Education Archives - The Wick https://thisisthewick.com/category/education/ A new media title dedicated to the creative spirit of Hackney Wick and surrounding neighbourhoods Tue, 18 Mar 2025 22:36:05 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 https://thisisthewick.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/cropped-The-Wick-stacked-32x32.jpg Education Archives - The Wick https://thisisthewick.com/category/education/ 32 32 Guest Editor: Kwame Safo, The British Council https://thisisthewick.com/education/guest-editor-kwame-safo-the-british-council/ Tue, 18 Mar 2025 22:33:40 +0000 https://thisisthewick.com/?p=2290 Taking things global from East London roots - my story

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Guest Editor: Kwame Safo, The British Council

  • Taking things global from East London roots - my story

East London is home to me. To be specific: Hackney. I grew up in Clapton, went to the local Lee Valley Ice skating rink, and played football for over a decade at the iconic Hackney Marshes – even today I feed my inner football champion at Mabley. East London has its own energy, and Newham holds a special place in my heart, too. I’ve spent 20 years DJing and producing electronic music, and it all started in Newham.

Stratford’s Westfield now marks the location of an iconic piece of underground music history – It was once the location of the legendary pirate radio station, Deja Vu FM. Run on top of a nightclub called EQ on Waterden Road, the area looked very different to what it does today, but the station was a prominent platform for so many of today’s music stars like Kano, Ghetts and Tinchy Stryder, who were all educated at schools in the borough.

I myself studied at Newham Sixth Form College in Plaistow, where I made friends for life with people from across a range of different communities. Back then, I didn’t consider, or perhaps fully understand the power of those informal and serendipitous relationships, not just within the college but also around the borough and in the community generally.

My formative years in Newham and Hackney typified something essential to the unique harmony that thrives in neighbouring communities where diaspora and diversity play a central role. At its core is a creative fusion, where Bengali friends know a few cheeky Yoruba words, and white English boys understand the steps to the latest Ghanaian dances. These connections, through movement, language, music and food build trust, and play an undervalued role in dispelling harmful myths and preconceived ideas. Experiences like these in my early days around here shaped my creativity, my work ethic, and even my approach to how I parent my three sons.

I started my first DJ residency in the borough at what was then a branch of pub chain Yates’s on Stratford Broadway, (now The Abbey Tap). The people I engaged with back then have all played a part in shaping my career. Over that time I felt nourished by the rich melting pot here in East London, which somehow felt more pronounced than anywhere else in the capital. To say my understanding of that connective bridge of cultural awareness has informed my career success would be an understatement. Although I’ve been to many places and pushed my creative limits, mainly through music, I’ve gravitated back to Newham, where I now work to build bridges of a different kind – across continents.

Today I work at the British Council, the UK’s international cultural relations organisation, which has its headquarters in E20. Our mission is to build trust, peace and prosperity between the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and English language teaching. We’ve been doing that for 90 years.

Iraqi delegation on The British Council terrace - photo Genevieve Pace

The British Council is the most unusual place to work because this mission is so huge it can seem a bit abstract, but as a local, it all makes sense to me. We often host delegations and had one in particular, from Iraq, not too long ago.

There was a beautiful moment when the delegates requested to be photographed on the terrace of our office, with the Zaha Hadid Aquatic Centre in the background. From my perspective it’s simply an Olympic-sized swimming pool, but for them it was clearly so much more; a tribute to a renowned and talented British Iraqi architect, whose work stands proud in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (see pic, above).

I work with our teams across other countries to help connect them to UK arts and culture, and in doing this I aim to strengthen connections, deepen curiosity, and sometimes bust a few myths. I’ve learnt so much about working mutually, in collaboration, and the importance of investing in relationships now, for the longer-term.

The variety of early relationships I developed here in Hackney and Newham shaped me, so in my job now as the British Council’s Relationship Manager Arts, I’m drawing on that knowledge to nurture diverse international relationships for others. My hope is that these, too, will last over time, and contribute to creativity and growth for everyone: from East London to the whole world.

Kwame Safo is Relationship Manager Arts at the British Council, where he works with the Music and Creative Economy teams. He is also co-founder of the UK’s first Black music export office, BLACMEX.

To learn more about the work of the British Council please visit britishcouncil.org

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]]> Creative Courses in East London https://thisisthewick.com/education/creative-university-courses-east-london/ Wed, 04 Oct 2023 17:14:28 +0000 https://thisisthewick.com/?p=1991 No less than six world class universities have now gravitated to establish campuses on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, offering an inspiring range of courses

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Creative Courses Now in East London

No less than six world class universities have now gravitated to establish campuses on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, offering a mind-boggling and inspiring range of courses

THE WICK

According to the government, the Creative Industries were worth £109bn to the UK in 2021. That’s almost 6% of the total economy and 7% of jobs. With the East Bank cultural hotspot, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is set to become a hub for those looking to enter this growing sector — particularly through Higher Education.

Just as people argue over what constitutes creativity, there’s a debate over what activities define the Creative Industries. The UN says globally that typical roles are: “advertising, architecture, arts and crafts, design, fashion, film, video, photography, music, performing arts, publishing, research and development, software, computer games, electronic publishing, and TV/radio”.

On the domestic front, various national institutions are expanding, consolidating or even relocating east, the big names coming soon to the Olympic Park include the V&A, Sadler’s Wells and the BBC, no less. The vision of an Olympic legacy included all kinds of new opportunities for people around the Park. As well as sports and entertainment venues, the previous industrial iteration of the land has given way to new residential neighbourhoods and the post-industrial workplaces of the 2020s Knowledge Economy.

