Case Study: Jo Nead, Arts Award Activist and Gold achiever

I completed the award over the week of the work experience and then found out if I had passed a couple of weeks later. My advisor told me that it had been suggested by the moderator that I move onto Silver, but I didn't know how to do so.

I met with members of the Youth Network at TheatreCraft who gave me advice on how to continue with the awards. I ended up jumping straight to Gold and I have recently found out that I passed. I really enjoyed doing my Gold as I had complete control over what I wanted to do and was able to take a leadership role in a way I may not otherwise have done.

Arts Award is the reason I now know what career I want to spend the rest of my life doing. It may sound clichéd but it's true; the exploration I had to undertake, both in Bronze and Gold, has helped me to understand what it is I enjoy the most and it has got me to where I am today. Arts Award also gave me confidence I could never have imagined I would have, so much so that I was described as 'outgoing' last weekend, a word that has never been used to describe me. Ever.

My advisor for my Gold Award was Emrys, who runs the Youth Network. He asked me if it was something I would be interested in, and after reading the brief, I decided that being an activist would be something that would benefit me greatly. Everyone on the Youth Network who I have met so far have been lovely and friendly and so interesting to get to know. I have particularly enjoyed representing Arts Award at events, but my favourite moment so far has been running Discover Club at Elderflower Fields Festival, where I got to talk to many families about Arts Award and watch a group of young kids complete their Discover Awards.

I would definitely encourage anyone who is interested in Arts Award to have a go! If you love what you do, an Arts Award won't feel like work. It's merely you documenting your talents and what you have been doing to extend them. Enjoy every minute, it could change your life!

Read more about the Youth Network Activist role and the Gold Arts Award