Presentation Reflection

Every time I have to do a presentation, I sit back afterwards and think it could have gone a lot better.

This time round, I wasn't prepared enough, which stopped me from explaining my project as clearly as I had hoped. Leaving it till the last minute to print and read through my notes isn't good enough and as I was referring to them in my presentation, I realised that a few times I had repeated myself.

Listening to everybody's take on what they have achieved so far is fascinating because it is amazing how each project varies and how every individual approaches a project and research in contrasting ways. 

Even when it came down to the projects Laura and myself are doing; both related to organising events, research and outcomes couldn't have been wider apart. We have both looked at the sector in completely different ways. I was able to pick out sections I had never thought of, and look at issues from another person's point of view. It opened my eyes up to a few more things and allowed me to expand my research further. It all comes back to what I mentioned in my presentation about discussing your ideas with others because you get a richer base to work with and varying points of views. They can then use you in a similar way to help themselves; assist each other.

The presentation has helped me to realise where the gaps in my project are and areas of improvement. Getting positive feedback at the end always helps me a great deal because I stop the worry about getting everything completely off the mark. Reassurance is something I have found a great deal of comfort it throughout my time at uni. 

Problem: No confidence in self, leading to worry.

Solution: Relax and gain self-belief!

I have a clear idea of what is left to do and will be working my way through each goal throughout the next 2 weeks ready for my deadline.

- Final reflective report on the whole module.

- Complete and refine my research folder ready to be handed in.

                   - Print everything needed off and stick in relevant section.

                   - Complete all annotation.

- Bibliography! (MUST NOT FORGET)

- More research in to 3rd Sector Jobs.

- Chase up individuals I emailed questions to.

- Final catch-up with Mark Webster (3rd May).

- Who are the Charity Commission

                    - For Blog and research file.

- Details off the Charity Commission on:

                    - Childreach International

                    - Save the Children

                    - Barnardos

                    - UNICEF

- Sift through all the web links I have saved throughout the module.

- Finish reading the books checked-out from the library.

I have definitely got enough to keep me busy over the next 2 weeks and I hope that I am able to tick everything off my list as being done thoroughly. There is so much more that I could research, but I need to put a limit on what I submit because as I mentioned before, there was a big risk of me getting lost in the vast amount of information to potentially be collected from such a huge sector and project.

Preparing my presentation...

... has been a really good thing to do at this point in the module because it makes us gather all the research we have, into some form of coherent (or not so coherent in my case) order. From this, it is easier to see where the gaps in research are and the areas which could do with a little tweaking or additional information. 

Our projects will benefit from this as we can now go away and pull together the last remaining strands, and already have a loosely based presentation to form our final submission around.

Personally, I have come across a couple of thin on the ground sections of research which I can now focus on and get perfect for deadline day. As well as a couple of points I hadn't thought about raising before.

I definitely think that a task like this is a great activity to do a couple of weeks before hand-in, just to get your head back in the game and the focus clear before you decide everything is complete. It also makes you go back over your proposal a couple of times. By doing this, I have realised that there are a few aims I haven't covered and I can now get those answered to ensure I complete what I proposed.

Where Am I?!

The past few weeks seem to have been a bit of a panic. I have been worrying about everything possible! It is hard to rationalise with yourself when all you can see is negative points. My main worries have been that the amount of work I've completed isn't enough, which has meant late nights and early mornings! You'd think that spending so much time researching would provide a vast amount of information to contribute to the module. I couldn't be further from this. Time goes incredibly fast, and before you know it, hours have passed with not much progress.

I have been jotting down a structure in which to present everything as it has been a research based project, with the odd work experience days here and there. 

I am eager to hear what everybody else is doing and to find out if I am the only one worrying. This is unlikely as I cannot be the only one struggling to find their feet. The mention of presentations always throws me to as I get nervous when talking about anything to do with myself. There is a fear that I'm doing well enough. Coming from a photography background where I have had to present and talk about my photographs on a regular basis, you would think that I would be brilliant at it by now. This is not the case unfortunately! Nerves get the better of me when I'm in the spotlight! Behind the camera please!