So what’s on offer for anyone looking for relevant courses to break into the Creative Industries? We’ve only the space to scratch the surface, but perhaps this page is a portal to a new career…

UCL

An obvious place to start our explorations is University College London (UCL) as it has a local branch named the School for the Creative and Cultural Industries (SCCI). Working across three faculties to reflect the dissolving of traditional subject boundaries and new ways of thinking, this interdisciplinary school pulls from fields as diverse as tech, art, health and heritage.

They claim a world first with the MASc (sic) in Creative Health (think social prescribing as a basic example), or budding anthropologists can help would-be workplace reformers with the Creative and Collaborative Enterprise MA. Additionally, 10 lucky UCL graduates will also qualify for free postgrad tuition and a £15k grant on scholarships.

Professor Haidy Geismar (SCCI Director) points to a suite of new facilities and the importance of outreach: “We’ve new audio-visual, digital and immersive production facilities, museum and gallery spaces, and studios for art, technology, urban studies and public histories… The schools engagement programme will support the cultural sector to be as diverse and accessible as it can, and should, be.”

UAL: London College of Fashion

According to the British Fashion Council, if you include the indirect ‘spillover’ economic contribution of this high-interest field, fashion is worth £37bn annually. The London College of Fashion (LCF) is part of the six colleges that make up the University of the Arts London (UAL).

Finally undergrad and postgrad students are together under one roof studying photography, tailoring and much more. They’ll mingle amid the suitably stylish concrete forms that sweep through the new building’s interior. Nestling between the BBC and the striking dress-inspired design of the V&A East exterior, students get a great view over the evolving Park from the second floor library.

LCF is keen on local partnerships, with an East Summer School for teens and outreach programmes. UAL Insights offers advice to pre-university students at places like Clapton’s BSix college. With its Founders Club, incubator schemes and postgrad support, the college is proud of its record on alumni employment. Nearby satellite outpost Poplar Works offers upskilling to the local community, promoting social impact through entrepreneurship.

Loughborough University London

Loughborough might still mean sport to some and you can certainly find the Institute for Sport Business at their East London campus. But as well as courses for future world leaders (International Governance) you can study Design Innovation and Digital Technologies or Storytelling and Theatre.

At last year’s Flux Design Symposium, students were visited by one of the biggest European names in design for social innovation and sustainability: founder of the international DESIS network, Professor Ezio Manzini.

Based at Here East, Loughborough makes much of its connections. Using corporate partners, the university brings together interdisciplinary teams of students to work on real world briefs. Referring to a huge creative stimulus from the student body and these external links, Learning Partnerships Manager Ashley Gray points to “an incredible collaborative learning community” here. Such experiential learning tackles the cliché of ‘classroom versus reality’.

Loughborough London is still involved with every level of sport, with collaborators like Sport England and Speedo. But others include international architects Foster + Partners and new companies like the cycle gear innovators Blaze.

Staffordshire University


Another institution with a practical bent is Staffordshire University. The London campus is split between three main areas: The Production Warehouse, The Data Junction and The Digital Loft. The ever-relevant subject of Cyber Security is available, as are combinations of Computer Science and the more creative elements of Games Design, Games Art and Programming.

Gaming is always evolving and the courses are certified by the industry body TIGA (The Independent Game Developers’ Association). At the time of writing, Staffordshire University was about to announce another certification partnership with a different industry innovator — but it was still secret!

Their Games and Visual Effects Summer Showcase was recognised with an award by TIGA and their graduates took 19 more in the categories of Artist; Computer Games Technology; Designer; Programmer and Production/Enterprise.

Teesside University

Many regional institutions have a London presence; now Teesside University sits by both the River Tees and the River Lea. In 2017 Middlesbrough was named as one of the fastest growing tech clusters in the country and Teesside Uni’s contribution — in the fields of animation and gaming — was said to be “critical” by Tech City UK.

Like the Lea Valley, the Tees Valley is an area that has seen much post-industrial decline. But the university is on the up, referred to in glowing terms by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide for participation, inclusion and student experience. In 2021’s International Student Barometer it came top out of 96 universities for overall student satisfaction. So if visual effects, computer science, or business is your bag, check out their degree offerings.

The Creative Industries interact with all kinds of ancillary fields; if you’re a prospective Masters student, they offer MSCs in International Management or alternatively Marketing.

LMA

If what constitutes the Creative Industries is expanding and life becoming ever less analogue, then LMA (Liverpool Media Academy) is where old meets new. You can study acting, music and dance or combo courses like Musical Theatre — but looking to an increasingly multiplatform performance environment. The stage strutters of tomorrow can learn how to interact with the latest tech to synthesise new forms of their craft.

 

 

The above is far from an exhaustive list of local opportunities; Studio Wayne McGregor is another champion of dance on the Park and Hobs 3D are helping East Londoners with programmes like Unreal Engine and processes like 3D printing.

Many pre-university and short courses are on offer in the area, too. With so much now here, the creative cross-pollination that was hoped one day for the Park might finally be coming to fruition.

MORE INFO

Read on...

The Wick’s creative careers & student special continues here:

Break into the creative industries right here
Andrea Stark's top tips for getting into the creative sector
Creative Careers: a letter from John Newbigin
Student Guide: cheap eats, shopping, dancing & more

Produced in partnership with

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]]> Creative Industries Career Opportunities in East London Today https://thisisthewick.com/education/creative-industries-career-opportunities-london/ Wed, 04 Oct 2023 09:12:22 +0000 https://thisisthewick.com/?p=1950 Breaking into an arts and culture role can seem like a closed shop if you don't know where to start, so here's our guide to what's out there

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CREATIVE
OPPORTUNITIES
ABOUND

Breaking into an arts and culture career can seem like a closed shop if you don’t know where to start.

