We say that our ‘first jobs fund’ is all about supporting the future of journalism, so let’s start with a great example of how we’re doing just that….
Claire came to us as a twenty-two-year-old graduate from Northern Ireland and the first person in her family to go to university. She graduated with 1st class honours and got a job fairly quickly. BUT then Claire realised how much it was going to cost to move from Northern Ireland to London, set-up a home and do it all quick sticks because her employer wanted her to start asap. With massive student loans, mounting personal debt, the bank of mum and dad was not viable a viable option. So, Claire came to the charity in quite a panic, worried whether she could take the job or not. After reassuring her, we offered financial assistance to help with the move, agreed some support for her deposit, some furniture AND helped her connect with other new starters. Claire’s now very happy at work and ever grateful for our support at the beginning of what we hope will be a long career in journalism.
A few months ago, we launched a new initiative call ‘Next Steps.’ The idea behind this, like the first jobs fund, is to fill a niche which doesn’t currently exist – offering bespoke 1-2-1 coaching and training support for mid-career journalists. One of the first journalists to benefit was Marcus, a music and arts journalist whose been struggling financially for a year or so. We’d just helped him through a difficult financial period when we suggested he might benefit from some coaching. Marcus jumped at the chance and fast-forward through a few sessions with one of our experts, he’s now got a full time staff job for the first time in a long time. Naturally, Marcus is absolutely over the moon with what the charity has been able to do for him.
Sometimes applicants come to us in really dire circumstances. Fiona’s story is one such example. A working journalist, Fiona had been in an abusive relationship for far too long. Apart from the physical and emotional scars, her home was an absolute wreck. Like lots of applicants, when Fiona came to us, she didn’t know what to ask for, but after looking at pictures of her tattered home – ripped curtains, destroyed wardrobes, thread bare carpets, we stepped in to make Fiona’s house more like a home again. Fiona has a good job and steady income, so she should be ok financially in the longer term – but that one-off cost was just too much for her. Our support has made a life-changing difference to help Fiona move on and heal.
Martin came to us after a breakdown. He’d never had any financial problems before and had always been in work. Then one day, things just went badly wrong. As you can imagine, Martin’s confidence was not in the best shape and he was suffering constant panic attacks, not sure when he could go back to work and worried about getting into debt. In this instance, we didn’t need to give Martin ANY financial assistance. The offer was there if he needed it, but really what Martin needed was some help and guidance to get better. We introduced him to another specialist organisation, helped him manage payment plans, and gave him the comfort and reassurance to talk to his employer. You’ll be pleased to know Martin is much happier – is less anxious and back at work part time, hoping to return fully in the new year.
Abigail contacted us after she unexpectedly got made redundant. Here’s what she said after we gave her a grant: “The charity’s support took the sting out of an incredibly stressful time and ensured I could still cover my living expenses while applying for jobs and planning my next move. I love journalism, but it’s a chronically unsteady industry and coming from a non-traditional media background makes it even harder to ride out the bumps in the road. The Journalists’ Charity opens doors to people who would otherwise be shut out.” You’ll be pleased to know Abigail now has a new full time job in journalism which might not have been the case were it not for our support.
Finally, you might be aware that the charity provides some ongoing financial assistance to a number of vulnerable older people who often have nowhere else to turn. This Christmas, like every year, we’re set to award some special gifts to a number of former journalists who most likely won’t receive anything else this year. They might not even hear from anyone else over the entire festive period. One of them is a chap called David, a journalist for more than 45 years, but he wants you to know he’s still doing his bit….he wrote to say:
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being my only light again this Christmas. It gives me so much joy and hope to know you are there for me, and others like me. Will you please thank everyone at the Journalists’ Charity and let them know what this means. And in case you think I’m slacking, It may interest you to know that I am using my “journalistic skills” to do a weekly dementia facebook post for Agewelleast. It helps keep my shrinking brain going!”
Thank you and very best wishes.
JC