I'm not disappointed with my progress because I know that a lot has been learnt since I started the module and my ideas have changed and developed. I would have room for concern if nothing had changed! I have discovered things I never knew and stumbled upon paths I never knew existed. A whole interesting and exciting world is being opened up to me and I'm looking forward to diving deeper in to it and expanding in to a sector so rewarding.

The Focus Award

Whilst entering Sony's 'NOW' photography competition (which is free to enter), I came across a link to their webpage explaining what their 'Focus Award' is. I instantly become interested because the Award is "dedicated to using photography in order to raise awareness about global issues.' There isn't a much better Award than this for me because it is exactly what I am interested in. The physical act of taking the photographs isn't what I am focusing on though, it is how the photographs are being used to raise the awareness effectively and successfully.

Each year, a charitable organisation are presented with the opportunity of a year-long campaign to help highlight an area of work of their choice from the concerns and issues they deal with. In 2011, 'Save the Children' became the award winners for this year. It has helped them raise awareness of 'millions of children being caught up in disasters around the world each year.' This campaign doesn't seem to be live on the Sony website as of yet but it does state that opportunities to get involved are coming soon. "Stay tuned, as more details about the project and how you can get involved will soon be be unveiled..."

It was UNICEF that won the year before, and this particular Award was something that really caught my eye! I think it was brilliant. The campaign was called 'A Photo Pledge for Children's Rights'. 6 'youths' from around the world were given the chance to attend the Sony World Photography Awards in Cannes for a day's mentoring led by world-renowned humanitarian photographer Reza. The opportunity was then given to visit projects carried out by UNICEF is Ethiopia. This is where they documented the type of work the project carries out. These images were then used as the raising awareness campaign. There are some very powerful images that really give you an insight to children's lives. I still believe that the images suddenly have more emotion and meaning in them if the children take them personally from their point of view, and this is something I continue to stick by. I am going to try as hard as possible to visit a project in India where I am allowed to give the children disposable cameras to take pictures of their lives for me. The results will touch the public more than if I take the photographs.

Behind Danger by © Ioana Velescu, ROMANIA

Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Representative for Ethiopia, said: “UNICEF is delighted to be hosting this workshop for these five talented young photographers, alongside 24 Ethiopian children. We hope all the participants will gain valuable insight into the challenges faced by children in Ethiopia and that they will continue to use photography to advocate for children’s rights.” (2009).

These awards are a brilliant idea and a fantastic opportunity for charitable organisations to go that extra mile in campaigning and increasing their audience and profile. Photography will continue to play a huge role in raising awareness for various causes and issues around the world. The strategies deployed in each image, that make it a success to the viewing public will constantly change as times goes on and people's views alter, but the fact that imagery is a huge essential in getting the message across will never disappear.

In order for me to create a collection of powerful images that will engage an audience and work successfully as a raising awareness campaign, I need to keep up-to-date will the ever changing views and ideals of society. I need to stay knowledgable about what if affecting people currently and what is making the sit up in the chairs. For example, society has seen so much imagery using the 'shock tactics' strategy, that it is becoming immune to it now and people are no longer taken aback. The campaign simply gets a shrug of the shoulders and a 'oh well'. Something new and fresh needs to be brought to the market and my audience needs to be instantly grabbed.

I'm looking forward to capturing the life of children in India and sharing my experiences with everybody through an exhibition/event/campaign.

White Stuff Job Advert

'White Stuff' a favourite brand of mine. I get regular newsletters from them trying to get me to buy their pretty clothes (at a high price). I normally have to delete the emails straight away so I don't get tempted to spend my money. Today's email however, caught my eye and I had to open it. The headline read, 'Wanted, White Stuff Charity Trustee'. As I have been researching charitable organisations and their job opportunities, this wasn't an email I could just delete and not find out what was enclosed. Plus, it's a great chain, so a job with them and charity would be brilliant.

The Job Advert

First thing to look at: voluntary or paid? In this instance, the role is voluntary with added bonuses.

The list of essential experience always throws me off. I instantly begin to think negative thoughts and tell myself that I won't be any good for the job before I have even looked. I need to learn to stay positive and tell myself that I could bring a whole range of skills to the table.

