Many people know I’ve done a lot of work for charities and that homelessness is an issue close to my heart. What most people don’t know is that I was unsecurely housed and risked bankruptcy and homelessness to get my journalism qualification in the first place. This article was first published in 2012 in Our Voice magazine. Our Voice is the magazine of BUCFP (Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project) which provides practical support to low-income and unwaged individuals and families. Services include classes and workshops, training courses, child care, lunched and drop-in welfare advice. Run by volunteers and project workers for more than 30 years they’ve offered community support in a safe and friendly environment. I’m republishing this article here to raise awareness about the work that they do. Find out more at www.bucfp.org
Who are you? What’s your story? What do you want? Why are you here?
As someone who suffers from panic attacks, these are the questions that I dread being asked whenever I walk into a room full of strangers, and my first visit to the Unemployed Centre was no exception.
Ellie showed me round. She was incredibly friendly and positive, and made me feel welcome. I’d only stuck my head round the door to ask about a course, but signed up instead to volunteer for the Our Voice magazine.
So now I volunteer on Thursdays and the only time you’ll see me the rest of the week is when I’m grabbing some lunch, doing my washing, or checking my email in the Computer Room.
When I go to the job centre I’m treated like a number. But when I go to the Centre I’m treated like a person — and that makes all the difference.
Every time I go to the Centre, friendly people introduce themselves, tell me their stories, or reassure me that everything’s going to be ok. I’ve even started to make friends.
People tell me the most amazing stories. My own story isn’t that interesting: Since I was little, I’ve always wanted to write (well at first I wanted to make films, but I realised that pen and paper was cheaper).
Everyone has a voice — and everyone has a story to tell
I’m 35. I’ve done all sorts of work, the most rewarding of which was teaching creative writing to gifted and talented children on residential summer courses. To the kids, my story was simple — I was an elf, I lived on tea, and I was there to help them with their writing. (To this day they still call me Legolas.)
In January, I quit a dead-end job in West Yorkshire to come to Brighton to do a fast-track NCTJ Diploma in Journalism — I needed a ‘grown-up pair of pants’ for my writing.
I risked bankruptcy and homelessness to stay in Brighton long enough to get much-needed work experience at an international magazine in London.
The course finished in April and everything was supposed to be wrapped up by July, including guaranteed work experience, but that fell through and I wasn’t offered a replacement slot until November. I was living in temporary accommodation, but Firm Foundations and Brighton Housing Trust helped me find somewhere to live.
I want to work for a charity or human rights organisation. Brighton has its charms — the novelty of being able to see the sea still hasn’t worn off — but I’ll go wherever the work is.
I don’t know what happens next, but I won’t give up without a fight and I’m determined to leave this world in a better state than it was when I found it.
Muriel Rukeyser, the poet and political activist, said: “The universe is made of stories, not atoms.” I believe that to be true.
So, who are you? What’s your story? What do you want? Why are you here? Everyone has a voice — and everyone has a story to tell.
I liked this. Thank you for sharing.
I am happy to tape some aluminum foil to a 14"X24" air filter and pile it on top of a fan stolen from a PC power supply. (I do not have an ancient, huge, PC, but I still had a PS for same. I un plugged the fand and hooked it to a 2.5A 12V Wall Wart I had acquired. I do not remember why nor when. It makes the fan run and the other thing the WW vpowers is a little BT Audio card. The card has adequate current/voltage to function well, and a vast amount of cooling air flow. the card being poered and cooled is a 2014 evaluation card for the 7293P chip. Life goes on with the little amp under the huge filer/PS. The stack drives a pair of 3FE22 4 ohm FaitalPRO Neodymium speakers mounted on a 5"x 16" piece of Luan 1/8" plywood. The entire system cost less tha a hundred US$ and sounds like real Music.