Creating For Good
How It Began
In February 2017, feeling despondent after recent political events, a group of 10 freelance creatives met up in London to discuss how we could pool our resources, skills and social media reach to make a difference. After a few hours of brainstorming, Creating For Good was born. Through workshops, tutoring, events, and brand collaborations we raised more than £34,000 over 2 years, donating 100% of proceeds to social enterprises that focus on empowering marginalised communities.
My role involved: posting to social channels, photography and content creation, copywriting, website maintenance, and working closely with the comms team of our longest brand partner Taylors of Harrogate.
Auction at The Hoxton Hotel
By reaching out to brands we had already built strong relationships with, we were able to host an auction in aid of Breaking Barriers who integrate refugees through employment support. The venue, decor, refreshments, and prizes were all donated - with the star item as a return Eurostar trip to Paris with a stay at a 5-star chateau hotel.
Creative Conference 2017
We planned and ran a full day event at WeWork to raise money for Women For Women. Participants were able to select courses to participate including: an introduction to DSLR photography (taught by myself), food styling, film making, visual storytelling, cinemagraphs, and hand lettering. There were also lectures and a panel discussion on growing a brand as a small business for all participants. Highlights video here.
Panel Discussion at Sourced Market
“How to grow your audience by staying authentic” – a panel featuring industry experts Kim Leuenberger, Sara Tasker, Nik Speller, and Tailify. All proceeds were donated to Just Bread, a social enterprise that brings together refugees in London to share skills, creativity and cultural heritage, while teaching them the skills needed to become a professional baker.
An Extraordinary Journey: The Beginning
Our longest brand collaboration was with Taylors of Harrogate. We helped the Taylors team to select a group of influencers, then designed and hosted a series of workshops over 18 months to develop their storytelling techniques, in exchange for a generous donation to our chosen charity: Women For Women. The first trip was to visit the company’s tea and coffee factory in Harrogate.
An Extraordinary Journey: A Lesson in Flavour
The next workshop was a focus on flavour, with a cooking lesson hosted at Cactus TV studio and recipes from Women For Women’s cookbook.
Creative Conference 2018
Our second annual Creative Conference was again kindly hosted by WeWork. Many of the popular workshops from our first workshop were offered again, along with new skills including: stop motion photography, introduction to videography techniques, and flower arranging. 100% of proceeds were donated to Bread & Roses, a social enterprise that runs floristry training for women from around the world.
An Extraordinary Journey: Cinemagraphs
Users of the relatively new technique, cinemagraphs, were experiencing good engagement on social media so this workshop focused on storyboarding and executing them. Our influencers also learned more about the art displayed on Taylor of Harrogate’s coffee bags.
Panel Discussion at Old Spitalfields Market
In aid of Breaking Barriers, this panel was on The Power Of Collaboration. We invited Matthew Powell (CEO of Breaking Barriers), Kelly Eastwood, Rosie Birkett, and A Lady In London to talk about how collaborations can strengthen an idea, cause or brand.
An Extraordinary Journey: Women For Women in Rwanda
The final leg of our collaboration with Taylors of Harrogate culminated with a trip to Rwanda to visit the suppliers that are crucial to the company’s most-loved products. Firstly we visited a Women For Women centre in Gikondo that runs business, finance, and health classes for local women, as well as an Opportunity Centre in the Kayonze District and a farm run by graduates of the Women For Women programme that successfully received funding for installing an innovative irrigation system.
An Extraordinary Journey: Sorwathe Tea Estate
We toured Sorwathe Tea Estate so our influencers could tell the story of Taylors using the storytelling techniques they had honed over the past 18 months. We also had the privilege to witness the other community projects that Taylors sponsor, such as the reusable sanitary towel project with Days For Girls and the porridge project that strives to ensure no children in the Sorwathe neighbourhood misses out on a primary school education.
An Extraordinary Journey: Kopakama Coffee Cooperative
We travelled to Kopakama coffee farm to visit the women-led project Ejo Heza (meaning ‘A Beautiful Tomorrow’). Taylors supports the farmers through loans to grow their own businesses as well as offering training in financial literacy and leadership.
All photos above were taken by me (Charlotte Hu).