A lot of the time, it is worth applying for the job and promoting yourself to them even if you don't fit all of the required points. The organisation may look through you CV and see something that really jumps out at them as unique and this will be a great advantage. Training could be provided for the lack of a few of the required experiences/skills.

White Stuff have 2 lists; one being desirable experience and the other being essential experience. I tick their 'desirable' box as I have worked with children on many an occasion, and my cycle around India visiting charitable projects will gain me the skills needed to work with disadvantaged young people.

The top 'essential' is the one that I don't have and I assume it is the most important. All job applications seem to ask for this piece of experience, but as I have mentioned before; unless we are given a job in the first place, we can't get the experience. 

It would definitely be a role I would do if I had the time to commit and the experience being a trustee.

We Must Make This A Thing Of The Past

Whilst browsing for personal interest, I came across a blog showing a 'Save The Children' Campaign, raising the issue of child slavery, abuse and neglect. The imagery used is amazingly powerful in my opinion. I absolutely love each photograph they have created. Praise to the creativity directors for coming up with such a sensitive but hard-hitting collection of pictures. 'Shock Tactics' aren't being used in this instance, but there is very clever semiotics being used that makes the viewer do a double-take and take notice to what they can see. Each image is very thought provoking and focuses on one aspect of the issue being raised.

All of the images shown, were used as part of a national exhibition which started in July 2009. It consisted of an outdoor, print and online exhibition. This is a great way to ensure you reach the biggest possible target. I have seen many outdoor exhibitions in Birmingham run by various charities, so I had already been considering it as an option to add to my campaign and event for my final MA project. I need to research in to how I would make this successful; the relevant people to talk to, what location?

Street Exhibition: Amsterdam: 2008
http://www.everywheremag.com/people/joto25

We have Paul Torcello to thank for these moving images created for 'Save The Children'. He is a respected photographer who has a keen eye on how to engage an audience and raise awareness. Unlike, the Barnardos 'Silver Spoon' Campaign, Torcello's images don't move you by making you feel disgusted. There is a sense of shock and a being made to feel slightly disturbed, but not in a way that you need to turn away. The child in each photo is being showcased and exhibited, making them stand out from the background and sending the message that 'we must make this a thing of the past'.

Changing children's lives for the better, relies on these photographs raising awareness successfully. One image, or a selection of images, can change the world. If the photographs are powerful enough, people stand up and listen. Many issues have been raised and transmitted through a simple image. Take Elliot Ewritt's 'Segregated Water Fountains: 1950. The photograph became widely recognised as a symbol for  injustice. People look back on the image now and they can see the complete improvement that has taken place over the years related to this issue. A sense of pride can be felt, at the issue of segregation being overcome, even more so if you played a part on making it happen.

©Elliot Ewritt: 1950

Jobs, Funding & Finance

Less than 5 minutes of discussion about campaigning has made me look at everything in a different light, which I am grateful for as I was starting to loose a little bit of light on where I was going. Research seemed to be happening, but for no relevance. I think I have found a direction I want to go in now for my final project. This won't stop me loosing focus on my aims for this project hopefully and I will still achieve the outcome I have been striving to reach.

The rest of my talk with Trevelyan brought up the topics of volunteering, funding and finance.

There are many charities that have shifted away from providing hands on services. Instead they are becoming organisations that raise money to support projects and smaller organisations instead. Working for or in partnership with beneficiaries. This is what Childreach International seem to be doing. They are fundraisers, who then support a number of organisations worldwide who are working towards causes within their local communities; such as the project Balsena in Gujarat, India. Childreach International work with the projects facilitator Shaishav, to provide funds keeping it in force and providing for its needs. They don't carry out the direct work themselves.

The majority of roles within charities that are more 'hands-on' take on the form of volunteers. They don't tend to be paid positions unless you have a particular essential skill that can really benefit a charity tremendously. The charity Water Mission International, for example, employ staff who take an active and more physical role within the charity; like Chris Bryan, who is the Jr. Water and Sanitation Engineer. He will be forward facing and help directly, whereas most other staff will have a main base and work from an office.

