Who Are We Fighting For’ was carried out with two students at Kingsmead School, as part of our Social Action Accelerator Pilot (SAAP) for young people who have previously participated in our 12-week Mentoring Programme in London.
About The Social Action Accelerator Pilot
The SAAP programme allows Mentees to implement skills they have developed through The Diana Award 12-week Mentoring Programme. These include skills such as project management, budget management, stakeholder engagement, event planning, leadership, public speaking and other transferrable skills. Supported by the #iWill Fund, this initiative aligns with the goals of the #iWill movement - embedding youth social action into everyday life by highlighting its positive impact on both young people and their communities.
The SAAP programme is delivered in collaboration with volunteer Mentors, which further provides participants the opportunity to develop Mentor/Mentee relationships, learn from and receive guidance from Mentors, and build connections with Mentor networks and workplaces.
‘Who Are We Fighting For?’
A multimedia exhibition exploring identity took place on the 1st of July, coinciding with Princess Diana’s birthday. The initial idea for the project was to run a photography exhibition showcasing images and stories with a focus on misogynoir in the workplace. Fatima and Kayden, the Mentees for this project, were striving to highlight and celebrate self-expression in the workplace.
As the project progressed, they developed upon their initial idea of misogynoir, widening the project theme to identity. This change came about from session discussions, where Fatima and Kayden were keen to highlight and celebrate a more diverse range of perspectives, including those from other underrepresented groups. The project was opened to also encompass themes of gender identity, LGBTQ+ experiences, neurodivergence and disability, poverty, family and growing up. The group also expanded the final project to be a multi-media exhibition including not just photography but also written work (poems, stories, reflections), artwork (illustrations, paintings, collages), and other mediums of creative expression. To ensure we were able to showcase diverse voices for this project, we created an online form where members of the public could submit their content to be part of the exhibition.
We were pleased to have 63 attendees in total. We were able to engage an audience made up of invited attendees (our networks, family, friends, other students) and external attendees (audience who haven’t previously engaged with The Diana Award’s work previously).
We also received multiple pieces for the exhibition via our online form, which were displayed at the event alongside others that the project team created. We were pleased by the range of submissions we received, from poetry and stories, to photography and collages.
Exhibition Feedback
Of the 63 event attendees, 51% completed the event survey sharing their feedback on the exhibition and the theme of identity. In the survey we received positive feedback on the event overall with 85% saying they would attend a future exhibition or event. 72% rated the event 4 or 5 stars and 57% said the exhibition made them think or feel differently about the topics/themes presented.
We also received some excellent qualitive feedback:
A big success of the event was the extent in which attendees interacted with the ‘advice for your younger-self’ post-it-note display. We were aiming for the audience to not only reflect on the voices and stories that were shared in the exhibition, but to look inward and consider their own experiences too. This display enabled participants to do so, and it was great to see the audience add to the display, which by the end had increased by 45 post-it notes. It was a clear favourite of the exhibition as it was mentioned 12 times in answer to the survey question ‘What did you enjoy most about the exhibition?’.
Challenges Faced
Whilst there were many positive outcomes of the project, we faced a couple of challenges along the way. One of these, was that some of the resources ordered to display the exhibition pieces weren’t suitable to use on the day. Another challenge was that Mentees had planned to do more photoshoots that would be displayed in the exhibition, which unfortunately didn't end up going ahead due to the students’ busy schedules. We also would have had the submission survey up earlier and open for longer to hopefully have increased the number of submissions we received. Despite this, the whole project group did an excellent job at responding to and dealing with challenges and finding alternative solutions to make sure the exhibition went successfully.
A Project Highlight
The biggest highlight of the whole project was the confidence growth and leadership shown by Fatima and Kayden, who were both able to develop new skills and take on responsibilities seamlessly alongside their exams and a busy period at school. From creating a project website, designing posters to engage participants, and hosting the exhibition, they took initiative and weren’t afraid to step outside of their comfort zones. In addition, their genuine passion for the theme and showcasing stories from underrepresented voices shone through the exhibition. They were brave in sharing their own experiences and celebrated stories provided by others with care and empathy. Both Mentees shared they had an increased interest in engaging with Social Action work again after completing this project, and we look forward to hearing what amazing things they achieve in the future!
A Thank You To Our Volunteer Mentors
This project would not have been possible without the incredible support throughout from our Volunteer Mentors, Tskenya and Annette. They exceeded expectations as Mentors and played a key role in supporting young people to develop their skills throughout the project. They provided the participants with a range of tools and practical guidance, and also built strong mentoring relationships with the Mentees. They designed and delivered session content, whilst always allowing space and creativity from Fatima and Kayden, meaning the direction of the project was never steered by the Mentors. This meant the project remained true to the vision Fatima and Kayden had and was youth-led throughout. A huge thank you to Tskenya and Annette for your hard work on this project!
If you’d like to read more about this project, check out the ‘Who Are We Fighting For?’ project website
