Post written by Erin Walcon
Over the last 3 weeks, the Doorstep team have hosted a total of 6 work experience students from 5 different schools & colleges. We’ve been delighted to work with Kobie & Darjhe from South Devon High School, Seren from Churston, Kitty from South Dartmoor, Evie from KEVICC, and Sophia from Spires.
We always look forward to work experience season in the Doorstep office – we really love hosting students, and it’s a great way to get to meet a new crew of incredible young people from Torbay and South Devon. Because the focus of our work is on supporting children & young people to aspire and learn-by-doing, the model of work experience fits really beautifully into our practice.
The work students are asked to do is typically varied and eclectic (a dose of the real picture of work in the arts sector, haha!) and we write the students a schedule a few weeks in advance so they can plan for any evenings or travel arrangements, etc. We always start the week with a welcome/induction in the Doorstep office and we usually include a team meeting in the schedule (with lunch!) so students can experience the Heartbeat meeting model.
This year, the work included a range of office tasks like helping with social media posts, website updating, event planning, youth consultation/youth voice interactive workshops, some interviews, sitting in on meetings, and then a range of additionl on-site delivery work.
The on-site delivery side of things included helping Back to Back Productions with their Suffrajitsu workshops in schools, aiding with the immersive DYT Kents Cavern performance The Inheritance (including some performing!), and helping to put on our Open Summer Meeting (AGM) as well as the final DAS & Saturday Drama end-of-term performances. It’s been a busy July and the work experience students have been a very real help. They were also a keen, intelligent, hilarious and hard-working crew and we really enjoyed getting to know them too.
They’ve taken photos at events, held clipboards, taught dances, welcomed audiences at Front of House, posted hashtags, led warm ups, stacked chairs, sorted costumes, and helped us unpick & reflect on possible systems change in Torbay. It’s been wonderful.
Schools work experience weeks are sometimes the first step in a longer journey with Doorstep for local young people.
Our Pathways strand supports young people who want to aspire to careers in the arts. We create a variety of entry-level opportunities which build confidence, and help young people find a way to get their Foot in the Door in the industry.
Sometimes these roles include longer-term volunteering opportunities, helping to support our regular weekly groups as a Foot in the Door volunteer assistant or 1:1 support person. (You can read about Ollie’s award nomination for his year of volunteering with us here).
Sometimes these roles then evolve on to paid assistant roles in our Participation strand – Liv & Faye have been doing this in splendid form with us over the last year. We’re currently hiring for a DAS Assistant and 1:1 Enabler for September 2023, so there are opportunities live at the moment!
Sometimes they go on to serve as Emerging Artist roles on specific projects – like Tilly helping to support original music in the HLF-funded Kents Cavern project across the last couple of months.
And, sometimes, where someone has shown strong ability and capacity and a desire to continue in a longer-term way, these entry-level Foot in the Door roles evolve and grow with Doorstep. Rebekah, who started as a Kickstart Assistant, has now moved on to work as a Creative Administrator and regularly stage-manages youth productions. She is an organisational wonder.
If your young person, friend, school or teacher is keen to find out more about the Doorstep work experience offer and how they can get involved, they can get in touch with Jade (Co-Director) or Sam (Pathways Producer). We do tend to book up early for the schools work experience weeks, so do get in touch early if you’re keen for 2024.
Looking forward, we’re excited to announce several new developments & opportunities in our Pathways strand, which will be happening in partnership with a couple of key Torbay partner orgs. We are working on a couple of exciting new initiatives which will be launching in September. So some news is on its way! Stay posted – we’ll share details soon!
