Another Great Find

What would a world without Google be like?

www.google.com

I have stumbled across a website called 'Charities Direct'. It is a Gold Mine in regards to my research, because it lists all events that are happening or going to happen in the future and which charities are organising each one.

Browsing through the many events posted, I am able to research the ones of interest and form an ideas base for the types of activities I can include in the event to be organised by myself at the end of my MA.

The website also stores a list of all the charities connected, so when I produce my case studies or my more in-depth research on types of events, I can look specifically at what one charity produces and if they have a running theme through their fundraising.

I have noticed just by having a quick glance, that there seems to be a significant amount of physically active events being organised. Could this be due to society becoming more health conscious? Communities more likely to participate and get involved if they can benefit themselves as well by keeping fit? I know that when I look for challenges to engage in, the ones I am most attracted to are exercise related. Hence the Indian Himalayas cycle for Childreach International.

- "Walk 10,000 steps per day for the whole week"

- "Sponsored walk... follow a 5 or 10 mile route"

- "Cycling enthusiasts... routes of 46 or 88 miles... challenging hills... but with rewarding sites and descents"

- "Enjoy running 13.1 miles... Get fit and make a difference!"

- "Take part in this weekend of skydives"

- "Calling all adrenaline junkies, fancy sliding across the River Lagan"

The above are just a selection from the first page I clicked on regarding fundraising activities. All physically challenging but rewarding for both parties. 

Childreach International Challenge

As well as 'Charities Direct' being a great source of events/activities, it is going to help me a MASSIVE amount with the financial and marketing side of the charity sector. It 'provides financial information, market intelligence and analysis of the charity sector through a range of interactive online tools, data products and magazines.' I will be a fool if I don't take advantage of what there is to offer. Current articles are also being posted frequently so I know I can rely on the information being fresh and up-to-date. If I check on a regular basis, news report or publications may appear on Childreach International or one of the other charities I decide to take a closer look at.


The site has a lot of sponsors helping it to keep up and running!!


The one aspect that I am not particularly looking forward to is politics. I am bound to run into this side of charity soon. I try and avoid anything political as much as possible. How big a part does politics have to play in charitable organisations?

Meeting My Mentor

It has been a couple of weeks since I met with Jan; my Mentor. She helps me to organise my work and keep me on the right track as I have a tendency to get anxious and upset very easily when I feel un-organised and out of control. Jan is a great help as she listens to me explain my work and this really makes me focus and smooth out any problems I have.

I have arranged to see her later on this week to go through what I have done so far and what the next progression steps are. Just having somebody to listen so I can speak my ideas out loud, gives me clarity. Discussing and sharing ideas is very beneficial I think.

I have asked Jan to send me the notes made last year on a talk Mark Webster did to the Photography course in their weekly Photovoices, which is a programme run inviting guest speakers to talk about their career/progressions and answer student questions. My most memorable being Martin Parr!!!

2nd year of my photography degree!

By getting the notes from this talk, I can ask Mark more directed questions because I will have a brief background about what he does and where his interests lie. I will also be able to find out about some of the projects he has already taken part in.

My aim for this mentor meeting will be to:

- Get some guidance on how to answer the questions Mark Webster has posed to me for our tutorial.

- Find out how to reference 'working papers'.

- Go through my questionnaire's for Hannah, Trevelyan and Mark to see if the questions are effective and whether I have missed out anything important.

Productivity

Sometimes you can sit for hours on end staring at a screen with a very ambitious 'to-do-list' at the side of you. It gets to the end of the day and not even half of the bullet points have been crossed off. I find myself in this situation frequently because I misjudge how long each task will take to complete.

Today, I have dedicated most of my time to my module and had many targets I wanted to hit by this point. Even though I don't have much physical work to show for my day, I feel it has been productive.

Accomplishments:

- I emailed Trevelyan again about my role within the Fringe festival and enquired about interviewing him. I received a reply and a meeting has been scheduled for late next week.

