Whether it's stewarding at a festival, writing for a magazine, or producing works of art, volunteering for creative projects is bound to get those juices flowing.

All | Carl | Catherine | Rhiannon | Mei | Gaby | Enlight Youth Group | Centrepoint

Monday Aug 30, 2010

Summer's nearly over - so the fun can start again

It's been a long while since I've been at Wilton, but even though the club has been closed for summer, we've still been working behind the scenes. And apart from some big changes in my voluntary life, I've also gone through some big changes in my personal life. Strangely, they connect rather well...

So to start with, the big news about Wilton. We got the funding! It's not as much as we applied for, but it's still a hefty sum considering the tight budget we were running on before. As with local authorities across the country, Hackney Council is currently experiencing funding cuts that will affect all their voluntary sector projects. Fortunately, the council have been really supportive and instead of saying "no" to us, they helped us reach a compromise.

Together with advice from Hackney Council, we managed to re-write the application and re-balance what we were asking for. This means that we can still run the music and media projects we were planning, just over a slightly longer time-scale and with less equipment. In a couple of weeks I'll be going back to Wilton to start the media project with Helen. I hope loads of the kids will join in since school will have started again and they'll need something to do indoors when the weather gets worse.

Helen has organised for Headliners to come in and do a taster session so we can establish what sort of journalism the kids will want to do: print, video, photography or radio. I've been to a Headliners taster session before so I know it's a fantastic organisation. They train young people in media skills and then, for some projects, actually get the stories featured in the national media. As all people in the youth sector know, it's notoriously difficult to get young people's views heard in the mainstream, so their role is really admirable. I'm sure the kids will get stuck in straight away and I'm really glad they're on board.

In my last blog, I also mentioned that I was writing for the Hackney Council Voluntary Services magazine, Spark, as a volunteer. I did this because I wanted to find out more about the voluntary sector and also to get some more journalistic experience. I went part-time from my job as a press officer for a youth charity in July so that I could start freelancing as a journalist. I wrote an article for them about their new strategy for the voluntary and community sector. It was interesting to learn how the private, voluntary and third sectors all interact in a borough and what changes are coming as the Government sets its new policies. You can read the article on the Spark Summer 2010 issue on pages 8-9.

And the big news about me? Well, I've got a new full-time job. In a couple of weeks I'll be starting work as a journalist for Children & Young People Now magazine and I'll be covering youth work. I'm so lucky that I'm going to be able to combine so many of my passions: youth issues, politics, writing and youth work. It sad to be leaving YouthNet, which is obviously the home of Do-it, but since I'm staying in the sector I'll still be in touch with all my old colleagues and I'll still be blogging about Wilton. I'm just another of the many bloggers here that demonstrate how volunteering can aid your career, and that's something I want to continue to promote.

I'll be back in a couple of weeks with news of how the first day back has gone. In the meantime, I've got to sort out my CRB certificate and see if I can still remember all the kids' names...wish me luck! 

Posted by GabyJ ( 2:19 PM )
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Friday Jul 02, 2010

Good things come in threes

This week has been an extra special one from the perspective of volunteering. We reached the end of our ten-week music and film project at Wilton, I've started volunteering on another project and we have been interviewed by Hackney Council Voluntary Services (HCVS) about our funding application. It's been crazy busy but very exciting.

On Tuesday, Rolling Sound organised an awards ceremony for everyone at the youth club. After ten weeks of learning how to shoot videos, edit film, produce music and interview each other, everyone deserved recognition for their hard work and improvements. The kids were really over excited about it and couldn't keep quiet all the way through. We lined up the chairs in rows like a real ceremony, and Colin from Rolling Sound was reading out the prizes at the front, BAFTA style. Each time a category was announced everyone shouted out who they thought it would be. It is so loud when they all shout at the same time and it was impossible to keep them quiet! Each person got a certificate and had their picture taken. Even thought they were rowdy, you could tell they enjoyed it and some of them genuinely looked surprised and beamed when they heard their name.

The second part of the evening was to watch the films they'd made. We handed out popcorn to make it a bit special and watched the short clips they'd put together. Honestly, I was so impressed by the quality of their work and the results were really funny in places. Mostly they were just interviews with each other about career choices or their lives, but with the music they made playing over the images, they really came to life. It was an exhausting session trying to control the kids' excitement, but a lot of fun.

On Wednesday I finally met Gillian, a member of HCVS, who I'd been in touch with about writing for Spark, the organisation's magazine. We met at Wilton back in April, and finally she called last week to ask to meet to talk through what I can do. I was really grateful as I'm currently changing my career direction and going back to journalism. I'm still going to work at YouthNet part time, but otherwise I'll be trying to develop myself as a freelance journalist. So writing for Spark will be great practice and a chance to meet more people.