If it is charitable organisations that you really want to make a career from, you have to develop highly sought after skills that will benefit; such as being a water and sanitation engineer. You have to also know the charity system inside out and understand what the services are for charities of interest. 

In Trevelyan's point of view, it is hard to for charities to recruit individuals for the business side to their organisation. The most interest is always with the more forward facing jobs and the ones that deal with the charities issues more closely. These are the sought after and over-subscribed jobs, even though they aren't as well paid. In order to be noticed, you need to show that you know it isn't just a job; it's a passion, a motivation and a commitment (Wright, Trevelyan: 2012). Another thing that will give you a great advantage is having the upper-hand of others in your situation, is volunteering. If you can show you are committed and you have volunteered first, then you gain extra strengths. There are 3 levels of strengths, the best being volunteering completed for the charity you are applying to, the next being volunteering for a charity with similar outcomes and objectives and the last being volunteering of any sort. 

Trevelyan suggested that I start to look at the different types of jobs that are out there and what skills you need for them, the values they look for and the issues they want you to be aware of. Research as many varieties in many organisations and compare them. The more knowledgable I am make myself, the better.

Websites such as Linkedin, Charity Job, Raleigh International and Third Sector are where I should start looking and getting a feel of what is available.

Download the job specifications!

Our meeting then moved on to funding, as I will be needing to apply in the future to secure money for my final MA event. One thing I am going to struggle with is this aspect of my event because I'm not working with any local communities at the moment. I am involved with a worldwide charity helping children in India. A lot of funding organisations will only support your project if you can show how a local community or cause will benefit. This is making me ask myself a lot of questions to do with what I am hoping to accomplish. At present, I am looking to create a campaign as I mentioned in my previous Blog, and the event in question will be the opening of the campaign. It will be making people aware of children having a voice. This event will still include my exhibition from everything collected in India, but the way I will be connecting it to the local community is by providing workshops to local children and giving them a chance to voice their opinions on their society and offer them opportunity to speak out on issues they have. This will be made possible through allowing them to create artworks in ways they think appropriate for expressing themselves. The local community can then see what their children are thinking and see that children matter too. If you make a child feel included and important, they tend to have a better quality of life and more ambition for the future. In order t make the campaign/event as successful and effective as possible, I will need to look in to Children's Rights. Margot Wallström, Vice-President of the European Commission, speaking at a conference on the 'Right's of Children', commented on seeing individuals "taking advantage of the innocence of children and driving their cause with the help of the fact that children are easily influenced and naturally want to please adults in order to be loved." (Vaclav Havel: 2009). This is what I will be campaigning against because I don't believe that children should be manipulated like that. Encouragement should be shown, giving them a voice and a choice. The conference spoke of these topics in much bigger context than what I am aiming for, but they are still relevant to the smaller issues arising. I am looking at communities, whereas they are speaking about dictators such as Hitler focusing on children and moulding them in to followers. The bigger issues are what I can aim at! But for now, supporting children within poorer communities is my goal. Wallström states that by giving children rights, it benefits society as well as the child. "I believe what is right for children is right for us all." The convention set out the rights of children in 54 articles and 2 optional protocols. The reason I mention this is because articles 12 and 13 were of particular interest to me. Not only are the articles in a language that children can understand and relate to, they also show how children are allowed to express themselves. Article 12 reads, "You have the right to give your opinion, and for adults to listen and take it seriously" and article 13 states "You have the right to find out things and share what you think with others, by talking, drawing, writing or in any other way unless it harms or offends other people". These are what I will be concentrating on and promoting to local children. I want them to communicate with their families/community in a way they feel comfortable with, using my campaign as a platform. Be it a voice recording, short video, sculpture, drawing, letter and so on. As well as my initial event, it will be an ongoing project that will hopefully expand in to a more long-term scheme. As a by-product, I will hope that a more creative community will appear, who are outside the box thinkers and more open-minded.


Below is an example of allowing children to contribute to their community. Hanley bus-station is being renovated and children were given the chance to make the area look more pleasant whilst the construction work is taking place. They can feel proud that they have been asked to get involved and can express what their interpretations of the transport system is like/or should be. This has been produced through a series of drawings.

