New social enterprise, Inside Out, which aims to give disadvantaged young people employable skills in business, fashion and retail, is launching a one-of-a-kind pop-up store, ‘Blank Canvas’, located in Westfield Stratford City.
Open from 19th – 28th April, the store will showcase and sell the Inside Out clothing brand – the UK’s first clothing range created, designed and hand produced by young ex-offenders. The pop-up, as well as offering prison leavers a way to build their skills and showcase their wares, will also help visitors to build their careers.
Blank Canvas will also play host to a series of exclusive and inspirational panel discussions, which will explore themes including ‘self confidence’, ‘diversity and inclusion’ and ‘being your own boss’. These will be hosted by project founders, Greg McKenzie and Zack Fortag, LinkedIn’s UK Country Manager, Janine Chamberlin and other guest speakers including Levi-Roots, Celebrity Chef and Author; Dawid Konotey-Ahulu, Co-Founder of 10,000 Black Interns; Kineta Kelsall, Senior Director Training (Social Media), Jellyfish; and Sonya Barlow, Founder of Like Minded Females and LinkedIn Changemaker.
In addition, a series of workshops will also take place on Thursday 21st and Tuesday 26th April, including how to craft the perfect CV run by the founder of the UK’s youngest recruitment agency, Harry Portch.
Attendees can also get free professional headshots and one-to-one career advice from LinkedIn career coaches who will be available at the pop-up on the 19th, 21st and 26th April. People signing up to attend will also be shown how to set up a professional LinkedIn Profile and get tips on how to build their network – a vital skill when looking for job opportunities.
The full Inside Out clothing range will also be available to buy from the online shop http://www.insideoutclothing.co.uk and all proceeds from sales go back into sustaining the social enterprise, which will enable Inside Out to support another group of young people. To bring the space to life a group of local graffiti artists will be painting murals of the young prison leavers taking part in the project; these will include a Linkedin QR code so people can connect to each of them on LinkedIn and add them to their network.
To find out more about the Inside Out x LinkedIn ‘Blank Canvas’ pop-up in London or to book a session, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/inside-out-x-linkedin-present-blank-canvas-256379
Inside Out x LinkedIn Pop-Up, Blank Canvas
Dates: Tuesday 19th – Thursday 28th April
Timings: Mon-Sat 10am – 6pm, and Sun 10am – 4pm
Activities: Professional headshots available on the 19th, 21st, 22nd, 26th and 27th April on a first come, first served basis between 11am – 2pm; Mentoring available on 19th, 21st and 26th April, some sessions are ticketed, and some drop in sessions are available on the day (see T&Cs); panel speaker sessions and workshops taking place on the 21st and 26th April, these are ticketed and can be booked here. Full schedule available in the booking link below.
Cost: Free – note some sessions are ticketed, see link here for T&Cs
Booking Link: Tickets available here and are on a first come, first serve basis (full T&Cs in the link)
Location: First floor, near John Lewis & Partners
Address: Westfield Stratford City, Montfichet Rd, London E20 1EJ
Nearest Tubes: Stratford Station
Thinking of dropping by? Let us know your thoughts and join the conversation on LinkedIn #InsideOutClothingProject
