Something brilliant has happened at Settle Stories.
We have been able to offer a paid Event Management Internship over the last 8 months.
Why is this so important? The internship has invested in the arts infrastructure here in the rural Yorkshire Dales. During a time when younger people are choosing to leave rural communities to find work in larger cities, this internship provided work for a young person in the arts in one of the most rural parts of the country. The opportunity is just one of the ways that we are able to change the perception of rural arts, creating new opportunities that attract new talent to the area.
The internship was made possible thanks to funding from Great Place Lakes & Dales, whose work aims to retain and attract younger generations to choose to live and work in the stunning rural communities of the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District. We share their belief that ‘without more diverse, dynamic individuals with new ideas loving and living in these protected landscapes, the culture, economy and distinctiveness of the area have no future.’
The successful applicant to our Event Management Internship was Louise Cross. It has been a pleasure working with Louise. She has become a new friend of all of us here in the office and is a valued colleague. Her internship has just come to an end. We’re delighted that she has accepted our offer to work with us further in the future as a freelance arts professional to help with the delivery of our future projects.
A HUGE thank you to Louise from us all here at Settle Stories for all of your hard work.
Louise has been producing a monthly blog and here’s her latest and final contribution. Enjoy.
Over the weekend I reconnected with some old uni friends playing jackbox and video chatting through zoom. Until now we had all been a bit haphazard at keeping in touch. But in this uncertain time, the desire to check in with each other and this move to re-acquaint ourselves with the wonderful possibilities of technology, has brought us all closer together again. It’s just a reminder to stay connected and kind in this time of crisis.
At work, now that we can no longer share an office and we have all retreated to working from home, the team has committed to meeting online every morning. This process of checking in with each other formally each morning has made me more motivated than ever and is keeping morale high. The obstacle of physical distance, in communication has just pushed myself and others, both in our professional and personal lives, to really examine and work on the quality of our communication when we can speak to each other.
In this time of uncertainty for many people, we have been discussing ways in which we can support our community and the artists that we work with. Speaking to many artists and venues in the last few days, it reminds me that although it is tough for us here at Settle Stories, as COVID19 has certainly put a spanner in many of our projects, we are all trying to deal with the unknown. This is the time to innovate, adapt and support each other.
I personally have gone on a whirlwind in this last week. All the projects that I was working on can no longer carry on as they were. So much work reaching a sudden unfulfilling dead end. The question is left of how Settle Stories can be a responsible entity caring for the public’s health, whilst also respecting the work we have promised artists in spite of the Force Majeure of COVID19. So many freelance artists have just had their entire work diaries disappear, along with all their expected income over the coming months. How can we at Settle Stories support them, and how can we move forward with the excitement of our Yorkshire Festival of Story, in these uncertain times? All I can say is: keep your eyes peeled, there are exciting things to come!
The first thing on the horizon is the Yorkshire Poem. Originally installations were going to pop up all around Yorkshire venues with the sentence “I ______ Yorkshire because_______ and _________” for you to fill in for you to tell us how you feel about Yorkshire. Now we are going online! You can complete the sentence from the comfort and safety of your own home and share your response with us on twitter using the hashtag #yorkshirepoem. All your responses will be collected and sent to Sheffield Poet Laureate Otis Mensah who will write your responses into the Yorkshire Poem. I look forward to seeing what you have to say!
Originally the Yorkshire Poem was beginning in partner venues up and down Yorkshire as a physical installation for people to engage with. I had been contacting teams around Yorkshire who have been extremely responsive in wanting to get involved and support this Yorkshire wide project. Since recent events and the need to adapt and move the Yorkshire Poem online, I have been so grateful that all these venues, going through their own period of difficulty due to COVID19, have still given us the time and energy to support this campaign as it moves online.
This is my last blog, and last few days working for Settle Stories as Event Manager Intern, and what a crazy time for this to all come to an end. But what an exciting time to witness and be part of how a team can pull together in a time of crises and adapt. We are all part of the cogs of this machine that is Settle Stories, and we are also part of our community in Settle and the Dales, and part of a network of rural arts organisations, which are continuing to fight to offer the very best to the public and for our artists. I look forward to continuing to work for Settle Stories on the next step of my journey.
