03-22-2015, 12:08 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-22-2015, 12:23 PM by BumblebeeCody.)
No idea where to put this if it's Shamless Self Promotion, How Was Your Day, Anti-vent but I guess here is fine.
Been a bit busy this week but finally getting the chance to post this.
Back story:
So in 2013, I took a year off Uni to think about what it was I wanted to do. Kinda just have time to myself. During the months of September to December I signed up to The Princes Trust which is a charity here in the UK under Princes Charles foundation. Every year around the UK, each team within that region (in my case, Hemel Hempstead) have to create a project for a group of people/charity/event etc.
Our project was to create books that dealt with potential issues of growing up whether it's sexual orientation, fitting in, making friend, relationships etc. Over the course of 8-9 weeks, my team and I(of around 15 people) created 6 individual books for a primary school that children who had learning difficulties- attended. Some of us where assigned to writing, graphic design, editing, acting, contacts and connections and other areas to create these 6 books for the school.
It took a crap ton of effort but in December of 2013 we were able finally publish the books (and even posters).
![[Image: 7vx9B4g.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/7vx9B4g.jpg)
(We have 6 books in total but my others have fallen down the back of my wardrobe :/)
(I'm the dude in the glasses. I had a complete "make over". I had a hair come over, huge glasses, dorky clothes and I had to pretend to be homosexual(as was my character's(Mo) dilemma)).
The thing is, the Princes Trust is also there for us to develop ourselves. I was with a lot of people who were unemployed and looking for working, people who had finished school or college, people who wanted a direction on where to go and what to do with themselves, those looking for a connection to something. It meant a lot more than just being on a 3-4 month course making books because it gave some of the people I worked with, hope in finally being able to do something with themselves whether it was get a job, go back to school or anything else. For me I was just taking a year off Uni and wanted to fill a few months doing an activity to help others, but in the process I found other people who were looking for more out of life.
We spent a short but enjoyable time with each other even spending an entire week away on a trip. Made a lot of friends that I still talk to. Entire course was incredible.
I'm only posting this now because I only recently came to realise how far our efforts would go. Last week on Thursday(19th of March) we went to a huge ceremony in central London for the Princes Trust event. Leading up to the weeks before this we were invited to a documentary and stage events. Apparently our project had beaten 3000 our projects all around the UK, not just from the other Princes Trust around the UK but from schools, colleges, campuses, after school programs, cubs/scouts/brownies etc and we made it to top 3. I never would have thought that a group of us working on those books back in 2013 would have lead us to the red carpet with all big names in show business like FRIKKIN' KEVIN SPACEY ...and some random British Celebrities who I have no idea who they are but that Simon Cowell dude was there...eh and Rod Stewart(???) and his Royal Highness himself, Prince Charles. But yeah, it shows how far we managed to go.
So last Thursday we went to the event. Here's the trailer:
(Skip to 1:40 for hype)
So we won. The insane amount of hype at that moment was surreal. Like I said, before I wouldn't have though I (and my team) would end up here. But it was incredible.
The funny thing is, Princes Charles commented on me shaving for the event. Man that was awkward. Whenever the full event goes live for TV, I wanna see how long that conversation was. Quite funny.
Our mini-documentary on it:
^Joe Oxley and Rob were our team leaders.
Asian dude with the hat and goatee is me (since I never added a photo to the picture thread).
*I say I was unemployed but really just taking a year off Uni to collect myself. Now I'm working in my career working in London as a software developer.
But to go back to the Princes Trust. It was an amazing experience. But at the Princes Trust event (on Thursday) it did make me appreciate what I had a lot more. Some of the other awards were presented to people with very troubled pasts. They had gone through a lot with their lives and managed to get their life going in a positive way (through the Princes Trust). The same can be said for the people I worked with. We all worked hard on a project to help those who with learning difficulties and at the same time, develop ourselves.
(What I think sucks is how all the reporting done on the event is about celebrities attending this event rather than the projects and people who actually matter). Yeah I'm a bit salty on that. But I think the real important people where those who worked on project, those who had a hard life and managed to pull through and all the Princes Trust teams.