Luckily, there are now all kinds of courses, projects and organisations right here in East London that can help.

Here’s our guide to loads of them…

THE WICK

Breaking into the creative sector can be an obstacle course of gatekept knowledge, financial challenges and inaccessibility. It can feel discouraging when you’re being nudged towards more ‘secure’ work…and downright tempting.

But amid all this, a burgeoning network of East London-based organisations have made it their mission to transform young people’s pathway into the creative industries.

Organisations such as Good Growth Hub are constructing alternative routes into the sector and segues for those with creative interests, but without the means to necessarily secure a creative career. Being alumna of their programme myself, I’ve seen first-hand how that support and continuous encouragement can revive one’s creative spark.

Oliver Benjamin is Director of Employment and Skills at A New Direction, the charity formed in 2008 that facilitates employment projects such as the Olympic Park-based Good Growth Hub. “The programme is a London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) initiative,” he tells us. “The question was: ‘What happens after 18, 19? What pathway is there for local young people into the cultural creative sector?’ So I started looking at alternative provisions.”

“A lot of young people struggle knowing what their passion is, especially post pandemic”

Now in its ninth cycle, their STEP [Shared Training and Employment Programme] is a 12-month paid traineeship in the creative and cultural sectors. 12 young people are paired with an employer of their choice, paid London Living Wage and given vital training throughout their placement.

Previous and current employers include BBC, UAL London College of Fashion and Bow Arts. The non-profit organisation also runs bi-weekly 1:1 career coaching sessions, and a freelance support programme.

Over in Walthamstow, Waltham Forest College is harnessing young creative talents, too. Deputy Head for Creative Industries, David Warburton, says the college is taking a different approach. “A lot of media courses are around TV and film production. Ours aren’t. We focus on 2D and 3D animation and using virtual reality headsets. It’s smart software and tech orientated.”

With courses such as Art & Design, Fashion and Media, students can gain a better understanding of their chosen niche. Industry professionals are often invited to Q&A sessions and students are required to complete 36 hours’ work experience relating to their course.

“A lot of young people struggle knowing what their passion is, especially post-pandemic,” says David. “I always say to students: forget the curriculum, forget the units, tell me what you’re passionate about. If that passion then matches with a course, we’re good to go.”

The college also offers courses for adults online and on campus, targeting people who have been out of education or work for a while, to get them more confident with the latest digital skills.

Working on a larger scale are international property company, Lendlease. Their work in Newham – particularly their involvement in the redevelopment of Stratford Cross – has reshaped the area from a site with a world of potential to a popular cultural destination.

“It’s been 11 years since the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and we’ve been involved since the very beginning,’ says Workplace Futures Lead Rachel Edwards.

“As a developer, our role is to foster the energy and culture of a place. At Stratford Cross, we do that by attracting creative industries and businesses, for an environment that supports collaboration and inspires visitors and residents to create and to innovate. Lendlease also plays an active role in creating opportunities and routes into creative industries for local people in Stratford,” says Rachel.

The company’s recent partnership with Inspire saw them encouraging students in Newham into STEAM activities and careers, while their Open City Accelerate partnership was established to offer mentors and project experience to young people interested in architecture, development and property.

“As well as Westfield and the neighbouring East Bank, Stratford Cross benefits from its proximity to Hackney Wick and the businesses that are clustering around Here East,” says Rachel. “The surrounding neighbourhoods are packed with everything from charities, to startups and world-leading organisations, which means creative opportunities for students go way beyond the classroom door.

Led by UCL, Lendlease’s latest partnership has them teaming up with UAL London College of Fashion, Loughborough University London, Here East, Plexal and LLDC to collaborate on the SHIFT Innovation district; a ‘testbed’ for urban systems, modern approaches and methods of improvement for cities, located in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park The partners expect to bring further training, programmes and employment opportunities to locals. “It’s been such an exciting journey for us to be part of Stratford’s evolution into the creative and cultural hub it is today,” says Rachel.

Set to open in the new year, Sadler’s Wells East’s roster of projects and opportunities are already looking promising: “It is vital to us that we’re part of the community in Stratford,” says Executive Director Britannia Morton.

“We want everyone to feel welcome in the new building, and are aiming for at least 50% of the roles created for Sadler’s Wells East to go to people who live or study in east London – particularly the boroughs that surround the Park: Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Waltham Forest.”

Sadler’s Wells is also a founding partner of the STEP programme, with three STEP interns currently working at their Islington theatre and more employment opportunities planned for the East Bank theatre.

“Supporting artists is at the heart of what we do, and Sadler’s Wells East will be home to a hip hop theatre academy ABC (Academy Breakin’ Convention), to develop the next generation of artists in that field,” says Britannia.

The intensive two-year course for 16–19-year-olds will offer practical training in performing arts and will cover all the artistic elements of hip hop theatre, including classes in breaking, popping and hip hop dance, as well as rap, DJing, beat-making, and graffiti. The opening of the new Rose Choreographic School will also help choreographers develop their ideas.

East Ed is the exciting careers and education programme on the Park for schools and young people in Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. The Park and the surrounding area is rich with cultural, creative, scientific and future-focused institutions and businesses. 

The project is all about connecting schools, teachers and students to these unique opportunities and experiences, equipping young people with the skills and tools to shape their career journeys. Their annual East Summer School this year attracted over 350 young people, who took part in a range of unique learning experiences across tech, performance, fashion, design and more, delivered alongside extraordinary institutions and community organisations in and around the Park.