- Mark Webster replied to my email about being out of the loop and wanting a more active role in Fringe. He has given me a list of questions he wants answered by our next meeting after Easter.

- My two questionnaires for Mark and Trevelyan have been complied and re-worded. Both interviews will be as informal as I can make them.

- Signal 1 contacted me back about promoting my charity fundraising. They have sent me the link to their website where I can upload an my information, which they will advertise online.

- I got in touch with the local radio station Crossrhythms, also enquiring about their help in me reaching my fundraising target. After Easter, I am going to visit the studios and record an interview about my charity and what I am doing for them. This is brilliant news!

- I have researched and written a Blog on the 'A Child's Eye' Exhibition.

- My research and Blog is complete regarding TAG Heuer and Formula 1.

- Whilst exploring into the two bulletpoints above, I came across photographers Jonathan Perugia and Ng Swan Ti. After a brief scan over a couple of websites linked to them, it was discovered that they work a lot with charities and contribute to events involving exhibitions. I will look more in-depth at them at another time in the near future.

I am happy with today's achievement and I aim to continue this frequent research generation.

Racing Legends Join Forces

Whilst doing my research around the 'A Child's Eye' exhibition, I came across another photography project that was run in 2007 by the charity 'Save The Children'.

A collection of racing drivers and car fanatical celebrities were brought together to create a limited edition photographic book. The company behind this idea was a watch company; TAG Heuer, who donated all proceedings made to the charity's recreational and sports projects worldwide. As well as the book, TAG Heuer organised a special racing event at Le Castellet Formula One test track.

Le Castellet - Formula 1 Track

Jean-Christophe Babin, President and Chief Executive Officer of TAG Heuer, says, "Because such simple and natural things as laughing, having fun and achieving physical and mental excellence through developing self-confidence and a team spirit should be a right within reach of all children, TAG Heuer has committed itself to supporting Save the Children in its sports and play programmes."

Having external companies organising events and creating awareness, is great for a charities profile because it gets them known in a wider market, and individuals outside the specific target audience feel they can relate to the issues more. As well as this, the profile of the company rises too because they are being seen contributing to those less fortunate and charitable characteristics are rewarded, which means the potential for more customers. So it benefits both parties. It is a great promotion all round! The fact that well known names within the sporting sector are getting involved, adds a significant amount of credibility to the project and more people instantly want to engage with what is going on. Famous people are always a great advertising tool if you want to draw the crowds in, especially if you can convince those within a related field to help out. On this project, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Olympic gold medallist Katarina Witt to name but a few, were actively seen to be supporting the cause.

Projects such as these allow the charity to provide funding in areas where children will benefit from sports being a part of their lives. Recreation not only keeps them active and stimulated, they stay out of trouble and develop important skills they will need to succeed in life, such as working in a team, learning/and sticking to rules and regulations, confidence, respect for others and most importantly I believe, is how to enjoy themselves.

The article doesn't mention what type of photographs make up the content of the limited edition book, what it was called or how we can view it. Therefore, just like the 'A Child's Eye' exhibition, I am not able to make a personal comment on what has been produced, or develop my own ideas based around the success of these projects. I can only judge by the written articles and concepts initiated, without actually seeing the content.

I have browsed Google to find some sort of imagery to back up the content of this Blog. I have managed to track down a image from Flickr, with images within the photograph showing a selection of the content I assume is in the limited edition book produced.

TAG Heuer Photo Exhibition for Save The Children: 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whilst having a look through the photographs on Flickr related to the above event, I notice that the event carried out seemed to be a great success with a lot of well known names occupying the snapshots. Having many famous faces all in one place is a great way to raise funds because it is an excuse for the to all get together and socialise, whilst digging into their pockets and getting involved in other ways. The fundraising becomes the by-product of the event.

Event Entertainment

No night-time event would be a complete success without the aid of music; DJ, band, singer, orchestra. The aim is to create a relaxed atmosphere where people are free to enjoy themselves without the pressure of constant reminders about charity.

