Good For Nothing
v, The National Young Volunteers Service, is turning negative youth stereotypes on their head.
Showcasing four of its young volunteers who give up their time for free to benefit their community – this new campaign is putting a whole new meaning behind the concept ‘Good For Nothing’.
It challenges the lingering idea that young people are automatically associated with anti-social behaviour or crime and asks the public to pause for thought before they make a split second judgement on someone, based on age or appearance.
Read on to find out more about the real stories behind the pictures.
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By Jemima Jordan 29th October 09
Liam started Blank Canvas and Buszy Jam (funded by v) in Milton Keynes to promote graffiti and skateboard art, and to run skateboard sessions where young people can demonstrate and improve their skills.
With an interest in event management, but without university or college qualifications, Liam felt he needed to acquire practical experience of working within the field in order to help him to become employable.Liam’s Story
Liam’s idea for Blank Canvas grew out of the lack of a platform for graffiti and skateboard artists in Milton Keynes.‘I wanted to be able to go to an art exhibition and see skateboard photography and film, and graffiti art. There wasn’t anything like it in Milton Keynes’, he continues, ‘so I decided to start it myself through contacting friends who are artists and photographers’. Make a Difference a v volunteering project in Milton Keynes, helped me to get funding. I’d been volunteering for them for about eight years, stewarding their events, putting up posters, collecting money on their behalf, so they helped me’.
Blank Canvas is an art movement which showcases the talents of young artists, photographers and film makers, and campaigns for legal graffiti walls and youth art galleries in Milton Keynes. Liam’s role is to find venues for the exhibitions, and to invite artists to display their work.
‘I also do my best to promote the shows. The participants display their work either to sell or just to show their talent’. The second art exhibition was held recently at the new AIM gallery, a charitable organisation that showcases local and regional artists’.
Buszy Jam is the skateboarding project run at the Milton Keynes bus station. The sessions are popular and provide a space for skateboarders at all levels to show and improve their talents. Regular competitions pull in new skateboarders, and Liam uses his contacts in the skateboarding industry to obtain prizes.
‘I used to work in a skateboard shop, and when the reps came in I talked them into giving donations. Now whenever I have an event, I contact them and they send prizes in return for getting their logos on the flyers and banners’.
Liam’s volunteering clearly has an effect on those around him:
‘A lot of the people I hang around with aren’t the sort of people you’d think are volunteers, but because of me they are into it. A couple of my friends are DJs and they run a DJing workshop. They don’t get paid, and they don’t care. They are doing something they care about, and they get a buzz’.
‘Both Buszy Jam and Blank Canvas have given a regular platform for the young skaters and artists to get involved in something they have a passion for and that allows them show their talents’.
Copy written by Caroline Pearce
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By Jemima Jordan 28th October 09
Seja obtained a vcashpoint grant to fund her Cosmetic Hives project, designed to deliver make-up application workshops to young people interested in gaining the skills and experience necessary to enter the fashion and media industry. Seja has been a committed volunteer for many years, and in 2007 visited Iraq where she delivered humanitarian aid.
‘Volunteering is character-building, and you learn how determined you are as a person. People respect you. It’s a great way to learn who you are. Ultimately it’s about getting to know yourself and other people. I’m proud to be part of v’s Good For Nothing campaign and hope to show that there’s more to young people than meets the eye.’
Seja’s Story
Seja had her first taste of volunteering at the age of sixteen when she was elected as student governor of the City of Westminster College. Attending training events, exhibitions and performances were part of the role, as well as contributing to meetings. Seja’s volunteering continued when she was elected to join the law society at Brunel University where she was a law undergraduate.‘The year I spent working with lecturers and other prominent members of the law society gave me great experience, and made me passionate about volunteering and getting involved in all kinds of issues’.
Seja started the Cosmetic Hives project in order to help young people gain the skills and experience needed to get into the fashion industry.
‘There are a lot of young people who want to get into fashion and media – it can be a lucrative business – but they may not have the skills to do so. In our sessions we teach them how to apply make-up on professional models, a professional photographer takes shots, and a production company records the workshops, so at the end the participants have a portfolio they can show to prospective employers’.
Each student attends three workshops, which were held in a studio in Fulham.
‘I wanted to give them an idea of a proper working environment for this type of work, rather than holding sessions in a community centre without any atmosphere’, says Seja. ‘This way they could get an authentic feeling, a proper vibe of what it’s like, with lights, mirrors, cameras, and so on, which will help them when they go to interviews. As well as the portfolio, at the end they will have a little experience and a taster of working within the industry’.
• Seja’s thoughts on the good work young people are doing in their communities
“Young people have a lot of imagination, creativity and energy – something which communities really benefit from. It really gives you a sense of pride to know that your fellow peers are making a difference in their community and empowering themselves. Because of their good work they’re challenging the sterotype and adding a heart to the community which may not be there. All they need is a little bit of funding and support from their community to unleash their talents.”
Copy written by Caroline Pearce
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By Jemima Jordan 28th October 09
Rui created a stand-up comedy club, Grab Your Mike, to provide young people with an opportunity to take part in workshops to develop their confidence and performance skills. His aim is ‘to educate and inspire young people to reach their full potential and to develop their self-confidence and communications skills’, using an innovative and creative method. Rui was able to run this project through funding from vcashpoint.
“Once you get involved, doors open. If you sit around waiting, nothing will happen. Get yourself active and out there. Develop your skills now. Show people you do Good For Nothing.”
Rui’s Story:
Rui decided to get involved in volunteering while at Brunel University. Until then, his focus was on developing his academic skills, improving his grades, and working on his CV. But when he started going to interviews, he found something lacking.
