Happy Birthday to us, and more in our Feb news

Happy birthday to us! February marks our?third year as a charity - and what a three years we've had. From receiving our first multi-year grants, to developing and running three large scale Spokesperson Network programmes , two Future Voices programmes in partnership with The Voice of Domestic Workers and the range of exciting projects, events and workshops we've been commissioned?to run. Thank you to everyone that has been a part of our journey so far.?

It's not easy to run a small charity, particularly in the current climate, but we are driven by the incredible leaders that we work with. Being able to do this work is a privilege.? As part of our celebrations we're sharing these videos from our #SDMNetwork on the power of this community we've all created and what our spokesperson programme has given to them . If you'd like to support our work with a birthday donation, you can do so here .?

And we're starting our year with exciting news as at the end of January Sounddelivery Media was?named in Big Issue's 100 Changemakers for 2024 in the media and campaigns category.?Also listed were seven of our Spokesperson Network , congratulations to Craig Jones MBE, Zain Hafeez, Maggie Gordon-Walker, Marissa Begonia and Voice of Domestic Workers, Kevin Osei, Anne-Marie Douglas and Peer Power UK, Siobhan Down and Yellow Brick Road Project.?

We have extended recruitment until Monday 19th February for our new Trustee?with financial experience. The role will?help take us into the next stage of our development as a charity,?maintain an overview of the organisation’s affairs, ensure its financial viability and ensure that proper financial records and procedures are maintained. Apply by 19th February .

And finally good luck to our colleague Amal Abdi whose play?'Desperate Times' returns?to Rich Mix London for two sold out nights this week.?

Thank you for the support you show us by reading our updates. Please do share this with your colleagues/community.? And as always please keep in touch with what you are doing. We love to share projects and events with our networks.??

Do follow us?on?Twitter ?and?Facebook ?and Instagram .?

Best wishes,

Jude, Helena?and Amal

?@sounddelivery?

Future Voices

We are coming to the end of this year's Future Voices programme and this Sunday February 18th between 10 and 2.30pm?we will be hosting a showcase event of talks, performance and conversation to celebrate and to give a platform to the migrant domestic workers that form this network.?Many will be speaking in public for the first time. This programme aims to develop a network of 12 (36 in total over three?years) migrant domestic workers with the skills and confidence to advocate for themselves and their community publicly. The showcase event marks the end of the programme for this cohort and the beginning of their adventures as spokespeople. We are so excited for them. And in April we will recruit our third new cohort. As tickets for this event are limited if you want to come along please do get in touch.??

The latest from the Spokesperson Network

Our Spokesperson Network have been busy sharing their expertise in rooms and on platforms where they have the power to influence change. Here are some of their latest highlights.?

• Sharon McPherson blogged for Trust for London on galvanising the power of lived experience leaders committed to tackling injustice.?
• Sue Beere was on The Modern Mann podcast hosted by broadcaster Olly Mann to talk about her campaign with law charity APPEAL to overturn her husband's conviction.?
• Darren Murrinas was on the Turnaround Project podcast on lived experience sharing his story and how he's used his experiences as Chief Executive of Expert Citizens.
• Redeyefeenix aka Steve Arnott was featured in The Big Issue talking about how the Beats Bus is giving young people opportunities. He also?has a new music video out for his rap track 'The Power of We ' about stigma and poverty in the UK, written as part of his collaboration with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation?design team ‘Exploring Stigma and Poverty’.?
• Ric Flo was in The Voice sharing his story in foster care, and how he's supporting care-experienced young people through music.?
• Jan Cunliffe and JENGbA have been in the news with the second reading of the Joint Enterprise Bill in Parliament, read about it in this?Guardian piece .?
• Anne-Marie Douglas'?Churchill Fellowship research on empathetic practice in North America was featured in?CYPNow .
• Following her feature as one of Big Issue's Changemakers of 2024, Maggie Gordon-Walker wrote an Opinion Piece for the?Big Issue on Mothers Uncovered's struggle to fund its vital programmes of support.?Read here . She also spoke to BBC Radio Sussex last week?here .?features on?BBC News online ?and was on ITV news .

Subscribe to see all of the latest from our 2023 cohort on our Twitter List , and check out what all of the Spokesperson network Alumni are up to on the alumni list .? You can also subscribe to our Sounddelivery Media blog to get thought-pieces straight to your inbox.?

If you are a journalist and want to talk about ways to work together with our network please get in touch [email protected] ?

Things to watch, listen to, and do?

Marina Cantacuzino's BBC Radio 4 series Forgiveness: Stories from the frontline is back. The series sees Marina is conversation with people with extraordinary stories who have had to grapple with forgiveness?in order to feel free.? This series features themes of institutional failures, abuse, conversion therapy and more. Listen here . Marina is the founder of The Forgiveness Project, and gave this thought-provoking talk about the restorative power of storytelling at Being the Story.

Something else new to listen to this month.?A Proposal for Resisting Darkness is a new?audio drama by Yasmin Joseph in collaboration with HMP Downview Theatre Company where the playwright ran a series of workshops with women in prison.??The drama follows?malevolent beast Darkness who has taken the voices of all women on earth, but a group of magical women in the clouds create their own proposal for resisting Darkness's power. Will they succeed or will Darkness silence them for good? Listen here .?

The Bethlem Gallery's Museum of the Mind is hosting Alison Lapper MBE's captivating exhibition, 'Lost in Parys'. It's a deeply emotional tribute to her son, Parys, who sadly died. Alison's poignant words, "I'm lost in Parys; it's a loss that has rearranged my world... an unbearable pain that leaves me vulnerable, navigating my feelings", echo throughout the exhibit. It's a moving portrayal of love, loss, and resilience featuring art by Alison Lapper, Marc Quinn and Rankin. On now until the 1st June 2024 in Beckenham, London. Info here .

The multi-award winning children's book The Boy at the Back of the Class is coming to the stage. Written by our friend Onjali Rauf, the book is told from a child’s perspective, balancing heart and humour, The Boy at the Back of the Class highlights the power of friendship and kindness in a world that doesn’t always make sense and reminds us that everyone needs a place to call home. After learning that he has fled his own war-torn country, Ahmet’s classmates have ‘The Greatest Idea in the World’ – a magnificent plan to reunite Ahmet with his family. An unexpected and often hilarious adventure follows, all topped off with a terrific twist. From 27 Feb- 8th June the new play adaptation will be touring England. Dates and tickets here .

Become An Amplifier

If you'd like to help us?amplify the voices of a dynamic network of people you can support us in lots of ways.?

• Become an amplifier ?by donating either monthly or as a one-time donation. With?Gift Aid we are able to claim 25p for every pound you donate. Your donations will help to fund our work.??
• Volunteer your time if you are a journalist or media professional, become a sounding board for our Spokesperson Network.

Best wishes Jude, Helena?and Amal? @sounddelivery?