Over this last year my life has been turned upside-down, stripped back to its bare bones and put under the microscope - all in the pursuit to understand myself better and help me break some very negative patterns of behaviour which were holding me back. It’s been my experience as a volunteer with IDEAL as part of their Domino Effect Project (D.E.P.), based in Bristol’s Barton Hill, that has been crucial in supporting me to discover more of who I am, who I can be and help me put the steps in place to define my own journey for a more positive future. The project, run by the charity IDEAL, aims to help anyone who needs to make significant positive changes by delivering a peer led personal development course and opportunities to study short academic or creative courses and work placements. The charity works in partnership with companies across the city and has worked with the BBC for 9 years giving individuals the opportunity to first gain some realistic job interview practice and, if successful, a short placement within the BBC.
I was interviewed by Jo and Shana from Outreach & Corporate Responsibility. They were really welcoming, but professional, so the interview was realistic. I was able to think on my feet and answer the questions with confidence so felt good as I left and before the afternoon was over I was excited to hear that I had got the placement for two weeks with the team. Looking back over the last few years I would never have thought any of this possible but it was just the beginning!
Jo and Shana made me very welcome and to be back in an office environment was great. It may sound insignificant but having my own desk and space to plant my things did a lot to make me feel part of the team and settle in quickly. The Outreach & Corporate Responsibility team keep the BBC connected to its community by running projects in schools and community spaces with the aim of bringing the BBC to as many people as possible, so over the next few weeks I was invited to shadow Jo and Shana as they prepared such events and met with the people in Bristol who would be involved.
As if by luck, the Festival of Nature was on during my placement so I was able to help with the BBC’s participation. They had a BBC tent right at the center of the festival with schools’ talks and an array of displays from various shows from the Natural History Unit. It was fascinating to meet and talk with various members of the production teams, hear about how they got into wildlife film-making and their adventures across the globe; I’m at a point where I’m deciding what career I would like and meeting so many people with such varied and fascinating jobs really did inspire me to dream a little bigger. I worked over the whole festival weekend and was able to help out with many different aspects of the events production, from running to presenting on the grey screen with the kids at the event. It was a real insight into what it takes to bring a show or event together and a great sense of achievement to celebrate with the team afterwards when we had completed it successfully, again highlighting my love for working in teams and working on projects.
Back in the office I enjoyed carrying on with my office-based tasks. I got to indulge my love of design by making some promotional posters for the Face2Face scheme and transcribe an interview, and despite experiencing massive waves of self-doubt I challenged these with support from everyone around me and as the two weeks were drawing to an end I knew I didn't really want to leave. It felt great to be part of the working world again and great to contribute positively. That being the case, I asked if there was any way I could extend my visit and Jo agreed to another week, it was a great vote of confidence!
Again, as if by luck, the last week fell just before Glastonbury Festival and an opportunity to help out with the recording of the Garden Sessions came up, live music, a roof-top garden in the sunshine and a chance to see how footage like that is captured, perfect! Again I was encouraged to try different roles during set up and filming, it was great fun and I found the camera work fascinating - standing in the gallery during filming was amazing, the number of elements that a producer has to consider to get the best footage is incredible, he or she is essentially a conductor of cameras, such a skill.
My three weeks at the BBC have been one of my most significantly positive experiences to date. Previously I had been so worried about going back to work but now it feels more exciting and more realistic. I never thought I would have been able to cope with so many new experiences but my time at IDEAL and their Domino Effect Project has really stood me in good stead and I was able to put all I have learnt there into practice over the BBC placement. With such great support from all the people I encountered at the BBC I feel my three week placement has really given me something positive and tangible to use as a springboard for deciding where I go next!
BBC Outreach & Corporate Responsibility connects the BBC directly with its audiences, particularly those we often find harder to reach. The partnership with IDEAL in Bristol sees participaints of the Domino Effect Project working in various departments on a scheme organised by BBC Outreach & Corporate Responsibility. The insights of this diverse group help inform our programme making decisions and create development opportunities.