If you're aged 16-24 (in the UK) Check it out. Could not recommend it enough.
Been a bit busy this week but finally getting the chance to post this.
Back story:
So in 2013, I took a year off Uni to think about what it was I wanted to do. Kinda just have time to myself. During the months of September to December I signed up to The Princes Trust which is a charity here in the UK under Princes Charles foundation. Every year around the UK, each team within that region (in my case, Hemel Hempstead) have to create a project for a group of people/charity/event etc.
Our project was to create books that dealt with potential issues of growing up whether it's sexual orientation, fitting in, making friend, relationships etc. Over the course of 8-9 weeks, my team and I(of around 15 people) created 6 individual books for a primary school that children who had learning difficulties- attended. Some of us where assigned to writing, graphic design, editing, acting, contacts and connections and other areas to create these 6 books for the school.
It took a crap ton of effort but in December of 2013 we were able finally publish the books (and even posters).
(We have 6 books in total but my others have fallen down the back of my wardrobe :/)
(I'm the dude in the glasses. I had a complete "make over". I had a hair come over, huge glasses, dorky clothes and I had to pretend to be homosexual(as was my character's(Mo) dilemma)).
The thing is, the Princes Trust is also there for us to develop ourselves. I was with a lot of people who were unemployed and looking for working, people who had finished school or college, people who wanted a direction on where to go and what to do with themselves, those looking for a connection to something. It meant a lot more than just being on a 3-4 month course making books because it gave some of the people I worked with, hope in finally being able to do something with themselves whether it was get a job, go back to school or anything else. For me I was just taking a year off Uni and wanted to fill a few months doing an activity to help others, but in the process I found other people who were looking for more out of life.
We spent a short but enjoyable time with each other even spending an entire week away on a trip. Made a lot of friends that I still talk to. Entire course was incredible.
I'm only posting this now because I only recently came to realise how far our efforts would go. Last week on Thursday(19th of March) we went to a huge ceremony in central London for the Princes Trust event. Leading up to the weeks before this we were invited to a documentary and stage events. Apparently our project had beaten 3000 our projects all around the UK, not just from the other Princes Trust around the UK but from schools, colleges, campuses, after school programs, cubs/scouts/brownies etc and we made it to top 3. I never would have thought that a group of us working on those books back in 2013 would have lead us to the red carpet with all big names in show business like FRIKKIN' KEVIN SPACEY ...and some random British Celebrities who I have no idea who they are but that Simon Cowell dude was there...eh and Rod Stewart(???) and his Royal Highness himself, Prince Charles. But yeah, it shows how far we managed to go.
So last Thursday we went to the event. Here's the trailer:
(Skip to 1:40 for hype)
So we won. The insane amount of hype at that moment was surreal. Like I said, before I wouldn't have though I (and my team) would end up here. But it was incredible.
The funny thing is, Princes Charles commented on me shaving for the event. Man that was awkward. Whenever the full event goes live for TV, I wanna see how long that conversation was. Quite funny.
Our mini-documentary on it:
^Joe Oxley and Rob were our team leaders.
Asian dude with the hat and goatee is me (since I never added a photo to the picture thread).
*I say I was unemployed but really just taking a year off Uni to collect myself. Now I'm working in my career working in London as a software developer.
But to go back to the Princes Trust. It was an amazing experience. But at the Princes Trust event (on Thursday) it did make me appreciate what I had a lot more. Some of the other awards were presented to people with very troubled pasts. They had gone through a lot with their lives and managed to get their life going in a positive way (through the Princes Trust). The same can be said for the people I worked with. We all worked hard on a project to help those who with learning difficulties and at the same time, develop ourselves.
(What I think sucks is how all the reporting done on the event is about celebrities attending this event rather than the projects and people who actually matter). Yeah I'm a bit salty on that. But I think the real important people where those who worked on project, those who had a hard life and managed to pull through and all the Princes Trust teams.
If you're aged 16-24 (in the UK) Check it out. Could not recommend it enough.