Moving back on to the topic of funding (as the above was me thinking out loud), Trevelyan introduced me to 'Awards For All', who are a National Lottery funded organisation offering 'grants of between £300 and £10,000 for projects that improve communities, and the lives of people within them. It is for voluntary and community groups, schools and health organisations, parish and town councils.' When considering your application, they are looking for you to meet certain criteria and it can be a tough battle to become a successful candidate. Being able to propose an idea or project to the panel that benefits one of their outcomes, you are likely to be considered. With 'Awards For All', they fund projects that are giving people more of a chance in life through providing access to training and development so they can improve their life skills; projects building a stronger community bond and allowing them to problem solve their issues collectively; projects which generate healthier and more active individuals and communities; and lastly, projects which improve rural and urban environments so people are able to gain more access and enjoyment from. All forms have to be completed as much in advance as you can, to ensure you are well prepared for possible rejection and the need to apply elsewhere. There are countless guide sheets to read through before you fill out a form, and a lot of small print. It is vital that you make sure you're eligible before you sit for hours filling out a form. On the 'Awards For All' website, if you look closely enough, you see a bulletin informing readers that funding is no longer available to small projects if they are based around the Arts, Heritage or Sports. This will end up ruling out a lot of people because sport for example, is a huge base for a lot of projects. A link is provided to help you find other Lottery Grants that can help. 

You could easily miss this statement if you weren't looking for it! The suggested funders are more specific to certain projects instead of a general fund such as 'Awards For All'. 'Arts Council' is one that I need to keep in mind; as my projects are based around using Art as a communication device. But whether I will be able to apply for funding through them will be an bridge I'll cross when I know exactly what my project will consist of. This is because I still may be connecting my event to a charity and funding is harder to come by when you are an individual helping charitable organisations. On their website they comment that "Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better." If you can fit your idea/project in to one of their priorities or goals stated in the 2011-2015 mission statement, then you have a good perch on which to apply for their funding. One of the 'Art Council's' goals involves the engagement with children:

The People's Postcode Lottery is also another port of call when thinking for funding. Trevelyan tells me that it is aimed towards smaller, more local projects. They award between £500 and £2000 to charities and community groups across Britain. Registered charities can apply for up to £1000. The "People's Postcode Trust is a grant-giving charity funded entirely by players of People's Postcode Lottery." I personally think this is a great way to generate money and fund beneficiaries. Over 628 projects have been funded so far, including creative and expressive groups, play therapy, sculpture projects and so on. The trust are always encouraging groups to apply for the funding as they know how much even the smallest amount can benefit and make 'the world of  difference' to an organisation. Owen Hurcome is the contact for Staffordshire; Arts Development.

After researching into what funding is available, the content of the applications and how to fill one out effectively to ensure success is looked upon. I need to be very clear on what my aims are and how I will be trying to achieve them. I also have to make sure that my project fits in with the funders mission statement and objectives.


As I will be organising an event, information they will want to know is; Who's coming, when, where, what are you doing exactly, who are you benefiting, what are your budget estimates? Etc.


I have been informed that trying to get thing for free to keep the budget down is an incentive to funders because they like to see you have done things for yourself and they aren't funding everything. Match-funding is also essential to try and get. Organisations like 'Awards For All' like to contribute to a bigger picture and not fund the whole project.




Councillors can also be of help for small projects with their board budgets. This is a path I need to research in to more. As of yet, I don't know where to begin looking for this type of information without finding a broad variety of irrelevant information.






As I have mentioned previously, volunteering is the key if I want to get my foot in the door. A brilliant way to do this so it highly benefits myself, is trying to get onto a Charity Board. It is unpaid, but an amazing experience and a pathway to many possible opportunities! In today's world it's a real catch 22 when applying for jobs; you can't get a job because you need experience, but you can't gain the experience without having a job. Through volunteering, you show willingness and determination to succeed in the charity sector.


I NEED to research about the Charity Commission. This needs to be my next high priority as I know it will give me a lot of vital information. Not only that, everybody I have spoken to so far have told me it is essential to my understanding and research. 


If there is any information that Trevelyan thinks could be of importance to me, he is going to email and let me know, as well as arrange another meeting to go into more depth around the areas I want more information from.


