UVG - Our Impact
The UVG recently had the pleasure of working with four 1st year media students from Highbury College. As part of their work experience they were tasked with producing a series of short films demonstrating the wider impact of the charity and chose to focus on four areas; Education, Employment, Health and Wellbeing and Artist Development.
Since 2008 over 780 young people have accessed our activities and these films show that, although it may start with singing, the journeys that they can and do take go way beyond the music. They also suggest that regular participation in creative activities has been key in developing life skills in these young people and by engaging in positive risk taking they gain a sense of achievement and accomplishment which encourages aspiration in other areas.
Health & Wellbeing - Featuring Leah who has been living with anxiety for many years and who talks about how even when some days can be challenging she has UVG to look forward to. Since joining The UVG 4 years ago her confidence has grown steadily and she now performs as a soloist with the group and has taken on her own solo gigs at local venues.
Education - Luke has attended the UVG for 5 years and who speaks about how he gained the confidence through UVG activities to step out of his comfort zone and how his experiences gave him "that step ahead" when entering college. Luke will begin studying for a BA in Creative Media at Portsmouth University in September
Employment - Macauly who has been accessing UVG for almost 9 years. In this video he talks about how UVG has given him the opportunity and confidence to do the job he is doing today. Macauly was one of our first volunteers and went on to complete an apprenticeship with the UVG. Still volunteering for the UVG, Macauly has had his fair share of adversity over the years but his passion for music and for helping others always shines through.
Artist Development - Evangeline has been attending The UVG for 6 years. In this video Evangeline talks about when she started UVG she wasn't a confident singer but after gaining confidence, she showed an interest in songwriting and with the help of UVG has released original music on digital platforms including Spotify and iTunes. In September Evie will begin studying for a BA in Commercial Music at Bath Spa University.