‘I had good communications skills, but nothing tangible to back it up with. Other people had more experience, so I needed to develop my ‘soft skills’ to feel I was capable, and to give me more confidence’. He joined the university’s entrepreneur society, to develop these skills.
‘When I started making speeches I was scared and shaking, and I’d be satisfied just to get through it. But over time it became good, it became easy for me. The more I did it, the more I overcame my early fears’.
After developing his own skills, Rui felt he wanted to bring them back to his community. Rui’s idea was to give young people an opportunity to take part in a training course where they would learn performance and comedy skills in order to gain the confidence needed to perform in front of an audience. Rui said:
“I decided to go through the stand-up comedy route because I thought it would provide a fun way to learn these new skills’.
The project proved to be really useful for the volunteers Rui recruited.
‘I’m pretty well-connected in the area, and I spread the word using facebook, word of mouth, and text messages to ask if people were interested in taking part. I had a team of volunteers, with various roles, for example, we had a filming crew, a photography student taking photos, and a journalism student writing a report on the whole project, so they got a chance to utilise their skills too’.
Having recently graduated, Rui is searching for paid employment and hoping to secure a place on a graduate scheme. He wants to continue working as a volunteer, as well as developing his own motivational speaking skills.
‘A lot of people have visions, but they don’t realise you need certain skills and attributes. You have to start learning’, he says, ‘make mistakes now rather than waiting until later. I wish I’d started volunteering earlier. The transformation in a year is amazing! I’ve learned so many skills, like how to manage money, and have boosted my CV as well as meeting new people and making great contacts. Once you get involved, doors open. If you sit around waiting, nothing will happen. Get yourself active and out there. Develop your skills now.’
Rui was able to run this project through funding from vcashpoint.
• Rui’s view of how young people are regarded by the general public“The general public is influenced by the representations shown in the media, therefore we normally associate young people with anti-social behaviour. More effort must be put into supporting the majority of young people who are striving to better themselves and inspiring others to do the same.”
Copy written by Caroline Pearce
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By Jemima Jordan 28th October 09
Rosie Kilburn set up her volunteering project, ‘The Knock On Effect’, following a cancer diagnosis in February 2008 Rosie decided to raise money to help support those affected indirectly by cancer. She put on a successful art auction, raising over £9,000 to fund a business designing and selling t-shirts, the proceeds of which are donated to cancer charities.
‘The messages [on our t-shirts] are designed to be positive, and I know they are also controversial. I didn’t want to shy away from telling people about cancer. Volunteering is a great way to help your community and I wanted to be part of Good For Nothing to send out a positive message about young people. I’m fed up of all the negative press we get.’
Rosie’s Story:
Rosie considers herself to be an unremarkable girl, with an unremarkable life. She is a seventeen-year-old sixth form student studying for A levels. Her family consists of her parents, Jo and Chris, her brother Callum and her sister Sylvie. Rosie says her parents and her boyfriend, Toby, are ‘amazing people, who really keep my days entertained’. Rosie has a part-time job at Tesco, and volunteers at her local Red Cross shop.Rosie’s diagnosis of a rare liver cancer, prompted her to start a campaign, the ‘Knock On Effect’, to raise money to help and support those affected indirectly by cancer.
After her diagnosis, Rosie began to think about those closest to cancer sufferers, or as she prefers to think of them, survivors:‘There’s plenty of support for patients, but there’s not nearly as much for the people around them, who have to take care of them’, Rosie says. ‘Also, I heard so much that was negative and depressing and I was fed up with people saying (even with the best of intentions) “sorry to hear about your illness and your life”.
So I decided to put those two things together by starting my own business selling t-shirts with positive messages about cancer to raise money for the families and friends of survivors’.
Slogans on Rosie’s eye-catching t-shirts include The C Word, All Cancer Is Not Created Equal, Survivors Not Sufferers, and Cancer Survivor.
‘The messages are designed to be positive, and I know they are also controversial, but I didn’t want to shy away from telling people about cancer and wanted to get past the taboo’.
Rosie has acquired additional skills while managing her campaign.
‘I learned about money, and budgeting. I’ve also learned about branding and public relations. Many people understand the brand we’ve created for the business, ‘The Knock On Effect’, because so many people are affected by cancer’.
Rosie plans to print out a thousand limited edition t-shirts, another part of her marketing strategy. She is realistic about the reaction to her art auction.
‘I had a strong background story. Without the cancer, the advertising and the blog, there wouldn’t have been such a good response. The messages on the t-shirts are an easy way to reflect and project my feelings’. Rosie believes the messages can also help survivors. ‘Positive thinking is so important to survivors. It has such a positive impact on your well-being’.
Rosie remains positive when considering her future career.
‘I have no idea where I want to be in five or ten years’ time. I’m considering a mixture of career choices, ranging from owning a theme park to being a wedding planner’. She adds: ‘Think big!’
• Rosie’s perception of how young people are portrayed in the media
“Young people generally only really get bad press and I don’t like how it is always focused on the negative. It’s a small minority of us who cause trouble; why not look at the good things?”
Copy written by Caroline Pearce
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By Jemima Jordan 28th October 09
v, The National Young Volunteers Service, is turning negative youth stereotypes on their head.Showcasing four of its young volunteers who give up their time for free to benefit their community – this new campaign is putting a whole new meaning behind the concept ‘Good For Nothing’.
It challenges the lingering idea that young people are automatically associated with anti-social behaviour or crime and asks the public to pause for thought before they make a split second judgement on someone, based on age or appearance.
Click on ‘Good for Nothing’ to find out the real stories behind the pictures.
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