The last words I heard from him as he was walking away from our meeting was, 'Good luck out there, its a competitive sector'. Great words of encouragement!! 

Cold Chain Mission

There was a documentary showing on BBC 2 this evening, narrated by Ewan McGregor (a UNICEF ambassador), which I sat down to watch with great interest as I am soon to be jetting off to India. I wanted to see if I could get a feel of the culture in some of the remote parts of the area. Ewan cried a few times on camera, so that confirmed I will be needing a very large box of tissues with me! It was called the 'Cold Chain Mission'.

The aim of the documentary is to show how vaccines are delivered to some of the most remote areas in the world, India being a big part of this. It is an extremely delicate and strenuous job, but one that health workers do everyday to ensure children in hard to reach places have just as much chance in life as any other child. They routes are called cold chains because the vaccines have to be kept cold at all times and freezers (or whatever can be found) along the way are used to stop the bottles becoming void. A tough but amazingly rewarding job.

I found it truly fascinating, and I have a lot of respect for people who give their time to help the cause. It is a 2-part series, so I am looking forward to the next episode.

The reason I am mentioning the programme is to do with some of the imagery i noticed within the filming. The looks of hope and promise really jumped out at me and made me think about how organisations make the public aware of the issues present throughout the world. I commented in another of my blogs how 'shock tactics' wouldn't be my strategy and that I would go for the more subtle approach. Portraying success, hope and promise are great ways to soften the hearts of the public, especially when you have a bold statement linked to them. 

All of the images displayed in this review have been taken from Episode 1 of the documentary, and are what I would consider as good campaigning and marketing imagery. These are the types of photographs and headlines that I personally would consider using as a strategy to reach my audience(s). 'Charity: Water' have taken on this tactic and only show hope within their advertising. Lloyd Alter, the design editor of Treehugger, speaking about how the charity communicates, comments: "I remember watching the scratchy tv commercials for organizations like the Save the Children's fund, that tore at your heartstrings by showing stunted, sore and fly-covered children in horrible conditions. Charity: Water doesn't do that; they show you Jean Bosco smiling, they show results, in high res, in real time." 

Charity: Water

From the documentary Ewan narrated, it wasn't the last 2 minutes of the filming that I suddenly realised how many perfect shots there had been throughout the hour. This is when my brain started to run through all the possibilities and potential for campaigning and charity success. The shot that started my trail of thought was the inserted below of a child looking just past the camera and communicating with an audience on a highly personal level. Engagement with viewer and subject is a brilliant way for individuals to take notice. Generating a connection tugs on more heartstrings than seeing a scene and not being able to place yourself there. When delivering a message, it has always been drummed in to me that eye-contact is essential if you want to be listened to. Even though this child isn't directly looking at the camera, they are still engaged with the image. Within charity campaigning and fundraising, I think that it is the key to raising your profile and getting people on board and supporting your cause. You can feel the vulnerability flowing through every bone of the child's body. It is as if they are looking for somebody to help give them hope. Looking longingly into the distance.

©BBC: Cold Chain Mission: 2012

©BBC: Cold Chain Mission: 2012

I went through the whole documentary again after I had watched it and selected shots that I thought would be successful profile raisers and campaign shots. I then thought about what slogans could go with each one to give them maximum impact. Even though an image is powerful on its own, a few words accompanying it can make such a difference and make people view the photograph in a completely different way. With a charity campaign, you want people to think in a certain way, and having a sentence beside the images can be the token to altering an individuals thoughts without them consciously realising. The Nicotinell campaign below is an example of using a slogan to emphasise what the image is showing the viewer.

©Nicotinell: 2008

I've created some of my own slogans to go with the stills pulled out of the documentary, so I can see for myself if adding words generates more power and provokes more feeling. I have asked the Facebook community for their opinions as well on how well advertising campaigns raising awareness work. So hopefully by the end of my Blog, they will have given me relevant feedback as to what they think.

Your support keeps this roof occupied... Without it... This picture would be different

The promise of a future for so many, in one small bottle

One small drop... It's the little things in life that make the biggest difference

There's a life in every bottle

'Unlock a Child's Potential'

©Childreach International