Instead of meeting in a café, Gillian invited me to an art exhibition put on by one of the projects they support. It took me a little while to find it, cycling around on a sweltering day, but it was so wonderful. The walls were covered in beautiful, colourful pictures created through an art therapy project for children and young people in the local area. There were some really interesting speeches about how it all works and how the therapy can benefit people, as well as a raffle and many friendly, inspiring people. It was so much fun and a great introduction to the kind of events I will hopefully be covering for Spark in the future. First of all, they want me to write a piece about budget cuts - something nice and juicy to get stuck in to. I'm going to get started as soon as I'm back from holiday.

So finally, this week we heard back from the council about our funding application. It got through to the next level and they wanted to interview youth club members about our ideas for a magazine and music project. I couldn't go to the meeting, but Joe (another Wilton volunteer) reported back that it had gone really well. I'm off on holiday for a week now, so I'll be keeping my fingers crossed on the beach! It would be so amazing to get that support and do some great work with the kids. One thing working with Rolling Sound has taught me is that they really love getting on with things, and if you can provide them with the right equipment, they produce so much. I really hope to have good news later in the month.

Posted by GabyJ ( 6:15 PM )
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Saturday Jun 12, 2010

We're setting up a magazine!

The last thing I wanted to do as a volunteer was paperwork. I do enough of that in my day job to last me a lifetime. So when the other volunteers at Wilton began talking about a meeting to discuss a funding bid, I wasn't overjoyed. That is, until I found out what it was for.

This week, all the volunteers, Sheila (who runs the club) and I have sat down to put together an application for money that will enable us to create a magazine for the young people, and a proper music project. Brilliant! As a trained journalist, it's exactly what I want to do. So putting a few hours into a document now will be completely worth the reward if we get the money. I can't wait!

A magazine is something Helen, who is the volunteer coordinator, has wanted to do for some time. We want to get some Mac Books so we can do proper design work, digital cameras, dictaphones – everything the young people need to become journalists. If we only get a little money, then we'll publish the magazine online. But if we get more, then we can actually print and distribute issues around the local area. It's a great way to improve the image of young people and integrate the estate into the community. It's also incredibly beneficial to the young people, who will learn new skills and have something to show for themselves when they're applying for jobs or education courses.

I'm also quite relieved that I can work on something I really know about. The plan to do drama workshops would have worked out, but I would have had to do a lot of research. Whereas this is something I'm truly passionate about and know exactly how it will work. I really hope we get the money, because young people are so creative and have such good ideas - I know they could produce something original and engaging.

Because I've never set up a publication before, I decided to get some help from an expert. I spoke to Andy, who set up Haringey's award-winning youth publication, Exposure. Andy gave me some excellent advice and invited me to visit their offices. I'll definitely take up his offer as it will be invaluable to see how they operate. The organisation has been going since 1996, and in that time has published over 100 copies of the magazine. Pretty impressive.

The bid took ages to write, and it was all thanks to Joe (who is one of the musicians at the club) that it was completed on time. His ideas for the music project would really transform what the young people can do. He wants to get new instruments, production software and, thankfully, soundproof one of the rooms at the centre. Definitely something we need! We have to wait six weeks for the results of our application - fingers crossed...

So I'm really enthusiastic about Wilton at the moment, and my experiences as a volunteer so far show that it opens up massive opportunities. I've met some great people, we've got a great plan, and if we get the money, I'll be able to teach young people how to be journalists. There's nothing I'd rather be doing with my spare time.

Posted by GabyJ ( 12:00 AM )
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Tuesday May 11, 2010

What does he know?

It's been three weeks since Rolling Sound started their music and digital workshops at Wilton, and although I have missed one week, I'm feeling part of the team and closer to the kids already.
I thought it would be helpful to set the scene of the youth club, since people reading this might find it hard to picture. Basically, the estate is only three-storeys high and is a square of flats with a big quad in the middle. The youth club sits in the centre, with a football pitch, basket ball courts and community gardens around it. It has bright patterns and pictures pained on some of the walls and gaps are filled with flower-beds (tended to by the residents). It's not at all the depressing high-rise estate so often depicted on tv.

Inside the centre, there are a few small rooms with one bigger in the middle. This is where Rolling Sound set up their equipment - laptops connected to small keyboards for music making, laptops for film editing, and small hand-held cameras for filming.

