Tag Archives: model

Kate Adjike launches scheme to help young London gang members out of crime

Posted on by

Kidulthood actress, model and singer Kate Adjike launches UK’s first scheme to help young London gang members out of crime through performing arts.

Gang members from across the Capital are being offered the “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to escape a life of crime…and appear on the Big Screen.

From today, troubled teens will be offered free lessons in singing and performance arts as part of a new charitable initiative.

They will receive 10 hour-long sessions with trained professionals where they can hone their dancing, singing and acting skills.

The most promising students will be promoted to the UK’s TV and film industry, and to theatre producers in the West End.

No qualifications are needed, but students must show a “willingness to learn and a passion for acting”.

The pioneering scheme – the first of its kind in the world – launches at Battersea-based performance arts centre, The Kate Academy, next month.

Its owner Kate Ajike hopes to help youngsters escape a life of “violence, crime and despair” by introducing them to the “beautiful arts”.

Speaking yesterday Ajike, the star of 2006 British film Kidulthood, said: “This scheme is about helping some of the most vulnerable members of our society.

“I am not for a moment condoning their behaviour, but I do understand how incredibly desperate many of these young people are.

“The vast majority do not have a way out of a life of crime, despite a genuine desire to do something with their lives.”

Ajike, a philanthropist who launched Kate Academy in 2007, added: “It is my hope that we can help a small proportion of these people – the diamonds in the rough, so to speak – and catapult them into a good, honest life in the arts.”

The scheme is open to all youngsters in London aged between 16 and 25 – including those responsible for the August riots – but only five places will be available each year.

Ajike said she hopes to help up to 500 gang members in the next few years, adding: “This is a last-chance saloon – the once-in-a-lifetime chance for gang members to escape a life of violence, drugs and street crime.”

To apply to The Kate Academy visit www.kateacademy.org.uk/apply, email hello@kateacademy.org.uk, or call 0203 4896574/ 07983 734668.

Caprice & American InterContinental University celebrate Thanksgiving with Meals For Homeless

Posted on by

U.S. supermodel Caprice and American InterContinental University celebrate Thanksgiving with a meal for the homeless for second year running

Supermodel Caprice, along with students from American InterContinental University London, celebrated their heritage and the American holiday of Thanksgiving yesterday, 23rd November by providing a meal for homeless women for the second year running.

Supermodel Caprice, who is renowned for being an ‘all-American’ girl joined in the festivities by helping to carve the giant turkey and serve out the dinner – waving American flags all the way. AIU London students were also on hand to serve out the traditional Thanksgiving meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato, stuffing, and gravy. American flags and pumpkins decorated the room as the women enjoyed the seasonal feast.

Caprice said: “I’m so delighted to be sharing the spirit of Thanksgiving with the women of the Marylebone Project and the students of AIU London for the second year in a row. An American Thanksgiving is all about bringing people together, so to be able to celebrate with these inspiring women is a real honour.”

The roast turkey meal was provided to more than 60 homeless women at the Marylebone Project, based on Cosway Street, in Marylebone London. The Marylebone Project works with vulnerable homeless women to help empower them towards independent living through making informed choices.

Dr. Randolf Cooper, Campus Director and VP of Academic Affairs at AIU London, which is also based in Marylebone, said: “Thanksgiving arrived in America with the Pilgrims in the autumn of 1621, when the 53 surviving Pilgrims celebrated their successful harvest, as was the English custom. Today Americans celebrate Thanksgiving without a religious connotation; the emphasis is on abundance and family. We are happy to share that spirit with the community and delighted that our students can be involved in supporting a local charity such as the Marylebone Project.”

Established in 1978, AIU London offers a wide range of U.S. associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Fashion, Visual Communication, Interior design and Business. AIU London design programs are validated by the University for the Creative Arts www.ucreative.ac.uk to award BA (Hons) degrees in Fashion Design, Fashion Marketing, Fashion Marketing and Design, Interior Design and Visual Communication. The AIU London business program is validated by Buckinghamshire New University www.bucks.ac.uk to award BA (Hons) degrees in Business Administration.”

AIU is accredited in the United States by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, a regional accrediting body for U.S. degrees.

For more information, please visit http://www.aiuniv.edu/London

LONDON PROMOTES: New Rights For Models

Posted on by

Victoria Keon-Cohen has spent the last ten years working as a fashion model and knows both the highs and lows of the job. “I hated modelling for a long time because of the isolation. I was constantly gritting my teeth to get through the day. The industry is a far cry from what it was in the 1980s; there is now an oversupply of labour, and models are seen as disposable.”

Victoria describes the difficulties of the profession: “I was working in Milan and felt like I was a dog in the gutter half the time. I spent four hours every night in the gym just from loneliness. I had never been so unhappy in my life. The final pushing point came when I had a serious conflict with my agency, so I left.” After quitting the profession she moved back to London to study. Whilst there she met with Dunja Knezevic, a fellow model and friend, and they talked about their dissatisfaction at the industry.

“We exchanged stories of frustration. We’d both had great experiences as well but the inconsistencies were intolerable. One day a girl was dancing in the park for money to get a motel because her agency refuses to advance [money for] their own flat, the next day she’s in a luxurious villa in Spain” said Victoria.

Their conversation led them to consult Equity, the union for performers in the entertainment industry, and ask them to allow models to join. Towards the end of 2007 they succeeded in their request and the Equity Models Committee was formed.

One of the Committee’s biggest successes occurred last year when Equity, working alongside the British Fashion Council (BFC) as part of the Model Programme, introduced the first ever catwalk contract for London Fashion Week, setting out minimum rates of pay, private changing areas, breaks and refreshments. It also included a clause stating that nudity or semi-nudity must be agreed in advance, helping younger and more vulnerable models avoid being pressured into agreeing work that makes them uncomfortable.

This year Victoria, Dunja and the rest of the committee are focusing on a campaign called London Promotes in association with the BFC and the Model Programme. The campaign will include a viral video due to be shown on fashion blogs, social networking sites and both the BFC and Equity websites. The name highlights the important aspects of the campaign:

Privacy: care and backstage code of conduct.

Rates: ensures payment at least equal to the Model Programme recommended minimums.

Opportunities: for models to obtain prestigious British and international campaigns.

Model Programme: an alliance of the AMA, BFC and the Greater London Authority (GLA) working together for models’ welfare.

Of Age: Only models over 16 walking on the London Fashion Week catwalks.

Terms: conditions of employment covered by the Model Programme’s minimum terms.

Equity: joining the Union for models offers the right to Union protection.

Sanctuary: The Models Sanctuary provides a safe haven for models working during London Fashion Week.

One of the key benefits of union representation for models is legal support in case of any dispute with an agency or client, as well as facial insurance in case of accident. Dunja gives this advice to models starting out in the industry: “Join the union before you have an issue at work because Equity cannot help with any problems you may have had before becoming a member.”

She goes to give a realistic view of the job: “It’s nothing like what you would expect so treat it as the serious business that it is. Forget the glamour and exorbitant cheques. But expect an incredible experience of travel and making connections that you never would have made otherwise.”

This latest campaign looks set to change the fashion industry for the better once again at London Fashion Week. As Victoria explains, “London Promotes is looking to the future for an industry built on respect and support, with opportunities and a strong network of collaboration between Equity, the Models Programme and the Mayor’s office [GLA]. It’s a massive turning point for an industry where no one is just out for themselves anymore; it acknowledges that we have to work together for a stronger workplace for us all.”

Alexa Brown is an actress and model and a member of the Equity Model’s Committee. www.alexabrown.co.uk

This article was previously published in the September issue of Style Capital magazine.