As part of National Careers week in March each year they host East Careers week, inviting schools from across East London to the Park to visit different industries, learn from industry experts and take part in a range of workshops.

“Work experience isn’t about making a cup of tea”

Nomadic contemporary circus company, Revel Puck had their beginning in East London, with most of their staff having studied at National Centre for Circus Arts in Shoreditch: “The creative voice of the company is informed by the environment within which we developed our practice,” says Artistic Director, Luke Hallgarten.

In an effort to bring the arts to all, the team explored ways to facilitate performance opportunities for fringe arts organisations and artists, whilst developing a wider scheme of engagement for local people which has led them across the UK: “Touring in this way means that we build the venue, the bar, we rig the whole show and we do all the site planning and health and safety around that, so that’s a real opportunity to offer development skills across a broad range of things.”

“I don’t believe in there being a linear pathway into the creative industries,” says Kaveh Rahnama, Programme Lead at Future Formed, a programme for 16–30-year-olds based in Waltham Forest and operating across seven boroughs. “My constant argument is if we’re training people to be freelancers, they need multiple and ongoing interventions and support. Not just; here’s some training. Tick! Off you go.”

The programme uses a 5-step system: creative engagement, (which involves free cultural visits to theatres and galleries, unpaid work experience), mentoring with an industry professional, industry-relevant training and paid placements.

“Work experience isn’t about making a cup of tea,” says Kaveh, “it’s much more hands on. I’ve helped people gain experience in various roles so that they feel in a position where they can survive and have a sustainable career as a freelance creative in whatever area they decide to go into. Some of the training would cost a grand or two, so we facilitate that for free.”

Westfield Stratford City is also rebooting their Future You careers event this October. Now in its third year, the event will be held across four days (19th-22nd) and offers a variety of events, workshops and activities for 12-24 years olds, including workshops in sports, social media, journalism, wellness, styling, music and DJing, as well as budgeting and influencer talks. Attendees will receive guidance on finding their first job and acquiring skills necessary for success. 

As East London continues to produce native creatives and attract artists further afield, reassurance lies in the steady growing cluster of funds, trusts and organisations looking to invest in young creatives, helping them secure a career in the creative sector.

“I don’t pretend it’s easy”, says Oliver, “but I’m optimistic about where and how young people can contribute. It’s just it’s so obvious to me: invest in young people.”

Can talent, drive and a genuine desire for knowledge be nurtured and supported in today’s creative scene? Check out one of the above organisations and you’ll find out.

MORE INFO

Read on...

The Wick’s creative careers & student special continues here:

Meet the Six Universities of the Olympic Park
Andrea Stark's top tips for getting into the creative sector
Creative Careers: a letter from John Newbigin
Student Guide: cheap eats, shopping, dancing & more

Produced in partnership with

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]]> My tips for starting your career in the creative industries https://thisisthewick.com/education/tips-for-creative-industries-jobs-andrea-stark/ Tue, 03 Oct 2023 14:37:30 +0000 https://thisisthewick.com/?p=1928 Andrea Stark of Creative UK and a veteran of many other culture sector roles tells us how she managed to make it - and how you can too

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My tips for starting your career in the creative industries

  • Andrea Stark of Creative UK and a veteran of many other culture sector roles tells us how she managed to make it - and how you can too

Is finding a career in the creative industries still all about who know you know, not what you know?

As a teenager way back in the 1980s, I wanted to work in the arts but didn’t know anyone who did. Schoolteachers laughed and told me to get real.

I went to the library on our estate to see if there was a book about it (there wasn’t), I went to the career’s office next to the job centre which didn’t keep information about arts careers as there was “no demand for it.”

I went back to that careers office many times to show there was a demand, and after several weeks they gave me a photocopied sheet with the name of one college to apply to – so I did. I studied hard, got top grades and still wasn’t in the know.

Meantime I worked as a play leader, sessional youth worker, early morning newsagent, fruit shop cashier, supervisor of lingerie in a Kensington High St department store, silver service waitress, barmaid, product demonstrator in shopping centres and a TV extra. I even managed a passenger ferry service.

Over those years, my three priories were to keep a roof over my head, pay my way and stay creative – somehow/anyhow. The idea of an unpaid internship within a professional arts organisation was beyond the realm of possibility, never mind affordability.

But what I learned during that time was that creativity is not something you switch on or off – it’s part of who you are as a person, and even though I felt I wasn’t doing proper creative jobs much of the time, my creativity tipped into whatever roles I did do.

Mine comes out as being agile, a good problem solver, an organiser, seeing new possibilities, a lateral thinker…and blagging – being able to persuade others to imagine a future they hadn’t previously considered. These qualities often come to the fore when I appear to be confronted by a brick wall of apathy, disinterest, hostility – or a combination of the three!

East London in 2023 – the creative industries are everywhere you turn, and a number of developments such as East Bank on the Olympic Park have been enabled with public funding. They aim to support local communities train and secure good work in a sector that continues to grow, but which remains predominantly white and middle class.

There is now a plethora of individual programmes and access schemes promoted online, I was frankly baffled – even though I’m now somewhat in the know. So what do you do if you want to pursue a career in one of London’s the biggest local industries?

Start by seeing it as a basic right to be supported with good advice and guidance. It is reasonable to expect your careers teachers, local college or uni careers service, council employment service, adult learning and libraries to personally assist you with navigating your way through the mass of information out there to find the next step that’s right for you.

You should also expect creative and cultural organisations benefiting from public investment to connect you to the range of jobs that exist and what training you need to pursue them.

And if these folk in the know don’t give you the time of day? Call it out. Make a complaint, raise the matter with your local councillor. They will want to know that the efforts and resources they’re putting in on behalf of their residents to open up the creative industries are really working.

