This month's Staff in the Spotlight features our Research and Evaluation Officer Remi, who joined Youth Music two weeks before the March lock-down. Below in an extract and the full link is below. Questions were asked by Katy Robinson.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do at Youth Music.
I'm a Research and Evaluation Officer, I collect and analyse data that measures our impact as a funder and the projects that we fund. Part of the Research and Evaluation Team, we use evaluation to support evidence-led decision making that champions inclusivity and challenges barriers to participation. Our approach to cross-team working is...
You started at Youth Music two weeks before we transitioned into working from home. How have you found starting a brand new job remotely, and do you have any advice for people in similar situations?
I'd not even brought in a cactus for me desk yet...It's an intense experience to join a new team and adapt to a new working style simultaneously and I would advise not to resist your working behaviour changing, roll with it...
Tell us about what drew you to working in research, and what prompted your interest in Youth Music.
Whilst studying my English Literature degree, I thoroughly enjoyed the process of 'reading between the lines', examining the voice and identifying a person's intention and message through different forms of expression. Whilst not directly linked (which it doesn't necessarily need to be), I then worked in...
Are you involved in making music of your own? Who are your biggest musical inspirations?
I'm grateful to have been brought up in a musical family. From an early age my grandad has sang along to B.B King on his vinyl player and belted out Jamaican gospel at whatever time of the day. I've been in various...
Alongside music, you have another pretty big passion...tell us about your bikes and what you were doing before Youth Music.
Where do I start? Motorcycling is one of those hobbies where it might look intimidating from the outside, but once you give it a go, you'll realise it's not just for bearded men in tight leather waistcoats on Route 66. Before YM I worked in research for a...
What's been the highlight of your time at Youth Music so far? What are you most looking forward to in 2021?
There's been loads! The ongoing support within our team throughout last year has been astonishing. We've collectively accomplished so much to be proud of, from setting up the Emergency Fund earlier in the year to publishing research, including Reshape Music and A Blueprint for the Future which explore the compounding barriers young people face in the industry and present a call to action. Most recently...