Just as an additional observation, another way the company TAG Heuer are covertly promoting themselves is through the photos. The photographer(s) responsible for the images has been set the brief to create the portraits in the same style as the photographic advertising for the watch brand. You can definitely link the exhibition to TAG Heuer once you have viewed the image style for both. This is clear from the two photographs below. You get the feeling of metallic finish, which obviously compliments the materials when creating the luxury masterpieces of the watch world. This is a clever way of getting people to remember you and to advertise yourself in additional ways without people knowing directly that you are doing it.

Sebastien Bourdais

Link Calibre 5 Day Date

The reason for the watch company focusing an event around racing and linking it in with encouraging disadvantaged children into sport is because their brand suggests a very mechanical approach to their products and many of their lead Brand Ambassadors are related to the racing scene, two of them being Jenson Button and Alain Prost. Both of which are extremely well known within Formula 1. The contact network between these two sectors must be incredible and this is why a charity event would be a complete success. The right people are invited, the right branding is advertised and the collaboration to organise an event will be perfect! Network, network, network, and ideally link yourself with a brand/organisation or sector and predominantly work with them. If you become a sponsor for a huge following such as Formula 1, you become widely known and you are able to collaborate with charities easily and set up events in their name.

Ambassador Alain Prost - This link shows a short clip of how TAG Heuer and Formula 1 work together. There are many other clips linked to each Ambassador. 

I have found this research interesting because I am big fan of Formula 1, so it gave me the excuse to incorporate it in to my module as well as gaining knowledge on how companies can be drawn in to charitable organisations, allowing both sides to gain a huge amount of success and credibility, whilst doing generating good will and supporting those who aren't able to do so independently. The one question I do have in mind is whether it is the charity that approach the organisations they feel could have an impact, or do the companies propose to the charity what they could do. Or, do the companies go ahead and raise awareness and funds then donate all the proceedings afterwards? This is a discussion I would like to have with Trevelyan when I meet him in a couple of weeks time.

Another reason why this watch brand is so closely linked to Formula One is the fact that it is the "first watch brand to develop chronographs dashboards for sports cars at the beginning of the 20th century, first watch brand to partner with racing drivers, first watch brand to partner with a Formula 1 team, first watch brand to crack and master the time barrier, creating luxurious chronographs with a precision of 1/10th, 1/100th and now 1/1,000th of a second, TAG Heuer has more than any other watch brand a strongly racing-oriented DNA. The brand has built its reputation on the core values and codes of motor sports and prestigious sports cars. Now, through the “Dream Machines driven by Generous Hearts” project and its association with Save the Children, TAG Heuer has the opportunity to use its passion to benefit the children of the world." (2007: 18th July).

At this stage in my career development, I know that there isn't a chance I can create an event as huge as this, and it isn't something I have considered. What I do want to take away from this is using well-known faces to raise profiles and to get more people interested. When it comes to putting on my exhibition/festival, I would like at least one well-known face to give a talk and have a presence throughout the venue(s). I haven't thought about who to get in contact with yet as I need to get more of a organisational structure and firm ideas on what is going to be included within my event. Then I can start to generate a list of potential 'celebrities'.

A Child's Eye

In 2007, the registered Charity - Save the Children, produced an exhibition showcasing children's photography. They called it 'A Child's Eye', Or 'Mata Anak'.

60 Indonesian children were given the chance to photograph their own lives instead of a photographer capturing it for them. I think this is an amazing way to get a message across. When you see these images, you instantly feel more towards them than you would if a 3rd party had taken them. It is a true interpretation rather than a assumed one, creating more power behind what can be seen.

All the children were from homes in 3 districts; Banda Aceh, Pidie and Lhokseumawe. It isn't often that disadvantaged communities get to speak out and get their voices heard. Photography is a way of allowing them to express their feelings through creative mediums. Without this form of communication, they would never have the opportunity to show people what their lives are like and to make people take notice. This project has specifically focused on the care homes in which these children live.

