achieve programme

Achieve Online | Connecting Members

Achieve Online | Connecting Members

Thanks to support from ScreenSkills, Marianne and I were able to conduct our first ever Achieve Online workshops over the last few weeks.

The format translated really well, making use of Zoom’s ‘room’ functionality for the breakout sessions allowing us to bring Achieve Programme content to our members through the UK from the comfort of their own homes.

We asked some of our participants to provide some feedback.

“At the moment, perhaps more than ever, we are craving connection and I was so impressed by the support and empathy shared in a brief one and a half hour workshop. When we’re all working from home in bedrooms, and at kitchen tables with children popping by, it creates a more personal experience which only enhanced the ability to share and learn.’

These are practical workshops and it was great to see how quickly the delegates were able to fully participate in this virtual way.

The small breakout rooms helped ensure that everyone had a voice, and that was certainly reflected in the feedback from delegates:

Achieve Online Workshop
Everyone had a chance to speak and feel included, you can’t shy away at the back of the room!’
‘I think it helped people to be a little more confident than they might have been in a room’ 
‘I had an incredible time and came away feeling super inspired!’
‘It was fantastic to be able to offer these workshops to AWUK members outside of London. From Belfast to Cornwall, Glasgow to Norfolk, there was a great geographical spread which added to the experience for everyone.’
In addition to adapting some of the content from the Helen North Achieve Programme for online delivery, it was exciting to be able to offer some brand new workshops on Managing your Virtual Communication and Thriving as a Freelance.
I have always been a fan of face to face communication, but I can see the benefits of being able to offer the Achieve Programme to more people, wherever you live. We are learning as we go and will build on the experience as we all adapt to this new way of working.
‘A huge thank you to everyone who helped make Achieve On-line a real success.’

We plan to run more of these sessions later in 2020, so keep your eyes peeled if you’re interested in joining.

You can find out more about Achieve Programme and our tutors here.

Jan Armstrong

Jan Armstrong is a Leadership development expert, Executive Coach and Trainer who designs and delivers the Helen North Achieve Programme for Animated Women UK.

Posted by Lucy Cooper in Achieve Programme, Education, Events, Homepage, News, 1 comment
Achieve Online 2020

Achieve Online 2020

‘Achieve Online’ at our workshops this June.

We’re delighted to announce that we’ll be running four online workshops this June exclusively for AWUK members, thanks to the support of ScreenSkills Animation Skills Fund, with contributions from UK animations productions. The tutors of our oversubscribed Helen North Achieve Programme have adapted two of the programme’s most popular sessions for online delivery via Zoom. These are ‘Confidence and Getting your Voice Heard’ and ‘Impact and Building the Brand You’. Jan Armstrong and Marianne O’Connor have also developed two new workshops, one of which is devoted to ‘Thriving as a Freelance’. The other – ‘Managing Your Virtual Communication’ – focuses on an aspect of our jobs that is particularly relevant right now when so many of us are working from home.

The Helen North Achieve Programme 2019 alumni

The last few months have undoubtedly been challenging. Working on your laptop can often literally mean working on your lap while juggling homeschooling and other caring responsibilities. When the threat posed by the virus recedes and lockdown eventually ends, some remote working may however become the new normal if employers have found it to be productive and staff are keen to continue working this way. 

One of the perceived drawbacks to homeworking is its potential to damage career prospects. It's long been a concern for many women taking maternity leave and/or going part-time that being out of sight means being out of mind for promotion and interesting work projects. That concern also applies to homeworking. 

The workshop on 2 June will help participants develop practical strategies for building virtual relationships. This is key in an industry where relationship building is central to success (79% of women surveyed working in the animation sector said they got their job through networking). 

The session will include guidance on getting the most from a virtual team meeting, motivating yourself and others when working remotely and communicating creatively and assertively online. Members will also gain individual tips and techniques to hone their online skills in a Coaching Clinic. 