Don’t be shy, if you don’t ask you don’t get.

Andrea Stark is a non-executive director of Creative UK, The Culture Trust Luton, Metal Culture and a Governor of London Metropolitan University. She has held senior roles in the cultural sector, funding bodies, local and as Director of Employment, Skills & Culture with the London Borough of Islington.

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The post My tips for starting your career in the creative industries appeared first on The Wick.

]]> Creative Careers: a letter from John Newbigin https://thisisthewick.com/education/creative-careers-john-newbigin/ Tue, 03 Oct 2023 14:12:58 +0000 https://thisisthewick.com/?p=1912 London's creative industry ambassador reveals why here and now is the best time to be pursuing a career in this exciting sector

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Creative Careers: a letter from John Newbigin

  • London's creative industry ambassador reveals why here and now is the best time to be pursuing a career in this exciting sector

When people talk about London’s economy they usually go on about banks and finance, but what really powers London is its creative and cultural industries.

One in every six jobs in London is in the creative sector, earning more than £50billion a year for our economy. In fact, those jobs don’t just power London, they define it, because three out of every four visitors to London say they come here for its cultural life. And what makes London so special is that it has talented people and successful businesses in every part of the creative economy.

Hollywood does film, Milan does fashion, Liverpool does music – but London does it all – film, fashion, music, games, design, advertising, theatre, visual arts, architecture. These industries feed off each other and help drive each other. And skills from the creative industries are now spreading into many other areas of the city’s economy, too.

But there’s no guarantee that it’s always going to be like that unless all these businesses can keep attracting new talent with new skills and ideas. There are growing skills shortages in many creative industries which is a headache for the companies – but a huge opportunity for people with ideas and ambition.

In the past that constant need for new skills was often met by people from the rest of Europe coming to work here, because this was the hottest place for talent to flourish. Brexit has changed all that and now our creative industries are desperate to attract the young talent that’s already here.

And there’s another change happening, too. Jobs in the creative industries have often been handed out in a very informal way. Somebody has a son, a daughter, a friend, a relative who needs a job, and gets a job – whether or not they’re the best person to do it. Now businesses are waking up to the fact that not only is this wrong, it’s definitely not a clever way to do things in a city where there’s incredible talent and potential, if you only look for it. And they’re looking for it now.

I helped start a company called Creative England that invested in creative businesses and helped them grow. Our slogan was “talent is everywhere but opportunity is not” because so many creative people were struggling to get ahead and turn their dreams into businesses. Ten years later, that’s still true, but what’s changing in London is that there are now better signposts to help talent connect with opportunity, that can help you find what works for you and what skills you need to get there.

If you want to try to make it in film or games or music or fashion or any of the other creative industries that flourish in this part of London, now’s a good time to be doing it, and The Wick guide to creative career opportunities gives you a great start.

John Newbigin is a member of the Mayor’s ‘Cultural Leadership Board’ and Ambassador for the creative industries. He was previously a member of the ‘London Economic Action Partnership Board.’

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]]> Esports Explosion https://thisisthewick.com/education/esports-explosion/ Tue, 20 Jul 2021 15:27:55 +0000 https://thisisthewick.com/?p=597 The esports industry has grown astronomically over the last few years, and the popularity of computer and console gaming has been the main driver. Since 2012 the global games market has more than doubled in size from $70.6bn to $180bn in 2021. East London, and the Here East campus in particular, has become a hub […]

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Esports Explosion

  • You may already know that some of the world's top video game companies are based in the neighbourhood, but plans for the future are going to blow your mind

The esports industry has grown astronomically over the last few years, and the popularity of computer and console gaming has been the main driver.

Since 2012 the global games market has more than doubled in size from $70.6bn to $180bn in 2021. East London, and the Here East campus in particular, has become a hub for the industry. They have just released their comprehensive Esports Feasibility Report (link below), and adapted quickly to ensure that the esports cluster could continue through lockdown, when people were engaging with esports online in record numbers.

Here East ensured their tech and innovation campus had enough safe and secure space for the esports companies to expand. This included facilitating Sports Interactive’s move to a new larger office space as they grew throughout the pandemic.

The buildings have consequently acted as a safe harbour for esports companies, and there’s a general feeling that all will emerge stronger than ever post-Covid with an amazing mix of operators setting the scene for the future of the industry.

I met with Tom Davis, who recently joined Sports Interactive. Tom was a childhood fan of their game Football Manager, and like most people working in esports here, his background is not what you’d usually associate with a hightech computer games manufacturer. The exciting thing about esports is that the people who do well in the industry are gaming fans first and foremost, as Tom perfectly demonstrates. He was able to use his passion for the game to get into Sports Interactive with no prior programming experience.

Tom’s role is working with parent company Sega to build and manage Football Manager’s community and decicde how the firm empowers and communicates with gamers.

He explains how the kids and young people coming through now can also easily take part in esports events themselves. “There are incredible opportunities and competitions giving people a big incentive to refine their craft and compete for big cash prizes,” he says.

During the pandemic Tom and the Football Manager team were able to offer the game to people for free to help them cope throughout the lockdowns. He said this had a huge impact on the community, where esports was able to step up and fill the void left behind by physical sports.

Tom feels that this new level of engagement during the pandemic has set the tone for the future of the industry. “The lines between esports and traditional sports are beginning to blur,” he says. “People in the industry who initially played racing games with rudimentary steering wheel rigs have gone on to use that experience to become pro motor racers around the world.”

