Posted 28 September 2023
Nataliya, Artistic Director at the arts organisation Unique Community, took part in our John Lyon's Charity Communications Capacity Building Programme. Like many charities, Unique Community has limited time, budget and resources. With the help of our dedicated mentors and volunteers, Unique Community has really improved its use of social media to communicate its vision: everyone deserves a safe space where they can explore, create and thrive.
Unique Community is an arts organisation dedicated to nurturing creativity, promoting social inclusion and making daring new art, based in North West London. We work with people from traditionally marginalised and/or vulnerable backgrounds, such as refugees, across Brent Youth Theatre and School Programs. We also have bespoke community projects, like The Stork Project, which is an intergenerational arts workshop for refugees.
Our journey with Media Trust and the Communications Capacity Building Programme began when we were introduced to their programme by one of our main funders, John Lyon’s Charity, which works with Media Trust on the programme. We realised that we needed help with planning our social media content for the year and wanted to explore what works, what doesn’t, and share our ideas. We also hoped to get feedback on our existing social media posts.
In complete honesty, we were also hoping to gather some useful feedback on what we were already doing – and Media Trust helped us get this!
Media Trust and the John Lyon’s Charity Communications Capacity Building Programme didn’t just provide us with generic guidance; they tailored their support to our specific organisational needs. We received invaluable feedback on our website and social media strategies, which was incredibly helpful since these areas aren’t our specialties. We were in the process of creating an annual plan that fitted the needs of our community and funders, and Media Trust played a pivotal role in shaping this plan.
The knowledge and expertise of the trainers were top-notch. We were especially grateful for the volunteers who helped us create a dynamic presentation deck using platforms like TikTok. However, the highlight of the program was our introduction to LinkedIn, a platform we hadn’t previously explored. Learning about its potential for networking and outreach was a game-changer for us.
We are still learning, but it was unbelievably useful!
The impact of Media Trust’s support on Unique Community Charity has been profound. We’re now much more confident in using social media and managing our website, even with our limited resources as a relatively small charity. We’ve seen a definite improvement in our online presence and engagement, which has translated into greater community awareness and support.
It’s worth it and doesn’t require time-draining commitment. We are so grateful!
With these newfound skills, we can reach out to our audience more effectively, share our artistic work, and, most importantly, connect with the people we aim to serve. Our improved online communication has allowed us to tell the stories of those from marginalised backgrounds, increasing understanding and empathy in our wider community.
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