Six young people have this week joined the Voice team as part of a new government scheme to help those at risk of long-term unemployment.
The Kickstart Scheme provides funding to create new job placements for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit for six or more months, and is available for employers of all sizes.
Joining the team are three Trainee Journalists, a Media Sub-editor, a Development Assistant and a Business and Projects Assistant. Each young person will work 25 hours per week for six months, with their time divided between completing a schedule of work and undertaking further training and personal development opportunities.
Tom Inniss, Editor of Voice, says:
“We are delighted to see the government directly invest in young people by offering them the possibility to move from Universal Credit to paid opportunities that allow for on-the-job training to directly improve their chances of long-term employment. Voice is exceptionally excited to have the opportunity to further elevate youth voice and help our Kickstarts develop new skills.”
Emrys Green, Business & Projects Manager for Upstart Projects says:
“The Kickstart scheme enables us to both directly meet our charitable objectives and to add capacity that ensures we continue to engage with a wider range of young people and creative professionals. We are delighted to support the Kickstarters to develop employability skills and provide them with a meaningful opportunity to contribute to our work.”
Announced in September 2020 by Chancellor Rishi Sunak, the Kickstart Scheme is the government’s flagship employment scheme to help address the growing unemployment rates among 16-24 year-olds. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that between March-October 2020, over 200,000 16-24 year-olds fell out of employment, and were the age group with the highest redundancy rates. That figure could rise further when the furlough scheme ends, as HMRC reports that those on furlough tend to be younger.
The six new Kickstarts are just the first of three placement opportunities Voice intends to run during the scheme's 18 month duration.
Voice Magazine is managed by charity Upstart Projects, a charity championing youth voice and leadership, and dedicated to creating opportunities in the arts with young people.
MEET THE TEAM
De-mornae Clarke
De-mornae is a Trainee Journalist for Voice. Music, interviews and pop culture are her preferred topics of interest but is often pushing her own creative boundaries to prove that anyone can have an opinion regardless of their background, education or class. She loves all things baking and potatoes but never cheese.
“I joined Voice to combine my love community and the arts, and saw this organisation as the perfect way to be a mouthpiece for those who don’t have a platform.”
Ali Muzaffar
Ali is a Trainee Journalist with Voice. He graduated from the University of Leeds in English Literature and maintains a strong interest in reading new books whenever possible. A self-professed film nut, Ali enjoys movies from a wide range of genres, although he can be counted on to gravitate towards thrillers or dramas!
“During my time with Voice, I would like to gain more journalistic experience and network with other young journalists and creative voices.”
Claire Jenns
Claire is a Kickstart Trainee Journalist for Voice Magazine, and is an English Literature graduate from Birmingham. Although born a Brummie, she grew up in Thailand from the ages of six to seventeen, giving her a wide range of life experiences and cultural awareness which she uses to enhance her article writing.
“I applied to work for Voice magazine for its core ethos of championing young voices. This is something that sadly other media platforms either overlook or turn towards as an afterthought, but Voice is directly challenging this.”
Elle Farrell-Kingsley
Elle is Voice’s Media Sub-Editor and podcast host, coming from a diverse range of creative pursuits- including curating, music production, and performing arts. She’s a BA Liberal Arts graduate and studies sound engineering in her own time. Elle is always on the lookout to make interesting voices heard on the Voice podcasts. When she’s not behind a computer screen, she can be found training MMA.
“I'm keen to develop my multimedia production skills further, make individual voices heard at Voice, and contribute my unique skill set to make positive creative changes to Voice Magazine and its readers.”
Hector Macduff
Hector is the development assistant for Voice and a Manchester based actor/writer. Graduating from the University of York with a degree in Politics and International Relations he enjoys discussing and discovering art in all its forms but has a particular love for the radio, stage and screen, where he spent most of his time at university.
“I need to be involved with the creative industries, so a job that involved the ability to network in the arts sector with enough time to pursue passion projects and build on marketing and administration skills was a no-brainer. This role gives me the chance to work on building relationships for potential future acting work, and develop skills for when I’m not doing acting, win-win”.
Ophelia Appleby
Ophelia is Business and Projects Assistant at Voice. She graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music as a Mezzo-Soprano who adores Faure and Mahler, but also has a keen enthusiasm for pop, Jazz and the likes of Cole Porter. She is a Portrait Artist, Songwriter and an all-round zealot of the arts.
“It sometimes seems as though I couldn’t have graduated at a worse time –right into the first lockdown – but the whole experience has simply shown me that even if there is an easier path to follow, for me it always has to be music, and Voice actually values this enthusiasm. Not only that, Voice is an incredible way for people to connect with the arts virtually and share their opinions on various topics which appeals to me because I love hearing other people’s thoughts and stories, and I also have a veritable armoury of opinions.”
Exciting things ahead! The difference between my headshot and the screenshot is criminal #catfish