Member Article

Diversity programme graduates lead the way with Night School 2022

London-based creative agency, The Brooklyn Brothers, has announced the third year of its Night School initiative to attract young people from ethnically-diverse backgrounds into the creative industries.

The free training and mentoring programme combines in-person workshop sessions with online collaboration. Alumni from previous years will return to pay it forward and lead on this year’s curriculum, collaborating with guest experts across a wide range of fields to share their collective wisdom with the budding creatives. The first year of The Brooklyn Brothers’ Night School was a resounding success with 80% of graduates securing careers in creative areas from advertising to production and social inclusion. In its second year, and despite the challenges of COVID, the programme ran remotely with a larger class, culminating in a live graduation exhibition once restrictions lifted. Students from both years have partnered to help build the programme for 2022. With only 13% of UK advertising agency employees identifying as from Black, Asian or minority backgrounds, there is a desperate need for greater diversity in creative industries. However, traditional internships can be unattainable for those with day jobs or without contacts in the industry. The Night School programme addresses this issue with an opportunity to receive free training facilitated by guest tutors from a wide range of creative industry sectors, including music, fashion, journalism and film production. Night School’s eight-week curriculum is open to all 18–25-year-olds who are looking to unlock their potential and open doors to a future career within creative industries. No experience or qualifications are required, but access to central London for the live sessions is key. Following graduation, each student is paired with a mentor to help them take the next steps in their creative career. Throughout the process, every student develops a personal manifesto, designed to encapsulate their individual creative ambition.

A number of Night School graduates now have full-time roles at the agency, including Juliana Onyenani, Junior Creative at The Brooklyn Brothers, who said: “Night School taught me that I can be in this space - I can be in the creative industries. It helped me to not only embrace my strengths as a creative individual but to start exploring how I can use them for good in my career and in the wider world.” Will Sansom, Head of Strategy at The Brooklyn Brothers, said: “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome a new class of Night Schoolers in 2022. The programme has always been about creating opportunity and this year we’ve interpreted this in the theme of ‘Starting’. Not just a career, but the process of discovering, connecting and even considering yourself a creative individual. We hope this theme not only inspires potential new students but the creative industries as a whole. We’ve all started making positive steps in the right direction but there is always more that we can do to embrace diversity and welcome young talent into our businesses.” Entries for Night School are now open for all 18-25-year-olds.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Business News .