We have come to the end of the journey for our Amplifying Voices project, but as one participant so powerfully said, “this is not the destination, this is a stop on the journey.” Issac Samuels reflects on what the programme and its participants have achieved so far, and looks forward to the next steps.

From the very beginning, Amplifying Voices was more than just a programme. It was about creating space: space to be heard, to be seen, and to bring together racialised individuals committed to social justice and community change. Led by Isaac Samuels and Cecily Henry, the programme supported participants to develop their skills and knowledge in community reporting, while grounding their work in real-life issues affecting their communities.

Building a community of changemakers

We had over 70 applicants for the Amplifying Voices programme, which was a year-long journey of support for changemakers from Global Majority communities. The people taking part received training in digital storytelling, facilitation, and story curation, but crucially became part of a close-knit community – a diverse group of individuals united by a shared commitment to change. What stood out most was the sense of connection. Alongside their learning, the participants on Amplifying Voices supported each other, collaborated, and created lasting bonds that will continue far beyond the programme.

I came for the training, but I’m leaving with a community.

Rooted in real stories

The Amplifying Voices changemakers quickly put their new skills into action to support the causes that were important to them. Across the programme, participants led powerful grassroots projects tackling issues such as:

• Health inequalities within racialised communities
• Suicide prevention and mental health awareness
• Elevating the voices of carers from racialised backgrounds

Each project reflected lived experience, shaped by those closest to the challenges—and the solutions.

For the first time, I felt like my story wasn’t just valid – it was necessary.

Learning to amplify

Through the programme, participants developed practical skills in digital Community Reporting. These tools enabled them to:

• Change perceptions through storytelling
• Amplify messages that matter at a local level
• Build confidence in sharing their voices

As well as these valuable and effective strategies for change, what also emerged was a collective sense of purpose.

We’re not just telling stories. We’re shifting narratives that have been ignored for too long.

What we learned

This journey also highlighted important truths. Many racialised individuals are already doing vital work in their communities, but often without the support they need. This lack of support carries both emotional and practical impacts, making their work even more challenging.

We carry so much. Not just our work, but our communities. That weight isn’t always recognised.

For People’s Voice Media as an organisation, there was a lot of valuable learning too. The programme reinforced the importance of:

• Creating space for community care and wellbeing
• Recognising the emotional labour behind grassroots work
• Supporting individuals not just as changemakers, but as people

And perhaps most importantly, we learned that the path is not always easy.

Passion gets you started, but support is what keeps you going.

Looking ahead

While this chapter of Amplifying Voices is coming to a close, its impact continues. Rather than seeing this as an end point, we are using it as a moment to pause, reflect, and carry forward everything that has been built. The stories shared, the skills developed, and the connections formed will continue to grow, evolve, and shape what comes next.

Your thoughts

We’d love to hear from you:

• What does “amplifying voices” mean to you?
• How can we better support grassroots changemakers in our communities?
• What stories do you think still need to be heard?

This work was generously supported by The National Lottery Community Fund – thank you! You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

We were absolutely delighted to receive this update last week from our friends at The Equality Trust in Birmingham. People’s Voice Media have been working with the Equality Trust for the past few years to help them introduce lived experience storytelling into their work. We have trained members of the Equality Trust team so that they can deliver their own Community Reporter training. In just over 3 years, there have been a total 5 cohorts of Community Reporters, each looking at different topics focused on the realities of socio-economic inequality and aiming to impact the implementation of the Socio-economic Duty. The blog below explores the work of the most recent group of Birmingham Community Reporters, who began their project in August 2025. They recently held a workshop and film screening at the Midlands Arts Centre to share the insights they have learned from speaking to residents about their lived experiences of life in Birmingham. The event brought together residents, cultural leaders and artists to discuss how to reimagine “Brum without Barriers”. Senior Project Officer Charlie McNeill tells us more…

The Birmingham based Community Reporters on this Equality Trust project chose to look into how different experiences of accessing Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Recreation in the city can help us better understand the city’s changing landscape through a period of severe service cuts and loss of community assets, and how this impacts people from different socio-economic backgrounds.

