Our Young Creatives programme provides various opportunities for young people from underserved communities to develop employment skills and networks in the Creative Industries, with the ultimate aim to increase access to employment and diversify the workforce.
Part of that commitment includes supporting Internships, which we’re now in the second year of running. Ben Carr, our Programme and Partnerships Intern (who has recently become our Programmes Assistant) and Sadie Rogerson, our Assistant Festival Producer Intern, speak about what drew them to apply, what they’ve gained from the experience and what advice they’d give to others seeking a career in the arts.
Ben Carr
I chose to apply for the internship at First Story because I’ve always held a passion for making the arts accessible to more people. Coming from a state school background, I was always grateful for artistic and cultural enrichment opportunities, so getting to provide these as part of First Story’s Programmes team drew me to applying for the internship.
My favorite part of the internship has been conducting interviews with alumni who had completed First Story’s Young Writers Programme. Being able to hear so many different and talented people talk about how First Story impacted them (such as by inspiring a lasting love for writing, or giving them the skills they needed to work towards their dream career), was incredibly touching and something I’m very grateful I got the chance to do. My least favourite part was the commute in winter! I’m definitely looking forward to spring!
Before starting at First Story, I gained experience in the core parts of my role (such as administrative work and impact research) by working at other charities for a range of causes, and this can be a really good way to make the first step into an arts charity.
Sadie Rogerson
I initially chose to apply to the First Story internship because it was really important to me that the work I was doing was actively making a difference and making the arts more accessible. I’ve always wanted to work in the arts, and I had a lot of on-the-ground experience in the cultural sector but was struggling to find work after graduating from university. The Assistant Festival Producer Internship offered the opportunity for me to develop formal project management and events planning skills, with the support and guidance of an outstanding team of colleagues.
It’s been really nice to be in an open, understanding environment where no question is too silly and there are so many opportunities to learn new skills. I think my most enjoyable moment would be working at the East Midlands Connect event (at Nottingham Trent University) in December, it was inspiring to see the impact of the work First Story does first-hand and being able to witness our young writers become more confident as the day unfolded. If I had to pick my least favourite thing, it would probably be the occasional feeling of distance that comes with remote working, it would be lovely to see everyone in person a bit more often!
I’ve recently secured a job at The Whitworth Art Gallery after I leave First Story. I will be a Visitor Experience Coordinator, supervising a group of 20 Visitor Assistants. I’ve been wanting to work at the Whitworth for a really long time, I think this was the 5th job I’d applied for. I even found an email I’d sent to them when I was 18 asking for a job there!
And what advice would they give others
- Make the most of the opportunities available to you and keep saying yes, even the unexpected ones.
- Be open to the chance to learn transferable skills.
- If you’re passionate about something, keep going, keep persisting and more often than not things will begin to fall into place.
- Don’t just look to the people above you for inspiration, look to the people beside you and support them. The arts grow stronger when we help each other out!
How did we get here? First Story chats with Creative Career experts