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 London is a vibrant city with thriving creative scenes that offer boundless opportunities for young Black Creatives. It's buzzing with exciting events and opportunities; you are bound to take your creative journey to new heights. There's something for everyone, from workshops and networking events to mentorship programmes and festivals. This blog post will share some of our favourite platforms, events and opportunities tailored specifically for you, especially this summer. So grab your notebooks, and let's dive in!
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 Once in a while, I stumble on a thought-provoking LinkedIn post that forces me to reevaluate and dive deeper into how brands and organisations build their cultural equity. In this instance, it was a bitter-sweet realisation that there are no shortcuts to building Black socio-cultural currency. Let’s get into this, shall we?
Three months ago, Alvin Owusu-Fordwuo; Founder of Tag Agency shared a LinkedIn post expressing how lazy organisiations/brands have become when it comes to investing in culture and building sustainable communities. He shared: “PSA: Chunkz, Filly, Munya, and Nella aren’t a shortcut into the culture. It’s very common to see these creators used when brands want to ‘quickly’ access diverse gen-z audiences and coins. Rather than making a meaningful investment in culture and building community. We see the same talent and content formats rinsed and repeated. I know why, It’s because It feels like an easy win. The immediate numbers will be pretty good too, but it’s a flawed strategy because it isn’t building cultural equity. It's here today, gone tomorrow. There is no such thing as a shortcut when it comes to working in culture. Play the long game.” Alvin Owusu-Fordwuo on LinkedIn: PSA: Chunkz, Filly, Munya, and Nella aren’t a shortcut into the culture.… | 71 comments  Hello. Jambo. Hola. Guten Tag. Salut.
My name is Yeni, and I will be uncovering each session from Voltage Revolution’s The Spotify Podcast Club, from genesis to the finale for 2022. Lets get straight into it. Race was the first session topic. Since George Floyd’s case, organisations have become more "woke" to injustice. Now topics on race have become an ever-essential dialogue amongst places of work, social spaces and more. The first session highlighted realisations of "the first time I realised I was Black" which was also the topic of discussion. The conversation invoked introspective thoughts and views for me. The first time I realised I was Black was when I was in Year 8. I lived in a town where the predominant race was white compared to Black and other ethnicities so it was evident that I was different. Yet, I wasn't aware or fazed by it. The day I realised my skin colour was different was when my other friends and I walked back home from our school football match. A white van drove past, and a person exclaimed out the van window with monkey chants and the N-word. I was shocked at what I had experienced. From then onwards, I was aware that my skin colour meant I was undervalued or seen differently by others. I later became conscious and self-aware that my skin colour can be a point of mockery by others. Although I am more self-aware of who I am now, which has made me proud and even more confident in my skin, I can see the negative impacts it had on me as a young boy.  My experience at the Spotify podcast club was phenomenal. It was great to be part of an initiative where individuals share their views on various topics surrounding community and culture. I am glad to have rubbed shoulders with creatives within the Voltage Revolution cohort. I also had the opportunity to engage with current members of the Spotify team who were indeed gems in their own right.
Meeting with the Spotify team once a month was a tremendous experience as it enabled me to uncover emerging trends and garner ideas of what succeeding in the creative field looked like. Besides that, speaking with Joel, the Senior Editor at Spotify was a monumental moment for me. It was a pleasure to get insight into his job role and what it takes to venture into a corporation like Spotify.  The Beautiful Game! Football!
Soccer, if you're from the other side of the Atlantic. Football has always produced passion and joy for whoever watches the game. Many world-class players are becoming managers whereas many still seek the opportunity of coaching in the European elite leagues. Black and other ethnic minority ex-players seek and have these dreams too but struggle to get the chance to become world-class managers. It is a shame that a game as beautiful as football breeds systemic racism.  Voltage Revolution is a programme designed to provide community, training, and paid opportunities to support young, Black creative talent in the UK.
Over the past weeks, we have been working closely with Spotify on an event called “The Spotify Podcast Club”. The Spotify Podcast Club is a 1-hour monthly event aimed at providing space for themed podcast discussions to be exchanged between participants in Voltage Revolution and professionals at Spotify. The vision here is to support VR’s community regardless of socioeconomic status to thrive & develop academically by challenging & inspiring them to new ways of thinking. Ultimately the purpose is to contribute to an increased ambition & resilience for them to easier identify and fulfill career goals. Voltage Revolution is a programme designed to provide community, training, and paid opportunities to support young, Black creative talent in the UK.
Over the past weeks, we have been working closely with Spotify on an event called “The Spotify Podcast Club”. The Spotify Podcast Club is a 1-hour monthly event aimed at providing space for themed podcast discussions to be exchanged between participants in Voltage Revolution and professionals at Spotify. The vision here is to support VR’s community regardless of socioeconomic status to thrive & develop academically by challenging & inspiring them to new ways of thinking. Ultimately the purpose is to contribute to an increased ambition & resilience for them to easier identify and fulfill career goals.  Voltage Revolution is a programme designed to provide community, training, and paid opportunities to support young, Black creative talent in the UK.
Over the past three weeks, we had the pleasure of delivering the Core Skill workshop sessions for Voltage Revolution. These sessions were aimed at teaching individuals key skills that will help them to become more effective communicators and how these skills can be applied creatively and digitally broadly across a range of platforms. The first session focused on public speaking and the importance of structuring your talks by using Nancy Duarte's principle of the Hero's Journey—focusing on how things are right now and what they could be.  Black Then, Black Now is a podcast produced by four young Black Londoners aged 18 to 24, with the support of the Voltage Revolution. Each episode is a conversation between one young person and an elder, providing an inter-generational take on topics such as identity, music, education, and love. This podcast is concerned about change and continuity. What was it like then? And how is it now?
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