I've started cycling to Wilton which gets me there much quicker after work. When I arrive, I help set-up and chat to the others. Sheila gets the tea out, which is a life-saver after a full-day's work. The other volunteers have a lot of experience working with young people and are generally more relaxed and confident with the kids than I am. Many of them work at other youth centres, schools and community projects and they know what the kids are interested in. Although I work in a young person's charity, I work in the media and PR team, so my expertise is really in press and writing. I'm also used to working with people aged 16 plus, so my conversation topics are not exactly suited to ten-year-olds. And I definitely need to work on my discipline - I just find some of the things they say so funny that I forget to tell them when they've done something wrong. But I think I'm getting better.

Tonight, about ten people came along and the centre was alive with young people making music, playing the drums, editing film they'd shot in previous weeks, and designing logos for the films. I really had alot of fun. I spent some of the evening drawing and chatting to the young boys about school and how keeping your bedroom tidy is a real pain. Also about Facebook - which they're all on (it's complete rubbish that Facebook claims it's for over 13-year-olds). Some of the boys can draw really well and stay concentrating for the whole two hours.

I tried to help them with the music editing software, but honestly, I don't know how it works. In the end I got one of the girls to show me - she's only about ten. It amazes me that they all use these programmes at home and are making music from such a young age. I imagine what the music scene will be like in the future with everyone able to produce their own tracks - it's going to be brilliant.

It was such a great feeling that people stayed longer than they were meant to. We had to ask people to leave, whereas in the first week, numbers had fizzled out before 8pm. But truthfully I'm still a very long way from understanding what's going on. There have been some more incidents at the estate in the last couple of weeks, and the police were in today. I think they were there mostly to try and be friendly, but I couldn't help feeling that these evenings that feel so free and fun are often tempered by less pleasant events.

One of the members of Rolling Sound had a particularly bad experience with some pupils at the school where he teaches today. I won't go into details, but it involved knives and gangs - all the terms you hear bandied about by the media. Except today, a terrible and unthinkable incident really happened to him and he seemed quite shaken up. It made me think - who are we who say we understand these problems? I work for a young people's charity and I think I know what I'm talking about, but really, I don't. People like him and the others who work with young people - they know. Only they could really describe how deep these problems are, but even they can't suggest a solution. And if they can't, who can?

I think it's fitting I'm having these thoughts on the day when David Cameron has walked into Number 10 as our new prime minister. What does he know? I'd like to see him really face these issues.

Posted by GabyJ ( 10:00 PM )
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Monday Apr 26, 2010

Time to get creative

I was right about Sheila - she has utmost respect from the young people on the estate. Last week she was telling me how the young residents call out her name as she's crossing the quad at night. They recognise her in the dark and always announce her arrival in some way. One of the boys has recently taken to singing her name when he sees her. Just at that moment, there's a yell from outside the door: "Sheeiiillla!" We all laugh, and she shouts back at him: "You'd better be careful – people will think you've got a girlfriend called Sheila!" she's a real legend, and her commitment to the club is endless.

I went to the centre last week to chat more with her about what I can do there, and to meet Helen, another of the volunteers. It was a really productive meeting and the good news is that a local group that runs creative workshops, Rolling Sound, have agreed to hold sessions for the next ten weeks. Tomorrow is the first day, and I'm going to help facilitate.

I'm really pleased about this as I've been a bit unsure about what to do with the whole arts idea. It's difficult to plan something when you don't know your audience and aren't a trained youth worker. I love working with words and exploring texts, but I know that doesn't appeal to everyone. The last thing I want to do is lose the young people's interest from day one.

I chatted through these thoughts with Sheila and Helen and they agreed that by starting off with the Rolling Sound project, I can get to know the young people better and plan sessions for the future with more insight. They told me that the members had responded really well to drama in the past and that, probably, was the best sort of session to do. I still don't know what sort of drama to choose, but now I've got ten weeks to watch, learn, and create.

So, from tomorrow the centre should get a big injection of enthusiasm. We'll be filming, editing, making animations...all sorts of fun and useful activities. When I arrived the meeting last week, some of the younger members were busy doing circuit training outside. Now that summer's here, we can use all the outdoor space - which is green and plentiful. It's going to be great for filming. 

It's been a difficult few weeks at Wilton as a couple of incidents in the area led the police to advise the centre be closed. I don't know much about why, but it was a shame that over Easter there was nowhere for the young people to go. I don't know if this sort of thing happens often, or how it affects the young residents. It's not something I had to deal with growing up, but maybe for them it's more common and they don't take it so badly? I'm just hoping that it can all be forgotten now the centre is open again and everyone can start having fun. I've met a few of the members and am feeling more involved. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow.

