Lily Brown, one of our dynamic undergraduates, writes:
During the past three months I have been undertaking an internship with jelly, a vibrant arts charity based in the centre of Reading. This opportunity was afforded to me through the Reading Internship Scheme run by the university and funded by Santander. The experience has been an immensely valuable one, allowing me to witness the amazing work of the arts organisations working in Reading to make art more accessible to people living in and around the town. Jelly in particular offers a wide range of workshops and classes including yoga and life drawing as well those aimed at children including Jelly Tots and Messy Club. Jelly’s studios, currently based at 42 Market Place in the centre of Reading, are home to a number of artists who do everything from selling vintage clothing and jewellery to painting murals and creating rag rugs to be displayed in the Oracle. Jelly recently put on the Open For Art weekend festival which allowed local artists to showcase and sell their artwork around the town centre in a number of venues including the 3 B’s Bar in the Reading Museum and the Oracle. The event also comprised a number of workshops and events including Getting your Blog Noticed and Draw like a Fashion Designer.
My role with the company was primarily to help encourage young people to engage with the arts as well as working on the new cultural strategy that is being put in place for Reading. I am in the process of establishing a new writing group based at jelly for 16-25 year olds. Shadow Writers’ Group is held every Wednesday at 4:30pm on floor one at jelly and aims to produce an anthology showcasing members’ work and events which allow members the opportunity to read and present their work. The group, which is currently recruiting members, hopes to be a lively and energetic writing group centred on discussing writing and critiquing styles as well as having workshops and discussions with local writers, journalists and poets. The group also hopes to compliment the studies of those students studying English Literature or Language but any young people with an interest in writing in any shape or form are welcome. Inspired by the work that organisations like jelly are doing all the time in Reading I would love to be part of a group that helps people to build on something that they already have an interest in and to meet others with the same interests. Being a member of a writing group would look great on a CV and would be a fantastic way to develop your writing skills in key areas without the pressure of being marked on your work. If you are interested in joining or would like some more information please get in touch!
For more information about the writing group please email writers@jelly.org.uk. Alternatively, visit jelly’s website at www.jelly.org.uk, follow jelly on Twitter (@thejellyreading) or join them on Facebook (jelly).