Tom knows people who are now competing in both esports and professional motorsports, using their esports skills and experiences to gain an edge against traditionally trained pro drivers. “Esports gives young drivers experience of hundreds of tracks,” says Tom, “where they can practice thousands of times, to master difficult tracks, learn the mechanics of how the cars work and understand how they can apply this in real life vehicles and situations.”

This September, Here East is preparing to play host to Stack Fest, a big three-day esports festival. It will feature well-known esports and games brands, pro teams, athletes as well as academic experts working for institutions like Staffordshire University’s esports campus, also based on-site.

And by the sounds of things, Stack Fest is now just the tip of a very big iceberg, too.

“We’ll be hosting plenty more live events in the near future,” says Helen Fisher, Marketing and Communications Director at Here East.

“East London and Here East has the potential to become the home of a world-leading esports cluster, bringing together all the different elements that make the industry a success, from nurturing talent to innovation within game development,” she says.

“Our dream is for Here East to become the number one location to host an esports competition, and in our recent Esports Feasibility Report, we expand and provide recommendations on how we are going to achieve this.”

It all sounds suitably ambitious, yet it feels like the building blocks are very much in place, and unlike so many other industries, the global disruption of Covid has accelerated the speed of growth.

“Spanning sports broadcast, academic institutions, and games production, we are home to BT Sport, Staffordshire University London, Sports Interactive and Bidstack, based within Plexal, our innovation centre, to name just a few of the companies within the sector who call Here East home. So collaboration between different industry players is also key. The Olympic Park has huge potential to support the UK games industry as well as amplifying London as a global leader in game development and publishing, so we all must work together to put East London on the global esports map.”

I ask Helen if they feel that the London Stadium and its position in East London, with all of its creative heritage, should ultimately become a global esports venue? The answer she gives is inspiring to say the least.

“Ultimately, Here East and Queen Elizbeth Olympic Park was originally designed for the very function of hosting large in-person events with digital capabilities to broadcast live all around the world.” she says. “So we have the physical infrastructure and transport links, and the digital infrastructure to host exciting and successful esports tournaments.”

Stack Fest runs 9-11 Sept. 2021 More info & tickets: stack-fest.com For more on the esports cluster and to download the report visit:  http://hereeast.com

Local Business Fair returns

It’s the place to find out how you can get involved in the big summer festival activity in Victoria Park

March 21, 2024

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]]> A Seat At The Table https://thisisthewick.com/education/a-seat-at-the-table/ Thu, 15 Jul 2021 15:23:33 +0000 https://thisisthewick.com/?p=638 When London was selected as the host city for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games it came with the promise of creating a legacy that would last years beyond the sporting competition. The London Legacy Development Co-operation (LLDC) was formed and tasked with that challenge. It now operates as a planning authority for the Queen […]

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A Seat At The Table

  • Our guest editor explains the importance of the Legacy Youth Board, and how organisations benefit from incorporating young people in their decision-making

When London was selected as the host city for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games it came with the promise of creating a legacy that would last years beyond the sporting competition. The London Legacy Development Co-operation (LLDC) was formed and tasked with that challenge. It now operates as a planning authority for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and surrounding areas. Alongside the organisation’s traditional governance structures is the innovative Legacy Youth Board. I’ve had the pleasure of being its Chair for the last year, and am currently in my second term. The group is made up of 18–25-year olds from the host boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. It aims to bring an alternative perspective to the board room environment and give young people a voice in crucial decisions on the future of the area.

Youth Board members attend the monthly meetings and give opinions about a selection of topics on the agenda. They can attend subcommittees that make decisions around planning, regeneration and communities, investment and other areas. Depending on legal implications, we act as participants or observers, which allows us to gain a full picture of the breadth of work happening at LLDC’s board level and comment in real time. We get to give input on a variety of topics, like housing, architecture, sports, culture, and arts – and much more. Most importantly, we are given a chance to scrutinise and critique.

When you consider that the average age of a non-executive director in the UK was 60.3 years old in 2020 and that the demographics of those individuals are overwhelmingly white and male, it is clear that a wider range of voices need to be represented in governance structures. When the LLDC begins to recruit this Summer for new full board members, one of those members will be under 30. Past and present members of Legacy Youth Board have been invited to apply. I believe more boards should actively try and recruit young people. We have something to say, we just need to be listened to.

Syeda Tasmia Tahia is one of the longest serving Youth Board members. She is also a young trustee with Sadler’s Wells Trust Ltd, the charity that runs Sadler’s Wells and its theatres. I spoke to her about her experiences.

It’s been 12 years since the Legacy Youth projects began. What’s the experience been like for you?

Back in 2010, the schools in Waltham Forest were doing a program called youth ambassadors for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. I applied and was selected. I remember we came on a tour of the Park, and it was is basically a building site at that point. There was a huge sense of being part of something really big, part of history, and I hadn’t really felt that before. When the legacy of the Games was being discussed, I knew this is something local young people should be involved in, because it is about our future. I’ve learned so much; resilience, perseverance all of those kind of soft skills, but also the value of being able to share your views even though you don’t have specialist expertise. So I don’t have an architectural background, but my lived experience is an expertise in itself.

Why do you think it’s important to have a youth voice at board level?

It’s important to have a diversity of voices at board levels in general. From young people to women to those from different backgrounds and lived experiences. If we only have one kind of person, the decisions and the perceptions all get filtered through a particular lens. We lose touch with the people we’re trying to serve, and obviously the Park needs to be for everyone. Having genuine diversity on the board helps address core issues at that starting point and the strategic point. You create fairer products and services, as you’re considering the many different ways people will be impacted.

Looking at all of your experiences what do think can be improved with governance structures?