Our workshop’s focus will be on helping to ensure that participants’ careers thrive in an increasingly virtual environment where some staff will be working out of the office all or part of the time. This session is relevant even for entirely office-based staff, as many people are likely to be communicating with team members and clients who are physically elsewhere. 

These four highly interactive online workshops will use virtual break-out spaces to allow participants to workshop ideas and receive feedback in small, supportive groups. They’ll also include a ‘surgery’ where members can discuss difficult work challenges. 

Open to AWUK members at all levels of experience, the workshops are just £25, thanks to the support of ScreenSkills Animation Skills Fund.  Because they’re stand-alone, members can apply for those that are relevant to them, whether that’s one or all of them! Each lasts one and a half hours, so can be fitted in around work and other commitments.  

We’re excited to be going online for the first time ever and our workshop leaders Jan and Marianne look forward to welcoming registrants this June.

Click here to find out more information and apply for tickets.

Stay safe and keep well. 

By Louise Hussey, Co-Chair, VFX, Animated Women UK 

Read what our alumni say about The Helen North Achieve Programme below.

Chloé Deneuve
Anne Akande

These workshops are supported by ScreenSkills Animation Skills Fund with contributions from UK animation productions.

About ScreenSkills

ScreenSkills is the industry-led skills body for the UK’s screen-based creative industries - animation, film, games, television including children’s and high-end, VFX and immersive technology. They work across the whole of the country to build an inclusive workforce with the skills needed for continued success, now and in the future. 

https://www.screenskills.com

 

Posted by Peri Friend in Achieve Programme, Events, Homepage, Mentoring, 0 comments
5 Things We’ve Accomplished Since Attending The Helen North Achieve Programme

5 Things We’ve Accomplished Since Attending The Helen North Achieve Programme

The Helen North Achieve Programme is back for its fourth year. Applications are now open, so we sat down with five alumni to find out what they’ve accomplished since attending the course.

1) “As a mother returning to work the course helped me look at my options in a really positive way. I stopped worrying about rushing to be exactly the same artist I was before I had my son and made me realise I can take any route I chose and whatever time I need to achieve the goals I have set for myself.”
http://greymarkconstruction.com/marble-shower-controls/ Anita Corcoran, Animator

2) “I’ve progressed in my job and feel more confidence when navigating the VFX industry.
“I’ve also gained an amazing support network of women in VFX and Animation and learned to stop falling victim to ‘Imposter Syndrome’.
“The wonder women stance has also been a handy tool for a quick confidence boost anytime and anywhere!”
order provigil online overnight delivery Emma Ihecherenoma, VFX Production Coordinator at Industrial Light & Magic

3) “The course was a great way to meet new people and reflect on my work in animation to date. I got time-out to think, a chance to set some new goals and a big boost to my personal confidence and presentation skills.
“Since the course, I’ve made a lot of changes in the way I run my animation studio, which are really beginning to bear fruit. We’ve pulled in lots of new service studio work, our finances are much improved and our educational animation continues to gather momentum, awards and recognition.
“I have also found a new role for myself as a mentor, helping out other women in my field on the Creative England Industry Equals Women in Screen Programme and been making more time for ME! I am managing my time much better and can fit so much more into my week!”
Kath Shackleton, Producer at Fettle Animation

4) “Participating in the Helen North Achieve Programme allowed me to reflect and focus on those aspects of my career that I wanted to nurture, change and build upon. It gave me the confidence to seek out new challenges, become a mentor and drive harder than ever for the projects and people that I believe in. Importantly, it made me reconsider what success actually means to me… I’ve learnt that small, forgettable everyday achievements are just as important markers of success as the memorable, career game-changers.”
Natalie Llewelyn, Head of Development ar Jellyfish Pictures

5) “Since completing the programme, I have registered as a STEM Ambassador and gave a talk to A-level students last month. I found that quite intimidating but the presentation skills sessions gave me the confidence that I would come across as more knowledgable and assured than I felt. The talk seemed to go well and I had some very positive feedback from the students.”
Lucy Wilkes, Lead Software Developer at Dneg

Find out more about the Helen North Achieve Programme and apply here.

