I started MAMA Youth Project a low self esteemed girl and left a completely different person.”

“Before MYP I was stuck in retail for two years in Westfield and always dreamed of working for channel 4 or the BBC, which is just opposite of where I was. I would always see people with their lanyards and wished that could be me. One day a customer came in who worked for BBC Children’s and spoke of how he never received a degree, he just researched the company thoroughly and went for it. That day changed my life; I quit my job and signed on with the Job Centre Plus whilst I applied for jobs in media. I came across MAMA Youth Project at the Job Centre and applied straight away.

I started MAMA Youth Project a very shy, low self esteemed girl and left a complete different person. I gained so much confidence from the work I was doing and from the support I received from everyone there! I learnt how and when to communicate my thoughts, how to work as an individual as well as in a group of so many creative people. The most important lessons I personally learnt were very basic but invaluable skills such as time management and appreciating other people’s time and effort in the work environment.

After my time at MAMA Youth, I decided that I would like to go down the Production Management route and was rewarded a placement at the BBC as a Production Management Assistant in Factual for shows such as Life and Death Row and The Met. I loved this role and learnt a great deal about the BBC working culture.

The most beneficial advice I would give for anyone starting their career at MAMA Youth Project and in broadcast media would be to move around the industry and learn different skills, whether its running, production assistance, legal, business or technical, as I guarantee they will be extremely useful to your career what ever you end up doing. Believe in yourself and embrace all the things that can go wrong whilst you are there, because the hardest lessons are the ones we learn from the most!” - March 2016