A lot of these kind of exercises can become about boxing-ticking. What I’ve learned from the Legacy Youth Board and from Sadler’s Wells is that these are equal spaces at the boards table. I hope other places will emulate that in their own practices, as people need to know they are going to be listened to. We really do put forward that scrutiny and push back when we think something needs to change. Organisations need to accept that they will sometimes hear ‘no’ as well as ‘yes’, and be able to work with that.

What do you think can be done to create sustainable change?

Change always comes from putting our honest views and feedback on the table. At board level, it helps to have people who respect each other and have made a commitment to listen, but are not afraid to contradict other views as well. All of us can make little changes like this every day though, whenever we see something that just doesn’t feel right. Even if just one person is speaking up, feeling able to raise our voice means that someone else is listening, and you can crosspollinate and create a movement. I’m a big believer in creating little changes every day, towards something much bigger.

More information on the Youth Board: http://wick.link/youthboard

For background on the LLDC: http://wick.link/lldc

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]]> Guest Editor: Kaitlene Koranteng https://thisisthewick.com/education/guest-editor-kaitlene-koranteng/ Tue, 06 Jul 2021 15:42:40 +0000 https://thisisthewick.com/?p=660 The chair of the Legacy Youth Board, reflects on HWFI's identity coming out of the pandemic and why it's time to celebrate

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Guest Editor: Kaitlene Koranteng

The last year has been a time of uncertainty and we’ve all found ourselves growing in unexpected ways. Our world opening up a bit more now gives communities like Hackney Wick & Fish Island and the neighbourhoods in and around the Olympc Park room to grow outwards again, while also reestablishing old roots.

Like most people, I found myself online more than ever during the lockdowns. When the pandemic started, I had just finished my first term as a board member on the Legacy Youth Board (see p.11) and we had begun to recruit new members. We suddenly found ourselves shifting to working virtually, with people we had never met in person. Of course, this is not unique – everyone has similar stories. But it brings me joy to see how resourceful people can be and to watch communities form and thrive despite the difficulties.

In fact, Creative Wick’s first Living Lab report ‘We need each other more than ever’ into the impact of Covid-19 on HWFI’s creative sector was published in April. It highlighted the importance of having access to locally trusted networks for conections, support and information sharing. With that in mind, the Community Interest Group (CIG) meets monthly and has over 2,000 local members. For more info and to join in, see Get Involved below. You can download the report at: wick.link/living-lab.

I have also been lucky enough to facilitate the last few Hackney Wick Town Hall sessions, a meeting that gives local people the chance to listen, discuss, and make plans about issues that are important to them. I’ve only experienced the Town Halls online, but have been able to see new connections form between people who barely know each other, including myself. Alongside all this, our small business especially have been through the wringer, and not everyone will have made it through. The high streets will have changed as well the communities, and the ones that were built online in bedrooms, screen-to-screen are moving to face-to-face.

Now we need to find the new face of our community, to become reacquainted with the old and discover the new. Last issue’s guest editor, Sir William Atkinson, drew attention to the countless changes that Hackney Wick & Fish Island has been through over the last hundred years. Even when everything feels like it’s been on pause, society has kept going, people have kept going – change continues. The pandemic isn’t over, and its important that we acknowledge that, as well as mourn the people we have lost and parts of communities that are now gone. It’s also important that we breathe a little bit, acknowledge how far we have come, and celebrate that.

GUEST EDITOR: Kaitlene Koranteng

Kaitlene is the Chair of the Legacy Youth Board, a group of local 18-25 year olds who help strategy for regeneration in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the host boroughs. She is an early career Archivist, pursuing a Masters degree in the subject at UCL and a volunteer with Young Historians Project which encourages the development of a new generation of historians of African and Caribbean heritage in Britain. She is also a poet and performer.
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]]> Your Big Break in the Time of COVID https://thisisthewick.com/education/your-big-break-in-the-time-of-covid/ Fri, 16 Apr 2021 12:00:00 +0000 http://thisisthewick.com/?p=172 We’re living through the economic shock of our lifetimes, but East London is a good place to be if you’re in need of inspirational training opportunities and financial support

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Your Big Break in the Time of COVID

  • We’re living through the economic shock of our lifetimes, but East London is a good place to be if you’re in need of inspirational training opportunities and financial support

As we all face up to the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic, Foundation for FutureLondon (FFL) and Westfield Stratford City have committed to support East London residents, groups, organisations and businesses. The Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund is a five-year programme that will pump £10m into local communities of Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Waltham Forest.

Small grants of £1k-£5k for arts, culture, innovation or creative placemaking projects that focus on education, skills or training have already begun to be awarded.

Leading by example right here, the pilot print edition of The Wick has been made possible due to a grant from FFL’s Connecting People and Place fund, supported by the City of London.

Several other medium and large-sized grant schemes have been announced or are coming soon, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on futurelondonfoundation.org to make sure you’re aware of the latest opportunities. The aim is to jumpstart projects, businesses, start-ups and employment skills and qualifications, for locals across the four boroughs that border the Olympic Park.

Have you got a project idea of your own that needs funding? We asked some recent grant awardees to share their advice on how to successfully apply…

Coming out of education, the only language and structure you learn is academic. Over the years I’ve had to slowly unlearn that, and understand that you just need to be genuine, clear and straight to the point.

AJAY PABIAL - Managing Director at Arts Clubbers Tweet

Art Clubbers are an organization that supports budding creatives through workshops and training. They recently received funding to launch S.Y.N.C (Skills Youth Network Create), a programme designed to train young creative leaders in Tower Hamlets and Newham for the 21st century workplace.

Read the grant application guidelines carefully, and be focused on answering the questions and show your passion for what you are doing.