"A Child's Eye is about letting children speak out for themselves in a world where their voices are not often heard. Giving a child a camera is a powerful way for them to show what is really important to them. The quality of the images taken by the children was astounding and we were really taken aback by the insight and sensitivity these young photographers displayed" - Kevin Byrne, Country Director.

I have tried to find photographs from this series, and I have even searched for the publication that accompanied it; 'Life in the Panti Asuhan'. My quest was unsuccessful so I don't have any images to analyse and compare with a photographers work. This has disappointed me because it would have been beneficial to study the children's photographs, as I would have been able to see what feelings were provoked and whether or not they had more affect on an audience, as the children are personally and emotionally connected to the situation.

I am not able to see for myself if the children have portrayed a life of misery or happiness. An article I came across in the press section of the Save the Children website, originally published in 'The Jakarta Post' (June 18: 2007), comments on the photographs as 'reflecting happiness'. It goes on to suggest that love can form out of unfortunate circumstances and the children are making the most of what they have to generate strong bonds with each other. The fact that they are all sharing rooms and have a shortage of food, is not casting a shadow over them. Of course the situations are not ideal as the children have no parental support to back them, but they are not letting this get them down. It shows the viewers that these youths have an incredible strength and the relationships created are a powerful tool for love and happiness. Why do you need ultimate luxury to be satisfied in life. Having people around you to depend on and share with, has to be more than enough for many disadvantaged individuals. They really appreciate the value of life.

The images are in black-and-white as well as colour and the public viewing the photographs, 'might find it difficult to see traces of misery left behind'.
Technical detail isn't what was important within the exhibition, it was purely about giving children the unique and rare chance to 'lend their voice' to the rest of the world and give an insight to the way they see things.

It wasn't just the images that had a massive impact, the children added captions to the photographs. This made them so much more personal and interactive, engaging more with the viewer and tugging on heartstrings.

Before the children were set loose with cameras, a professional photographer; Ng Swan Ti was assigned to them to show them the basics of camera handling and how to take a good photograph. "I didn't train them on the technicalities of photography. I just told them to make a portrait with their hearts. And the result is beautiful,"

The project manager for 'A Child's Eye' believes that photography is the most effective way to express the children's opinions and rights to the world. He wanted to tour the exhibit around many different countries. I think this is a great idea because it raises awareness to many people who may have been ignorant to the issues before. Images are interactive so people are more likely to take notice of them than a written publication.

This project is collaborated with the Ministry of Social Affairs to improve the services for vulnerable Indonesian children.

Save The Children - Panti Asuhan

The initial idea for this project came from photographer Jonathan Perugia. He was observing children in the 1998 Jakarta riots and began to wonder what we would see viewing images of how they see. It wasn't an original concept because there are two known cases of this idea from the Jakarta street children in 1999, and with Dayak children in Sambas, West Kalimantan, from 2000-2001 (A. Junaidi: 2007 - The Jakarta Post).

From this research, I have been able to develop my own ideas a great deal. It has made me think a lot about what activities and exhibitions I will be producing during my charitable event at the end of my MA. Instead of my photographic exhibition being purely dedicated to the images I have taken in India, I am going to talk to Childreach International and see if it is possible to spend an extra day visiting one of their projects with disposable cameras, and get the children to take pictures of what they think represents their lives best. It will generate some amazing results and touching imagery. My exhibition will stand out and people will become more interested in what they are viewing. I need to constantly make sure that I am coming up with fresh and original ideas. As it has only been done a few times to my knowledge, it is still a fresh concept that I can develop to add my own spin on it.

So my next step will be to send an email to my charity, followed by a phone call a week later to show that I am serious about what I have proposed.

"It seems that beautiful pictures and the simple, honest thoughts of children are less attractive to many Jakartans. On Thursday, when this reporter visited the exhibit, hundreds of people flocked to witness the launch of a new cellular phone series. Of those gathered, only a very few took a glance at the photos." 

