become one of the leading children and young people’s funders in the UK. 

Alongside the Charity’s first Grants Director, David Robins, Cathryn developed the Charity’s grant-giving methodology and the principles that still underpin how we work today. 

It is without doubt that without Cathryn and her unwavering commitment to furthering the cause for children and young people, both the Charity and the Beneficial Area would look very different today and we are going to miss her very much. “ 

John Lyon’s Charity looks forward to this new chapter and remains committed to its mission of transforming the lives of Children and Young People in the Beneficial Area to learn, grow and develop through education.

John Lyon’s Charity ring-fences half a million pounds to revolutionise career opportunities for young people with disabilities following latest report findings

Posted on by

Since 1991, one of London’s biggest grant-giving Funders, John Lyon’s Charity (JLC), has transformed the lives of children and young people through educational opportunities.  

The Charity’s latest report, entitled A New Perspective, was published on 11th June as the next instalment in JLC’s Perspective series of reports, and advocates for more high-quality, accessible arts and cultural programmes for D/deaf, visually impaired, disabled, and neurodivergent young people. 

Following discussions with special schools, charities, and Arts organisations, the report identified the urgent need for investment in employment opportunities and support systems for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities as they transition out of education and into the world of work, due to the significant barriers faced. The report also identified that Special schools believe that career pathways in the Arts sector are limited, with a staggering three-quarters of schools interviewed estimating that less than 10% of the available pathways are within the Arts.

Supporting the report’s findings, research commissioned by the Charity shows: 

A staggering 42% of UK adults believe that the traditional education system which leads into the professional career pathway in the UK is not effective for individuals who are either deaf, disabled and or neurodiverse.1 

58% of decision makers in the UK either do not offer or are unsure of the career opportunities for young people who are deaf, disabled or neurodivergent within their company.2 

The three key barriers that UK adults believe to affect the professional careers of individuals who are either deaf, disabled or neurodiverse are lack of understanding of appropriate needs (34%), lack of opportunities (33%) and discrimination from companies (28%).3 

Recent data by the House of Commons revealed that from October to December 2023, the rate of employment for disabled people was 54.2% compared to 82.0% for people who were not disabled, meaning that the disability employability gap was 27.9 percentage points.4 

Dr. Lynne Guyton, CEO of John Lyon’s Charity reflects on these figures and comments: “This just isn’t good enough. We want our new report to challenge Policy Makers, Funders, Arts organisations, and businesses across the board to reevaluate their offering when it comes to people with learning and access needs. We want those who are able to implement vital changes to really ask themselves “are we doing enough?” because the sad reality is, the answer is no!”. 

John Lyon’s Charity has ring-fenced half a million pounds through its Home-School-Community Strategy, (the Charity’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and Cost of Living crisis) to create a blueprint of best practice for increasing the number of inclusive work opportunities across the Arts sector and to provide capacity-building information sessions for Arts organisations interested in creating more inclusive working environments. To do this effectively, the Charity is working with Pursuing Independent Paths (PIP) who will be supporting both the host Arts organisations and the individual young people, to make their internship placements a success.

Lynne continued: “Through our funding opportunities we want to encourage more employers to use our new report, resources and initiatives as a guide to offer long term work placements and permanent job opportunities for disabled people.”  

Shardonnay Roseman, a student at PIP, was recruited as an Office Assistant at John Lyon’s Charity through its supported internship for adults with learning disabilities and autism.  She comments:  Through JLC’s internship, I have gained valuable experience welcoming guests and organising daily office operations. I’m lucky to have this opportunity, but many others like me need similar chances.” 

Demonstrating its commitment to increasing opportunities available for D/deaf, visually impaired, disabled, and neurodivergent young people, the Charity launched its inaugural podcast series, Stronger Voices Together, which is hosted by esteemed disability activist, Lucy Edwards. 

You can continue your exploration into the diverse world of disability and inclusion by listening to the most recent episode ‘Building Career Pathways – Uncovering Untapped Potential’, featuring Shardonnay Roseman, which reflects on the benefits of inclusion in the workplace and calls for the systematic change needed to bridge the employability gap.

Funding is available to Arts and Cultural organisations that meet the Charity’s funding criteria.   

For more information on internship funding, please click here. 

To read the A New Perspective report, please click here. 

To listen to the latest ‘Stronger Voices Together’ podcast episode, please click here. 

To find out more about JLC’s funding opportunities, please visit www.jlc.london.

[1]
John Lyon’s Charity
2,000 UK adults, aged 18+
24.05.2024 – 28.05.2024

[2]
John Lyons Charity
2002 natrep 16+
06.10.2023 – 09.10.2023

[3]
John Lyon’s Charity
2,000 UK adults, aged 18+
24.05.2024 – 28.05.2024

[4] https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7540/CBP-7540.pdf

John Lyon’s Charity advocates for increased inclusion through the launch of their inaugural podcast series.

Posted on by

‘Stronger Voices Together’ is a podcast series brought to you by John Lyon’s Charity, that is dedicated to exploring the diverse realm of disability and inclusion.

This series unfolds over five compelling episodes, which will be released every two weeks starting from Tuesday 23rd April, and will explore critical topics that the Charity has identified through consultation with partners as part of their Perspectives series, including special schools, Arts organisations and other funders.   

‘Stronger Voices Together’, a podcast brought to you by John Lyon’s Charity and hosted by esteemed disability activist Lucy Edwards, promises to unravel the narratives, challenges, and successes within the world of disability, with a particular focus on Arts and cultural engagement.

The first episode focuses the importance of bridging the cultural capital gap, and other episodes tackle topics such as the implementation of inclusive practice and language and the progression of inclusion needed in both personal and professional spheres. Through engaging discussions and insights from experts, advocates, and young people, ‘Stronger Voices Together’ will be offering actionable solutions for positive change.  

Lucy Edwards, Host of ‘Stronger Voices Together’, reflects on why she wanted to get involved with this initiative: “It is so important to be seen and heard when you have a disability. Representation is everything and seeing me as the podcast host is empowering. Young people need to know that they are not alone and that there are people and organisations out there that want to help them thrive.  I got to talk to so many like-minded people including disabled young people, parents, carers, thought leaders, and the organisations where there are young people with disabilities are involved.”  

Stronger Voices Together features as part of John Lyon’s Charity’s latest edition to their Perspectives series, A New Perspective – a series of reports that aims to promote the provision of inclusive opportunities for D/deaf, visually impaired, disabled and neurodivergent young people.  

Dr. Lynne Guyton, CEO of John Lyon’s Charity shares: “Through our Perspectives series, we’ve challenged arts organisations, special schools, music hubs, and other funders to rethink opportunities for young people with special educational needs and disabilities. We have already catalysed significant changes in the relationships between the arts sector and special schools and maintain a long-term commitment to fostering collaborations and partnerships that demonstrate best practice.”  

“However, there is still much work to be done, which is why we’ve identified the crucial need for the ‘Stronger Voices Together’ podcast. It serves as a platform to advance our shared mission by amplifying the voices of key stakeholders committed to best practice, enabling them to voice the issues present and promote the provision of inclusive opportunities for all.”  

The first episode of Stronger Voices Together launched on Tuesday 23rd April, and episodes will be released every two weeks. Released episodes can be accessed audibly on Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music, and can be watched on YouTube, Vimeo and the John Lyon’s Charity website via the following link: https://www.jlc.london/grants/jlc-extra/cultural-inclusion/stronger-voices-podcast/  

Join the conversation and tune in to ‘Stronger Voices Together’, as John Lyon’s Charity continues its commitment to championing inclusivity and amplifying the voices of those at the forefront of change.