Posted by Lucy Cooper in Achieve Programme, Homepage, Profiles, 0 comments

Member Profile | Bimpe Alliu | Art Assistant at ILM

We caught up with Bimpe Alliu, Art Assistant at Industrial Light & Magic and one of the 2017 Achieve Programme alumni to ask her about her career path so far and thoughts on the challenges facing women in our industry.

Personal art project © Bimpe Alliu

Personal art project © Bimpe Alliu

What inspired you to get into VFX?

I’ve always loved feature animation and films (some good and some very questionable), but as comic lover, seeing the growth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe really got me thinking about how I wanted to be part of that development process. It genuinely made me excited to take steps to working as an artist professionally – which was something I hadn’t thought was previously possible, but at least I now know!

Personal art project © Bimpe Alliu

Personal art project © Bimpe Alliu

How did you make it a reality?

After some very kind words from friends, and a bit of faith, trust and pixie dust I decided that I was just going to go for it. At the time I was working in social media for Sony Music UK and started researching university courses as I knew I was lacking both the technical knowledge and skill set. I saved for just over a year before I applied to and was accepted to do MSc Animation and VFX at the University of Dundee, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (Great course, great uni, great city), and not to be cheesy, but it really was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

What would you say is the biggest challenge facing women the industry?

Establishing a work life / home life balance. Especially when you’re at the beginning of your career and trying to develop like I am, it can be very easy to fall into the habit of all work all the time. This can leave very little time for anything else which can have a massive knock on effect on everything else in your life.

But also establish a balance within yourself – gaining and retaining confidence and trying to stay as true to yourself as possible.

Personal art project © Bimpe Alliu

Personal art project © Bimpe Alliu

Were there ever times where you felt like being a woman may have impacted your career, or have you ever felt professionally excluded because of it?

Sadly this does still happen and it is something we need to keep working to overcome, but I am definitely grateful as I’ve never felt that my career has been affected as a result. There hasn’t really been anything that I’ve willing allowed to stunt my own progression.

Did you have mentors or support networks throughout your career that really helped push you forward?  Feel free to give a shout out.

I’m still at the beginning of my career in VFX so I’m sure there will be PLENTY of names to come, but as of now I’m definitely grateful for DJCAD and Phillip Vaughan for accepting a VFX newbie onto the course, as well as my ridiculously talented and supportive course-mates (Especially Natasha Dudley, who I’m still learning from even now). Also my friends who helped give me the extra confidence to take this leap and ‘start again’ (Esther Roberts and Abigail Balfe!). But also my current colleagues – the ILM Art Department here in London, who are always willing to look, listen and teach me new things – but also have a great supply of biscuits and green tea.

Personal art project © Bimpe Alliu

Personal art project © Bimpe Alliu

How do you plan to help advance the idea of more women in the industry?

As someone at the beginning of their career I want to show the same support that has been given to me.

What advice would you give to women wanting to enter the industry?

Trust yourself and take that step. Be excited about your growth and development and all the opportunities that will come.

Bimpe Alliu

Bimpe Alliu

You took part in AWUK’s Achieve Programme.  How do you feel it benefited you?

Ah I loved this programme. The opportunity to share experiences with and gain advice from other women in the industry has been invaluable, and has definitely impacted the way I view and approach certain scenarios. It also gave me the confidence boost to start discussing my own career development.

But probably most importantly for me it helped me begin to really understand and value the importance of balance and mental wellbeing when working in any industry – knowing when it time to leave work behind for the day and really look after yourself.

Definitely worth applying for.

If you were hosting a dinner party who would you invite and why?

It would have to be a dinner date with Maya Angelou – to thank her for everything I’ve learnt in the last couple of years about personal growth and perseverance.

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