This isn't something that concerns me too much at this point in time because I will be bringing my photographs back to the UK with me and not trying to submit my message to the civilians on India. From the quote above, there could be a number of reasons why the Jakartans never took notice of the exhibition. 1) They don't think it is necessary for children to voice their opinion. 2) Photography isn't a medium that interests them. 3) The reason for the exhibition wasn't promoted enough or maybe all 3. The photographs need to be directed at an audience who believe children should be heard and want to make a difference, as well as trying hit people who are oblivious. 

Are people more likely to take notice if the suffering and variant in equality is active in a different country? Do they pretend there isn't any issues in their own place of birth? I could be completely off the mark here, so research needs to be done to try and find answers to my questions.

Interviews

I am aiming to interview as many people as I can for this module to help me gain in-depth qualitative research. Getting information from knowledgeable individuals is a lot better than browsing the internet for relevant links as I can ask straight questions and get direct answers. The one thing I do have to be really careful with is influencing answers when on the subject of charity. Each question needs to be open ended giving the person being questioned the opportunity to answer fairly without being guided.

Next Friday, I have arranged an interview with an lady currently studying her BA in Events Management; Hannah Akram. I am looking forward to this because she will be able to give me information on what is expected of an event and her experiences with successes and failures. Hannah will also be able to link me to the relevant staff within her faculty, so I can further my network of contacts and speak to professionals about events management. At this moment in time, I haven't complied a list of questions to ask, but will have done so before the middle of next week so I am prepared in advance for what I will ask and discuss. It will be a completely informal meeting in a relaxed atmosphere.

My next meeting with Mark Webster is on the 17th April. This will give me the perfect opportunity to thoroughly quiz him on aspects of everything I have looked in to so far. There are many questions I have lined up. Firstly, I will make sure he fully updates me on the Fringe Festival, then I will enquire about his experiences within charitable organisations and the organisation of events. More general questions that I want his opinion on will be saved till the end because he may cover them when talking about his own practice.

The co-ordinators for the Fringe Festival; B-Arts, are definitely on my list to talk to. They have a lot of experience when it comes to organising and managing events, as well as being hands on helping the community through various projects. Trevelyan Wright leads the organisational development programme within B-Arts and from a short 5 minute introduction before a meeting, I found out that he has a head full of pure gold. The information he has stored could help me a great deal as he studied about funding within charities. He warned me that it is a very competitive field in which I am trying to enter. I will be working with Trevelyan a lot throughout Fringe. 

Finally... For now. Ben McManus, the community facilitator for B-Arts and another member of the co-ordinator team I am working with, is a valuable contact to have within my line of research because of the amount he contributes to those in communities less fortunate. "Ben has worked extensively in North Staffordshire in direct, dynamic, hands- on cultural projects since 2002 with hard to reach groups such as asylum seekers and refugees, young people and challenged and excluded communities." - B-Arts. Even though I want to predominantly work abroad, starting off in the UK and working my way through is the best starting point. Questions that I will be asking Ben will have a focus around what he does to help, how he got in to it and how does he stay a success. I'll also ask him if he knows what kind of job opportunities are out there when wanting to get involved with such projects.

As I interview these individuals, there will be other names that pop up and potential candidates for divulging information.

Staying In The Loop

Trying to keep in touch with everything that is going on when the rest of life doesn't come to a stand still to allow it, can be difficult.

I was informed that I would receive regular emails or phone calls updating me on the planning of the Fringe Festival. It has been a while since I have had any communication with the co-ordinators B-Arts or Mark Webster regarding the next meetings or assigning me tasks to do. 

Once communication is lost for more than a week, plans and ideas change. This means I have missed important developments and vital information I want to be collecting towards my research on how a event is put together successfully. 

It has made me realise that depending on emails is never a good thing, and you cannot always guarantee that a reply will be received when you try and get in contact.

I have emailed again enquiring what my role is meant to be and when the next meetings are. If I haven't had a response by the weekend then I will swing by Mark Webster's office and hope that he is there to have a chat with.

