Applied imagination in the Creative Industries
Unit 2 - Research report
Andy Moore – Student number: 18042436
If you have had influential mentors in your life, then you are one of the lucky ones.
This research report will identify the following key areas:
· Introduction - An identified observation / gap in the field of mentoring.
· A description of the interventions & testing on audiences.
· New line of questioning.
· Research methodologies so far.
· Strengths and weaknesses of the project.
· Scenario building with Stakeholders / Measuring success.
Introduction - An identified observation
Originating from a remote community can inhibit ones thinking if you allow it, in the sense that by the time realisation and age cultivates a full bloom, there is a danger of damage in the need to expedite and propel a new direction for yourself.
During my early youth, I was in risk of forgoing a future of learning and advancement, to instead face an almost inevitable life consumed by unhappiness, leading to a possible journey of unfulfillment and misdemeanours. Fortunately, the intervention of a mentor navigated me towards a truly happy and ever-changing destination full of hope, desire and honesty. I was one of the lucky ones. Parents, teachers and friends can help navigate and support us for smooth passage through many of life’s challenges and in some cases many of us are very fortunate to have benefited from a mentor’s counsel. There are times however, where we will need this support re-enforced and a more bespoke approach is may be needed. But where to start for informative, well-informed advice and guidance?
New line of questioning.
Through my research and interventions, I have identified a severe lack of mentoring for individuals from either a minority, remote or vulnerable background. There is a chasm of mentorship that needs to be addressed for those that receive inadequate support from normal networks. This has resulted in my new direction and the formulation of a new question:
How can we implement an all-encompassing mentoring programme to support and re-engage more vulnerable groups of society?
At the core of my research, I have evidenced that we are surrounded by heroes, coaches, mentors and many outstanding support networks. Its opposition, is a market for profiteering and a plethora of companies that feed the vulnerable with poor advice, leading to a cycle of individual instability. This misdirection and susceptibility needs to be addressed.
A description of the interventions & testing on audiences.
My series of interventions established that several factors in determining my hypothesis.
These interventions have not only been a cathartic experience but they have enabled me to take chances and to really push some boundaries in how I think about mentoring.
Key Interventions
Description
Extreme mentoring - Hostility in motivation (In person)
An aggressive teaching method devised to highlight individual’s shortcomings in order to empower them to attain a more driven mindset.
Extreme mentoring - Hostility in motivation (Online)
A mentoring method to create anger and unrest for individual’s projects.
A threat to plagiarism and the taking of ideas.
Making amends with mentors
A provocative intervention to be thankful to a mentor where history may dictate that the subject may have been best left unresolved.
A short film examining the theme of mentors
A broad view of mentoring themes to help and ascertain stakeholders’ interest.
An Instagram version was also developed to ascertain if audiences reacted differently on various platforms.
A public talk for TRUE STORIES LIVE - On the theme of “Lost and found”.
A short talk on the emotional connectivity between parents and children and the mentor themes that develop between (Unfortunately this was cancelled due to Covid-19) but all the preparation was done.
Creating a mentor - The alter ego Quintin Love – A self -proclaimed mentor for the elite, lacking in ethics
The creation of a poster for sharing on multi-platforms. How easy / hard is to get a poster for heroes to go viral.
Co-piloting videoTesting an audience for suitable content. This was also an experiment within a presentation.
Newspaper article Instigating change / utilising publicity
Article in the Guernsey Press to identify and encourage further links with potential stakeholders
I have used these interventions to test my theories and to examine if there may be alternatives to mentoring people or if there is a way of enhancing such methods. The range of my interventions has been eclectic and I believe innovative. I have taken encouragement from my tutors and gambled with deliverables. I chose these particular methods as they go beyond the already established knowledge, we have of mentor relationships. I wanted to test out new theories on an audience and perhaps change perceptions of why we seek guidance from others and why through altruism, we offer up our time and knowledge to others for often no recognition at all.
Some have yielded unexpected results; An example being an early intervention with my group, where I told them all individually by email that I would be in essence using their idea and then subsequently going on to have the audacity to say I will do it better. The intervention was a means to anger them into motivation and aside from one person, on refection everyone was understandably shocked by still supportive of what I wanted to do. This surprised me as I’m sure were the boot on the other foot, I may have not taken it with quite so much dignity.
My alter ego for Quintin Love also brought about a turning point in my project. Creating an individual who delivered bogus advice sat uncomfortably with me and I felt an unexpected sense that I couldn’t proceed to the full extremities of what I wanted to so.
Research methodologies so far / Strengths & Weaknesses
· Quantitative
· Qualitative
· Case studies
· Empirical studies
· Interviews
· Surveys
· Document analysis
· Document screening
· Focus groups
The research I have conducted has uncovered not only aspects surrounding mentoring but also about myself and my working methods. I am in no doubt that on reflection I would approach some aspects of Unit 2 in a more pragmatic and calculated way. During the initial phase of my research, I found myself delving into themes of mentoring without any clear plan. Yes, I was passionate about the subject but this would not have been enough to enable my hard-work to come to fruition. Support from tutors, allowed me to approach my research with a more confident framework. I set about organising a solid timetable where I would dedicate and commit time to. This has alleviated a lot of problems in understanding what was needed in the process next. I found I was able to make clearer and more definitive decisions, which has contributed in uncovering some measurable results. The early chrysalis concept of mentoring and recognition without a structured and well researched framework could easily have become an amorphous mess. This unison of enhanced organisation, research methods and a miscellany of interventions has enabled me to see that the end of its metamorphosis may be in sight.
Scenario building with Stakeholders / Measuring success
· BBC Guernsey
· Island FM
· London Live
· Creative conscience
· South Essex College
· Guernsey College of Further Education
· Pholk care Ltd
· Dandilion Foundation
· Creative Voices Minds
· Mentorloop
· P.A.C.T. (Prison advice & care trust)
I aim to use my research as a way of implementing a mentorship programme that will be all-encompassing and work with several stakeholders to support the continued growth of remote communities and individuals who may not have had access to every opportunity given to the majority of us. Concepts thus far, include a television / web / radio series to help support and enhance the platform. The current crisis has also indicated the reliance we now have for online learning, so this may be help the generation of an easily accessible app for mentees to use. There will be opportunities to work with several existing organisations to co-ordinate sustainable change, where it has been unable to do so before. This may be down to logistics of location or information.
My project is gathering pace and over the past 2 weeks, I have established more stakeholder interest. It’s incredibly important to me that if I can affect someone’s life in a positive way then I would have in some ways repurposed and recycled my own personal journey and experience. And that would be something to be very proud of. My life has been irreversibly changed with the help and guidance of mentors, I hope and desire that I am able to make a considerable impact onto someone’s life and to let that cycle nurturing and growth continue.
Learning log & Bibliography can be found on - https://andybeatricks.wixsite.com/andybeatricks
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