Jolyne Thomas had no intention of becoming a Storyhouse Young Leader when she first set foot inside the building late in 2018.
She had turned up at Hunter Street for a meeting held by Passion for Learning CIC, a Chester-based charity which helps youngsters who are struggling to read and learn, and for whom Jolyne was volunteering.
But a chance introduction to Young Storyhouse projects coordinator Alix Rawlinson led to her being offered a place on the scheme which helps young people aged between 14 and 25 gain skills, connect with others, discover their passion, and develop work skills and knowledge of the creative industry. Jolyne says:
I thought about it and then decided I’ve got nothing to lose and possibly everything to gain. So, I signed up at the last minute and the next thing I knew, I was on the programme!
Young Leaders receive mentoring, training and practical opportunities as well as exploring all the different roles and teams at Storyhouse, and work towards a silver Art Award which helps young people grow their arts and leadership talents.
Jolyne has a particular interest in books and reading, and after completing her initial Young Leaders course in spring 2019 she remained at Storyhouse to embark of her gold Art Award, organising a debate about libraries along with packs for the summer reading programme.
She then followed that by becoming a leading member of Young Catalysts – an advisory body made up of members of each of the groups which come under the Young Storyhouse umbrella, including Young Leaders, Programmers, Marketers, Readers and performers from the Young Company.
And in the meantime, she also found herself in charge of the Young Readers’ Group of 14 to 25-year-old booklovers.
They’re a lovely group. They’re quite quiet so I’m still working on making them be louder – that’s what I want!
We talk about everything book-related, but we also organise events. We had two events during Chester Literature Festival last November, and that’s something we’ll continue to do.
Among her other future ambitions is a script workshop through which something could be created which could then be performed by the Storyhouse Young Company (SYC).
The Young Readers’ role is a part-time paid one, and last autumn it led to Storyhouse creating a full-time salaried position for Jolyne through its involvement in the Government’s Kickstart Scheme – which offers six-month paid jobs with local employers for 16 to 24-year-olds, giving them an opportunity to gain the experience of working in a range of exciting businesses.
While that six-month placement has now concluded, she is still running Young Readers.
Meanwhile her latest initiative is Incredible Women, a series of interviews with women who are forging successful careers in what were once – or still are – male-dominated roles and industries.
Jolyne has driven the entire project, from drawing up a wish-list of interviewees to approaching them to conducting the filmed interviews herself – either online or in person.
Her inspiring subjects include MP Jess Phillips, female firefighters, creatives, chief executives and pilots.
The resulting films will be screened at Storyhouse and made available on the venue’s Vimeo channel.
Jolyne says:
I’m hoping to aim it obviously towards young people, particularly young women, who are doing their GCSEs or nearing the end of school and thinking what they want to do.
I really want them to feel impassioned and emboldened and to see that there are so many careers in the world, and you can do anything. There isn’t a single thing that women can’t do.
I want to tell them – these are women I found doing this job, you can do it too. You can go further, you can do something different. You can do it.
The 25-year-old has certainly practised what she preaches, and it’s a ‘can do’ attitude which has been nurtured during her time at Storyhouse. She says:
When I first came here, I was terrified, I felt this place wasn’t for me.
It wasn’t until I did the Young Leaders and I started to meet the people and the staff started to recognise me, and there were people I knew, and then a safe space. And then being given a lanyard that allowed me to get up and down into certain places that I felt – actually, now I feel comfortable.
It’s only through that process, and through that support, and the help that they’ve given me, that I’m a better person. And I just love this building.
ENDS
About Storyhouse
Storyhouse is one of the UK’s foremost cultural centres incorporating a library, theatres and a cinema. It is one of the country’s most successful arts buildings, with more than one million customer visits each year.
The pioneering new library within Storyhouse, where members of the community work alongside city librarians, boasts the longest opening hours of any UK public library and is open every day until 11pm. It runs over 2,000 sessions a year for marginalised communities
The company also runs a highly successful theatre company and the country’s most successful regional open-air theatre, in the city’s Grosvenor Park and Moonlight Flicks open air cinema.
Storyhouse currently holds the official title as the UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre and was the overall national winner in the 2018 Guardian Public Service Awards
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