After the Easter break, Mark has scheduled a tutorial with me so I can ask him questions and for him to give me some advice and update me on the Fringe Festival. I have compiled a list of questions to interrogate him with, consisting of specific Fringe information and more general events management.

In the meantime, I will continue with my research and hope that communication resumes soon so I am able to get involved and gain valuable primary research.

Leo Buscaglia

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around"

This is a quote that has become the backbone of how I approach life. The smallest act of goodwill can really make an person's day worthwhile, the little things that you don't even realise you do can brighten their day. I believe that it should be everyone's goal to take time (even if it's a few seconds), to make another individual feel cared about. I have come to realise that a beaming smile really does go along way and people look forward to seeing it because it makes them feel happy. My smile is famous in these neck of the woods!

You don't have to go completely out of your way, donate money, organise a huge event or spend hours of your time devoted to changing the world. I recommend just being cheerful and showing an interest in others. Thinking about others also makes you feel better within yourself, which leads to becoming a better person, and more cheerful without needing to go to great lengths to do so.

"It's not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something. May I suggest that it be creating joy for others, sharing what we have for the betterment of personkind, bringing hope to the lost and love to the lonely"

Leo Buscaglia (above) set up a foundation in 1984, to try and build community spirit. The foundation 'helps people to help others'. In other words, it works with a variety of different projects and organisations by aiding them with funding. This then allows them to help the causes they are passionate about. If you are playing an active role in helping others then you will be rewarded by the foundation helping you; this is the way it works. I personally think this concept is a really good idea because, the people behind the scenes and the caring individuals are getting recognised and supported for their dedication and positive work. Foundations like these are organisations I need to look in to and keep in my contact bank because they will be very useful in the future when I get involved in various projects which cannot go ahead without funding, or if I am looking to set up and create schemes on my own.

The non-profit organisations that the foundation present grants to are often small and helping their own local communities with the projects they construct. More often than not, they have to prove that the people they are benefiting, will also go on to help others. This concept reminds me of the film; 'Pay it forward'. If it isn't possible for a 'Pay it forward' theory to be adopted, the foundation give heavily volunteer based schemes a chance.

As far as I understand, the Leo Buscaglia foundation relies on donations, which then get distributed to the separate organisations.

A Window Between Worlds – Venice, CA. Received a grant to support their Women's and Children's Windows Program. The program "uses the gift of art as a catalyst for healing in the lives of domestic violence survivors."

For Kids Foundation – Reno, NV. Received a grant to help pay for needed goods or services, including surgical procedures, dental care, summer school, counselling, medical prescriptions and clothing for children who are unable to fulfil those needs any other way.

Inside Out Community Arts – Venice, CA. Received a grant to support their School Project program of visual and performing arts workshops, performances and festivals to give youth the tools, confidence and inspiration to make a positive difference in their communities and the world.

 

I chose 3 from the progress report list that I thought were the most relevant to what I am researching. These projects/organisations were given the chance to develop and really make a difference to the lives of others. They have proved themselves through the foundation and it makes them proud to have contributed and helped create success and compassion.

My next aim along these guidelines is to find an English foundation/organisation who do the same thing; not including the Arts Council.

Setting up my own foundation and guiding smaller or up-and-coming charities/projects/schemes is a career path I never considered before, but one that sounds appealing to me as I would get the opportunity to be very diverse in who I help and in what way I do so. I would also be able to travel to each project and see first hand how my grant has helped. The one problem with this is funding myself. I can't see how I would be able to make a profit off this in order to cover the cost of paying myself a wage. It is definitely something to look in to as there may be a career path that incorporates roles such as this one.

Leo Buscaglia was a truly inspirational man who has touched many people's lives and certainly lived up to the caring words he spoke all those years ago:

 "Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around... It's not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something. May I suggest that it be creating joy for others, sharing what we have for the betterment of personkind, bringing hope to the lost and love to the lonely" - Leo Buscaglia (1924 to 1998)