We are delighted to introduce Felicity Aris, who has supported our City Of Change campaign through Arkbound Publishing.
Why did you join the City Of Change campaign?
It is a great opportunity to support the local community and to collaborate with an important and worthy network/organisation in Bristol.
What do you think young people may contribute to your company?
Since day one we have advocated for and encouraged opportunities for young people in the publishing and charity sector, often running internships and work placements throughout the year, because such collaborations allow us to foster a relationship with a generation of people who make up an integral part of our society and who, we know, have so much to offer because of that! We hope any young person that we can support through this campaign will jump straight in and help support our current projects, while at the same time encourage new ways of engaging with our goals of inclusivity, diversity and accessibility.
What do you hope younger people may contribute to your company?
We hope that any young person that we take on will help us find new ways of tackling the disappointing lack of diversity and inclusivity that we see in the publishing industry by bringing their perspective as a young person and coming up with new ideas and researching new methods to help. We are looking for young people who are keen to question, challenge and encourage discussion around these topics, and find practical ways to tackle them too!
What do you think companies may be missing by having a lack of younger voices/influence in the company?
Everything! As the Youth Strike for Climate protests demonstrated over the past two years, every young person has a voice and it’s important that we all wake up to that! Young people also have the most amazing capacity to learn and engage with new ideas. One of our youngest employees is 21 years old and she has already built and executed projects that have had a practical impact within our local community and informed our company’s business strategy and communications policies. Young people have opinions and ideas that matter, they shouldn’t ever be isolated or removed from the conversation simply because of their demographic!
What advice do you wish someone had given you at the start of your career?
Stop for a minute and think! Don’t rush into a job or career just because the company or organisation have filled their business profile with superlatives and hyperbole, and you think this is the only opportunity you are ever going to get. Do your research, talk to people within the sector you want to go into and figure out what YOU value before you try and change yourself to fit the values of someone else and their company. By all means, try things out, take on as many different jobs and opportunities as you want, but also take the time to reflect on whether what you are doing is important to you and the way you see the world.
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