I’m becoming the person I’ve always wanted to be because of Creativity Works

I’d received a lot of rejections from job applications at the beginning of 2020, so I considered applying to training programmes or apprenticeships. At this time, I wasn’t in education, I was experiencing a family breakdown and having housing issues, so I contacted the Prince’s Trust and attended their Get Hired event. Here, I discovered Media Trust and their Creativity Works programme.

I was a part of Creativity Works Season 10. I had expected the training to be good, but it surpassed my expectations – it was fantastic! A standout moment for me was when I received positive feedback from my fellow trainees and the public on an article I’d written about Instagram DJs. You can read it here.

As part of the programme, we had the chance to be mentored by an industry expert. I was so happy to be matched with my first choice, Cyan Turan from Hearst. Cyan really helped me focus on what career I wanted and worked with me to plan how I would get there. It made me certain that I wanted to pursue a career doing marketing in the arts, culture and heritage sector.

Kicking off my career

During the programme, the Media Trust team forwarded me a creative opportunity by the funders of the Creativity Works programme, Mayors Fund for London. I applied and was commissioned by them for spoken word pieces on racial equality and the social and economic effects of Covid-19 on unemployment. Having this chance really encouraged me to apply for more creative opportunities.

Since leaving the training programme, things have been looking up for me. I worked as a Digital Marketing and Project Assistant with the Arts and Culture team at the University of Southampton and have just started a new role as Social Media Assistant at the Carnival Village Trust. They are a development agency for carnival arts and are the parent organisation for Notting Hill Carnival, The Tabernacle and The Yaa Centre. Communications and content creation are a main part of this role so I’m developing my skills even more. Plus, I get to learn about, celebrate and promote my Caribbean heritage which is the best thing!

Media Trust is looking out for young people like me

To anyone thinking of applying to Media Trust’s youth programmes, I would say you should one hundred percent go for it. You’ll earn so many valuable skills like writing, networking, presenting, videography and photography. Plus, all the industry knowledge will set you ahead in interviews.

Taking part in Creativity Works has definitely helped me to achieve my goals. I feel much more confident now than when I first started. I’m becoming the person I’ve always wanted to be, and Media Trust has helped me on that journey.