51Âþ»­

A third-year Journalism student from 51Âþ»­, Leicester (51Âþ»­) is using the newswriting skills she learned on her course to help drive awareness of mental health issues.

Although originally aiming for a career in the newsroom, Abi Willock says she has found a new career path after taking on an internship with local Leicester charity Lamp.

She gained the role through the Leicester City Partnership at 51Âþ»­, and is using her skills in the charity’s fundraising team.

Abi said: “The internship opportunity with local mental health advocacy charity, Lamp really stood out to me. I’ve been passionate about fundraising since my first sponsored silence in 2011, had a little bit of charity experience, and am born and raised in Leicester.”

“I’ve also been volunteering for WORD! Leicester and have participated in a spoken word and poetry workshop for people with mental health, so I believed that my experience would fit the bill when I applied.”

Having secured an interview with Lamp, Abi drew on her spoken word and poetry skills, pitching the charity the idea of an open mic night to raise funds.

The charity was impressed and agreed to support the idea and now Abi is getting ready for the inaugural open mic night at Firebug in Leicester city centre, where she aims to raise vital funds for the charity as well as general awareness.

The event takes place on Monday 24 July, at Firebug and any musician, vocalist, poet or spoken word artist is welcome to apply by contact Abi at abiwillock@lampdirect.org.ukor visit for tickets.

Reflecting on her experience in the job so far Abi added: “I’ve found the job really rewarding and more varied than I expected. On just my third day in the job, I took part in a fundraising bhangra dancing class where I talked about the charity in front of all of the attendees, a rare experience of public speaking.

“We’ve also been to an open day at police HQ where we’ve been selected as a charity of the year, and got a chance to explain what advocacy is and how we help. It was a valuable networking experience.”

In just a short time the experience has seen Abi review her career options and find a new passion.

She said: “Taking on an internship lets you look to the future, find out what you’re good at and what you enjoy. I’ve had experience right at the heart of the charity.

 “I’m exercising skills such as copywriting and research that I’ve used in the classroom, but the direct experience is better than any theory.

“Although I’m three-quarters of the way to becoming a trained journalist, I’ve discovered that I would really like to pursue a career in fundraising. It’s become a viable career option.”

She added: “I joined Lamp because I want to make a difference to mental health in my community. Having worked with local mental health charities in the past, I found it incredibly rewarding to see how a charity like Lamp can provide hope, support and light, and really help individuals to rebuild their lives.

“Unfortunately, mental health is still somewhat of a misunderstood topic in general society, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

“I joined Lamp because the work they do not only empowers individuals to become happier and healthier, it supports local businesses and the community to understand and achieve better mental health for everyone.”