September 14, 2023, by Arts Placements

Lakeside Arts Creative Placement Programme

by Beth Kisby

I have done my Creative Placement with Ignite! Futures, a Nottingham based charity focused on nurturing the creativity and curiosity of young people. I have been all over Nottingham as a result of this, and have taken part in so many amazing activities. I first applied for this placement as I thought it would be a nice and rewarding experience over summer, and I wanted to get involved with the Nottingham community more. Whilst I didn’t know what to expect at first, I can truly say that this placement has been incredible, and I have learnt so much.

My internship included supporting many of the programmes that Ignite run, such as Creative Sparks, Primary Parliament, Curious Tots, and the Festival of Science and Curiosity. I spent my second day on placement in the Nottingham City Council house for Primary Parliament. Many schools and different companies joined us to complete three workshops about storytelling. Despite my worries about such an event so early in my placement, it was so welcoming, and I greatly enjoyed aiding in the pupils’ ideas and being involved in such an incredible event. I met so many lovely people who I hope to keep in contact with in the future.

A huge part of my placement was aiding in the delivery of Creative Sparks, a club for 5-10 year olds where their imagination and creativity can run wild. I really enjoyed these sessions, and had the opportunity to create and plan my own. We looked at Viking runes, and used soap to make different carvings of these. It has been great to see the young people become more confident, but also getting to see their creative brains at work as each week they created some fantastic things.

In terms of Curious Tots, I worked at the Refugee and Asylum Seeking Centre to aid in this delivery, where we made animals out of various materials. I also got to speak to the women’s club at the Sycamore Centre, a beautiful place, to tell them about the various holiday activities Ignite runs which, I really enjoyed.  Another highlight was the chance to join a local school on a visit to Lakeside Arts.  I had my own group to look after, and we had a great day. We did storytelling, looking through the galleries and creating art, and lots of fun activities when we got back to the nursery.

For the festival, I was involved in lots of behind the scenes work, such as working on spreadsheets, emailing companies if they have any interest in being involved, and joining meetings to discuss the activities they could run. I’ve learnt so much from this placement, especially about the behind the scenes work of a charity. The work I’ve completed here can even aid me in my degree, as I have many more materials and tools I can use for my learning. I met so many people, something which I have always loved.

This placement really made me consider what comes next, and I am greatly interested in charity work.  Helping people, and seeing the difference some of the programmes create is something I have grown to be passionate about. Without this opportunity, I am not sure I would have realised this. I’m grateful for the chance to complete it. My skills and confidence have grown so much from when I started to now. I have a good understanding of what working for this type of organisation is like. It is something I am greatly passionate about. I now feel confident in creating a large spreadsheet, or having the confidence to deliver my own session, and in so many more things. Ignite has been an incredible experience for me: it has been so welcoming and supportive, and I hope we will keep in contact in the future.

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