They really wanted to be positive about the city and this was represented well in the finished film, whilst being pragmatic and honest about the challenges we are facing.

Our mobilisation event brought together some brilliant Brummies from across the city and its power spectrum, to reimagine a Brum without Barriers. We had a great day commiting to our own changes and the power we’re each going to step into to disrupt for a better city where everyone is included and able to enjoy the great wealth of culture we have to share. You can read more about the event on the Equality Trust blog.

Already this has created funding opportunities for arts activities in usually neglected parts of the city, potential for some new academic research, and has created connections between creatives to uplift queer and other marginalised voices on local community radio.

The Community Reporters Arash, Jennifer and Alev have really enjoyed their experience on this project. We’re just in the wrapping up stages now and I’m making sure they all have strong connections to People’s Voice Media and the wider Community Reporter network so that they can go on to grow their skills, connections and get involved in future projects should they wish to.

Arash, Jennifer and Alev have created a really special project capturing a really important time for our city, making some firm friendships along the way. We’re really proud of them and incredibly grateful to have had the chance to have worked with them.

We hope you enjoy the film and would love to hear what it makes you think about – Does it challenge your perceptions of Birmingham? Can you relate to any of the experiences expressed by the storytellers? What would you change in your neighbourhood to help folks feel more welcome in what’s on?

Back in Summer of 2024, People’s Voice Media launched a project in Liverpool alongside The Bronte Youth & Community Centre. Young people came forward to share their stories and experiences with The Bronte, and contribute ideas for the future of the centre which is currently undergoing renovation work.

Since then, young people have developed skills in Community Reporting and have interviewed staff, peers and members of the community to gather their hopes for the future of the centre as well. These ideas will feed into the work that shapes the future of the building and help create a hub for the local community in Liverpool.

We have compiled the footage collected by the young people into a written insight report, which you can access via the link below. From young people’s vision for it’s the future, to it’s inter-generational impact & legacy, it’s clear that The Bronte has played a significant role in many people’s lives. Take a look and see what people had to say:

You can also view some of the stories recorded as part of the project over on the Community Reporter website here.

The future looks exciting for The Bronte, as young people and staff are currently working on a podcast series with Fact cinema in Liverpool, putting their Community Reporting skills into practice. Head over to the Bronte Youth and Community Centre website to hear more about their work & receive updates on the renovation plans.

Funded by BBC Children in Need, Future Change Makers is a 3-year project that will support young people aged 11-18 from socially and economically disadvantaged communities and youth organisations to use Community Reporting as a changemaking tool.

The project aims to provide young people and youth organisations with skills to create narratives on issues affecting their lives and communities and applying these skills to lead small-scale social action projects. As well training young people we will also run Train the Trainer training supporting youth professionals to deliver Community Reporting training in the future making it sustainable and creating a world of ‘narrative change’ possibilities. 

Alongside the training and supporting youth organisations to use Community Reporting as a changemaking tool, the project will establish a sub-network – the Young People’s Community Reporter (YPCR) network – within the existing Community Reporter network. The YPCR network will also support existing young Community Reporters who are already trained, providing opportunities for further capacity-building and consolidation of skills.

The project has started recruiting organisations for the 3-year programme. We will be kicking off with the first group, Army of Kindness in Rochdale in October. We are looking for organisations that work with disadvantaged children and young people to join us in the exciting project.

If you are interested in getting involved or finding out more, please contact Kath at kath@peoplesvoicemedia.co.uk

Earlier this year, we teamed up with community members in Wigan to share information and skills around Ripple Effect Mapping.

Across a series of 4 sessions, people learnt about the Ripple Effect Mapping process, creating their own maps, learning how to facilitate this approach to impact measurement within their own communities, and developing skills in packaging the findings in the form of written reports and presentations.

The learning from the sessions culminated in a community sharing event, during which the group showcased their Ripple Effect Maps and shared the learning from the workshops.

The group have continued with their work around Ripple Effect Mapping and intend on using this methodology well into the future supporting the development of a range of different community initiatives.

Keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming Community Reporting Project in Wigan!