Data on the young people that attended
What ethnicity does your young writer identify as?
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White British: 8 (50%)
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White and Asian: 1 (6%)
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Pakistani: 2 (13%)
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Black African: 1 (6%)
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Indian: 2 (13%)
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Arab: 1 (6%)
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Prefer not to say: 1 (6%)
How old is your young writer?
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9 years old: 1 (6%)
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11 years old: 3 (19%)
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12 years old: 4 (25%)
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13 years old: 3 (19%)
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14 years old: 2 (12%)
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15 years old: 2 (12%)
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Unknown: 1 (6%)
What gender does your young writer identify as?
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Male (he/him): 8 (50%)
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Female (she/her): 7 (44%)
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Prefer not to say: 1 (6%)
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How have my leadership skills developed during the project?
During this project I had amble opportunity to develop my leadership skills. An example of this was shown not only through my capacity as host but also within my role facilitator throughout the day. I took it upon myself to write poem about the days events and shared it at the start of the showcase:
Silver Arts award Epigraph:
C.S Lewis once said you can make anything by writing and today I set out to show the truth behind this quote.
We are building a future with being: We are both East of the sun and West of the moon, walking emotional damage in the middle of Lidl. We are picking at snacks and breaking pencils because we learnt that dreaming on an empty stomach is sleeping and we don't have have the time to rest today Too busy creating generousity with the endless tenebrosity of calling yourself a poet in the modern day. When Shakespeare is overly complicated, doughnuts are worth eating and searching for synonyms feels like fluffy socks on cold concrete.
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We have the power to ruin peoples lives but we chose to simply love:
waffles, marmosets, scorpions, chipmunks, broccoli and sunshine and we chose to do the
CONGA! CONGA! CONGA!
together despite all our differences and create days where change is made. Hoping we will inhale words.
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I believe this showed excellent leadership and was a development as it was an alternative way to make participants feel welcome and comfortable.
What were my biggest achievements and successes?
> The poem
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> The personalisation of each introduction as proved by my plan.
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> My ability to support other facilitators on the day of the event.
What have I learned about working with others?
During this project I have learnt a lot about working with others. A key example of when I had to work efficiently with someone is shown through my role as host as I co-hosted alongside Priya. This was an easy working relationship where we respected each others creativity and spotlight as well as leaning on the other for support when needed.
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However, working with others is not always easy, especially within the creative arts as peoples creativity and working style can often clash. During my time completing the award, if I found myself struggling to align with an individual I would speak openly about communication and attempt to understand their perspective, if I felt they were not listening to mine I would remind them that we are in this project together and must communicate effectively in order for the best possible outcome.
What did I learn from the feedback I received?
Anonymous feedback I received:
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> The showcase was the perfect conclusion to the day. It was great to see the attendees perform their work, and great to be part of one too!
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>Abi and Priya did an excellent job as hosts for the showcase, each introduction was personal and made the event feel professional and intimate. I hadn’t anticipated the pride I would feel when I saw the young people performing and how much their confidence had grown from the start of the day. It was a great opportunity for the parents and families to witness their passions for writing and performing.
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>So fun and memorable, a personal achievement and a dream come true.
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>It was so awesome to watch the little faces come to life as we introduced them and to watch them come to life in a way that would only be seen in a space like this.
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>Incredible to see all the work come together and all the love in the room. Truly a proud moment where I got to sit and enjoy both talent and positivity.
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What I learned:
This project has taught me that I enjoy the skill of hosting and the excitement of being responsible for facilitating creative events. I am truly excited to carry this forward into my work at Speak Easy.
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Next time, what would I do differently?
Plan more effectively before the day.