Posted by GabyJ ( 12:00 AM )
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Thursday Apr 01, 2010

A special Saturday

On Saturday my friend and I went to the youth centre for a special photographic exhibition. It was one of those days when it rains suddenly for ten minutes, then the sun comes out so everything is sparkling. The estate looked great in this light, and with the sound of the reggae music pounding from the hall, I felt really relaxed and positive.

Inside, so much was going on. About four musicians were jamming in the main room, with art going on in another and T-shirt printing at the back. There were loads of kids eating biscuits and getting involved. We found Sheila and after a quick chat, went into the room where a local art therapy project, Hands Inc, were displaying some pictures done by young people.

The pictures were the result of a previous workshop where young people had been asked to think of words to describe their lives, and choose colours that represented certain emotions. The results were very moving and some really accomplished. I've included a few of the best ones below. They reminded me that although this morning was so full of light, music and everyone having a good time, it's not always like that. The amount of drawings relating to knives and drugs was so sad - not what you'd want to find if you asked a young person to draw what was their mind.

My friend and I sat down with two young boys who were drawing and we started attacking the paper with coloured pencils and pastels. Their pictures were much better, and I don't think they were especially impressed with our artistic skills! So we went next door to listen to the music and look at the photos.

Despite the loud volume (again!) we got talking to Katie who works for Hackney Council Voluntary Service, and who was involved in organising the day. She explained that they are looking for people to write for their magazine, Spark, and asked if I could help. I'd really like to do this, as it's a great way to get out and about and see what people are doing. Katie also took us to see the screen printing. There was a whole bunch of children carefully drawing pictures which would be converted on to a T-shirt by an overalled lady in the corner. We wanted to have a go, but time was running out and we had to get going.

I really enjoyed myself and I'm glad I got to see the centre so full of people. It's easier to imagine running a session now I've seen how the space can be used. I've got in touch with the other volunteer to try and set up a meeting about what creative sessions we can do, but it's going to have to wait until after Easter now. Still - small steps!

 

Posted by GabyJ ( 12:00 AM )
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Thursday Mar 25, 2010

Hackney craft club

On the way to the Wilton Estate Youth Club in Hackney last week, I wasn't sure what to expect. I found the opportunity on Do-it and it sounded exactly like a place I'd like to be: somewhere young people can come after school, meet their mates, play games or sports, and generally have more fun than standing in the street. It's the kind of place I used to go to when I was younger, and although things have changed since then, I think the desire to be sociable is still what comes first for young people. It's what many adults would have you forget if you believe what's written in the papers.
 
I work for YouthNet, the young people's charity that runs Do-it, so it's my job to know what's going on in the youth sector. But because we're an online charity I don't have daily contact with young people, and I miss out on all the great company they can offer. So wanting to volunteer at a youth club is as much about what I want as it is about helping in the community. I can't wait to spend time with young minds that are so full of good ideas and enthusiasm. I'm sure there will be challenges, but I'm more focused on all the fun it's going to be.
 
I met Sheila, who is a resident on the estate and has run the club for a few years now. She has complete respect from the young people and I admire her authority. As this was my first visit, we were just planning to have a chat about what I might be able to do there. I'm keen to help out on some arts projects, especially to do with writing or poetry, as it's something I've not had much of a chance to do since university. I hope there will be some young people who are captured by a line in a book or poem and who will be inspired.
 
As it turned out, Tuesday was music night, so our chat was more of a shout. It didn't matter at all - I was so impressed by the children playing the drums and guitars. The music teacher (I haven't got anyone's names down yet) explained to me that the kids only get one lesson a week and can't practice at home because they don't have any instruments. So progress is slow. Even so, I've never seen a 12-year-old play the drums so well. They were really enjoying themselves.
 
Sheila explained that there aren't many volunteers at the moment, so many of the plans they have are temporarily on hold. They want to run a different theme for every night of the week to make best use of the space. It doesn't look like a big building at first - there's no one big room, at but it has a few good-sized rooms and a kitchen too. She tells me that music and sports already take up two nights, so a homework club and arts evening would be good additions. We agree she'll put me in touch with another volunteer so that we can talk about arts ideas.
 
So after the first meeting, I feel like I have a huge opportunity to bring my own ideas to the table. On the bus back to Finsbury Park, where I live, I feel excited, but also know that I've never done any teaching or arts sessions before, so I'm going to have to do some research. I think the best idea is to speak to the young people themselves and ask them what they want. I also hope some arts projects might attract more females. There was only one girl there the night I visited, and she said hardly any girls come.
 
Next time, I hope I'll speak to more of the young people and get to know them better. My background is completely different from theirs – I was brought up in Reading which is a small town compared to London, but I know we'll all get on. I can't wait to get stuck in.

Posted by GabyJ ( 3:01 PM )
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