SONIA QUINTERO - Founder, Newham Poetry Group Tweet

Newham Poetry Group is an organisation which celebrates the diversity of the borough through poetry. They received FFL funding to launch their latest project, Newham Poetry House, which is a weekly gathering of poetry lovers to enjoy workshops and classes in a library space.

We recommend that you speak to the team about your project idea before you apply, as from our experience it will help you to structure your plan – and make your application stronger.

BABLU MIAH - Founder, Trapped in Zone One Tweet

Trapped in Zone One is a Black, Asian and People of Colour-led organisation running in Tower Hamlets which empowers locals to make social change. They received funding to launch their project, The Bigger Picture, a monthly programme of themed film nights showcasing the work of Tower Hamlets-based filmmakers.

The schemes all encourage applications from marginalised communities, something that’s especially important today, given the uneven impacts of Covid-19. “We are pleased to kickstart our grant schemes during these difficult times to support local economies, jobs, skills and places,” says Maria Adebowale-Schwarte, CEO at Foundation for FutureLondon.

Similarly, Alyson Hodkinson, General Manager at Westfield Stratford City says “we are also delighted to be supporting local talent, providing access to new career opportunities and important training for people with big ideas within our communities.”

To keep track of dates and details of the new Medium and Large Grant Schemes, sign up to the Foundation for FutureLondon newsletter.

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]]> Beyond the Box https://thisisthewick.com/education/elementor-1532/ Sat, 12 Dec 2020 11:17:09 +0000 https://thisisthewick.com/?p=1532 In this year of massive coronavirus upheaval, many voices – from the Prime Minister to homelessness charities – have been calling for how we must now ‘build back better’. It looks like social and environmental projects that were previously considered radical may finally be given a go. Meanwhile here in Hackney Wick, a group of […]

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Beyond the Box

  • Consulting young people on architectural and cultural plans often feels patronising and regularly gets ignored, anyway. Not so The People’s Pavillion

In this year of massive coronavirus upheaval, many voices – from the Prime Minister to homelessness charities – have been calling for how we must now ‘build back better’. It looks like social and environmental projects that were previously considered radical may finally be given a go. Meanwhile here in Hackney Wick, a group of local 14-19-year-olds aren’t waiting around. They’ve already spent recent weeks working on The People’s Pavilion; an arts, culture and sports events space to be wholly designed by them, which will open at Here East next summer.

The idea is to ‘flip the script’ on the usual design process and put young people in charge of not only creating the physical structure, but also the entire concept of what should happen there, too. “The whole approach is based on participatory engagement,” says Neil Onions, founder of Beyond the Box, a consultancy dedicated to getting young people fully involved in their built environment, which is behind the plans.

“We hear a lot about what needs to be done to increase the next generation’s access to opportunities, particularly for those from diverse backgrounds, but it’s never through participating in the creative process. After 20 years in the voluntary sector, I know that very often we ask young people for their insights and we put them all into a report, which is great, but then it just sits on the shelf. We wanted to be truly innovative with how we gain and use our insights, and we wanted to do it via creating content, so anyone can watch or listen and learn from the findings.” 

The result of the first few weeks of preliminary activity is a brilliant selection of videos made
at roundtable discussions run by co-hosts Grace, who is 16, and Henry, 18. There’s also a specially commissioned poem by Aretha Ahunanya describing the experience young people in East London have of taking up space in their community, plus a wider expression of this from a variety of other voices in interviews conducted by young people known as Connectors. “You deserve to be there, and bring other people to take up their own space too,” says Lamesha from Newham, while Chifaa from Hackney says we should be “restoring dignity and respect within the BAME community in the media – no more misrepresentation. It would prevent the perpetuation of prejudice.”

Embarking on this fresh approach to urban planning lead Neil to The Plug, a youth innovation agency who have helped bring the early People’s Pavilion team together. “The first thing we told all our nominated Connectors is that they have complete autonomy in how they want to go out and engage other young people in discussion,” says The Plug’s Thaddaeus Brown. “So when putting together all the insights for the design brief, we discovered things like they wanted sports to be a big part of the space, as it was one of the ways they like connecting with other people.

We also heard how the diversity in East London makes it feel special and a great place to live, but that mix also leads to clashes and problems of integration into wider British society.”

Encouragingly, the Pavilion project has immediately been seized upon by the interviewees
as a potential opportunity for improving exactly these issues. “One young man from Tower Hamlets Bengali community was adamant this project should bridge the gap between the generations,” says Thaddaeus. “He told us it must work to support communication between older and younger people, particularly to help with the pressures that come from the older generation.”

The coming months will see the co-design teams competition running alongside a series of further workshops to curate the culture programming for the entire two- week run of the Pavilion, planned for August 2021. There’s even a trip to the Venice Biennale on the cards, and all this will generate further podcasts, videos and yes, some reports too – but don’t expect them to be the kind that sit on the shelf.

“By presenting things differently, we overcome some of the problems I think arise from our education system,” says Neil. “We’re offering a chance to engage in some creative freedom rather than, say, advertising for a researcher. But actually all of these jobs are research roles, so afterwards you can say, ‘you know, you have actually just trained as a researcher.’”

As Thaddaeus attests, the process demystifies a lot of jargon and convention that would otherwise make young people feel that getting involved in design, environmental planning and cultural programming is not really for them. “When you rephrase things and focus on the creative hobbies and passions that all young people have, you get a massive influx of ideas and engagement, revealing plenty that you weren’t expecting. This project really gives them the opportunity to bring their strengths to something they might not have considered before.” WT

Beyond the Box have launched The Pavilion Hub, where you’ll find all the latest content and info on how local 14-19-year-olds can get involved in different ways.

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