A Transformative Partnership

In our latest Creativity Lab in Action blog, we explore how the University of York’s Volunteering Team connects students with local organisations through voluntary Community Projects providing students with hands-on experience tackling real-world challenges across diverse sectors, from charities to schools.  This includes supporting Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations to create video projects to showcase their work and community impact.

Following the success of Creativity Lab support on Community Engaged Learning modules in History through podcasting sessions etc, the Volunteering Team saw an opportunity to enhance their extracurricular student-led projects, engaging the Creativity Lab to support video editing training for student volunteers..

Since then, the Creativity Lab has played a crucial role in upskilling student teams through bespoke video editing sessions tailored to their specific project needs. These workshops accommodate students with varying levels of experience, ensuring an inclusive and supportive learning environment. “The Creativity Lab’s workshops are designed to accommodate all skill levels, meaning every student leaves with the confidence and ability to produce high-quality video content,” explains Meryl Parker from the Volunteering Team. “The feedback from students has been overwhelmingly positive, and the impact on our projects has been remarkable.”

Strengthening Community Engagement and Student Development

The collaboration with the Creativity Lab has greatly improved the quality and impact of the Volunteering Team’s Community Projects, enabling the team to create more opportunities for students to engage with the community and gain valuable skills both through their coursework and extracurricular volunteering. Without the Lab’s dedicated training sessions, students would have had to rely solely on independent online learning, which would have limited their ability to develop hands-on video editing skills.

“The support from the Creativity Lab has been invaluable,” Meryl confirms. “The multidisciplinary nature of our projects means that not all students have prior video-making experience. Having access to expert-led training, professional software, and a dedicated creative space has ensured that our student volunteers can produce professional-quality videos that truly make an impact.”

Students have also praised the training, with one participant sharing, “I found the video session very useful, especially for beginners. It covered essential editing skills, b-roll techniques, and even touched on animation, which was great.”

The exceptional quality of student-produced videos has not only benefited partner organisations but has also sparked interest from other charities seeking similar support. For instance, students recently created a welcome video for Kyra Women’s Project, a local York charity. This growing demand underscores the programme’s impact – both in addressing real community needs and in equipping students with valuable digital skills.

“The fact that local charities are now approaching us to request student-created videos is testament to the success of this initiative,” Meryl adds. “This partnership has enabled students to develop valuable digital skills while simultaneously making a tangible difference in the community.”

Explore the work of the Careers & Placement’s Volunteering team 

Background

In this blog post, we meet a group of four undergraduate students from the University of York’s BA (Hons) History programme who have recently launched a new podcast. ‘The On History Podcast’, is a student-led project aimed at making academic history more accessible to a wider audience. Faced with common questions like “What does a historian actually do?”, the students decided to break down barriers between academia and the public through weekly podcast episodes. Each instalment features a York history professor discussing their research and interests, offering unique insights that often go beyond the traditional curriculum. “It’s been a fantastic venture and great for us even as history students to find out more beyond the curriculum!” says Callie.

Support from the Creativity Lab
The idea first emerged during a Public History module, where the Creativity Lab delivered embedded teaching to guide the cohort through the process of creating a podcast. This hands-on approach encouraged them to explore and experiment with creative technologies. Enthusiastic about the process, the group decided to produce their own podcast. To make it happen, they returned to the Creativity Lab using it as a launchpad to turn ideas into a reality. “The Creativity Lab is fantastic,” Callie shares. “The team walked us through all the technology – which we definitely needed as four humanities students!” The Creativity Lab provided end-to-end support throughout the podcast’s development. The students took part in an initial induction session where they were introduced to podcasting equipment and software.

Impact

The support of the Creativity Lab was instrumental in bringing The On History Podcast to life. “I am almost certain that the podcast would not have come to fruition without the Creativity Lab. We don’t monetise the podcast, so hiring a studio regularly would have been impossible on a student budget.”

The accessibility of the Lab’s facilities and expertise allowed the students to continue to produce high-quality content on a regular basis. “We would have struggled massively without a helping hand just down the corridor or at the end of an email,” shares Callie.

The ‘On History’ Podcast is now available on Spotify, offering listeners an engaging look at the world of history research at York.Head to the Creativity Lab’s podcast webpage for more information on how to get started on your own podcast journey.

Background

This month’s ‘Creativity Lab in Action’ blog we hear from the Research Communication Team at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) on how they tackle creative challenges in their role. Anjali Vyas-Brannick (Research Communications Officer) was tasked with creating a film focused on a particular research engagement event. The only problem? The brief was a little vague, and the deadline was very tight. Enter the Creativity Lab.

This project highlights the importance of flexibility, adaptability, and the ability to anticipate creative needs skills that have been significantly developed through engagement with the Creativity Lab.

Support from the Creativity Lab

The Creativity Lab has served as an essential resource, not only by providing equipment such as cameras, microphones, but also through long-term skill development.

Reflecting on her experience, Anjali noted, “With each training session (and I have taken quite a few!), I have gained knowledge, and every time I apply that creative knowledge, it solidifies just a little more.” Through numerous training sessions, Anjali built her knowledge base and applied what she learned in real-world contexts. “The introduction to Corel software made it easier for me to get to grips with the principles of Adobe Premiere Pro” and “The Video Editing Essentials training helped me to understand how I might plan content – so important when, as for this project, the researchers didn’t quite know what they would need to communicate their outputs, so I had to anticipate what material I might want to work with.”Anjali particularly appreciated the accessibility and practicality of the Creativity Lab’s skills guides. “I knew that I needed background music for the film I was making, and I knew that a carefully curated list of these resources would be available somewhere in the guides – and it was!”  Anjali goes on to say “The Lab Team (Sam, Siobhan, and Steph) played an instrumental role in making digital creativity more accessible and achievable”.

 Impact on Work

The Creativity Lab has provided the confidence to experiment and problem-solve creatively. Rather than feeling overwhelmed by creative challenges, she now approaches them with a “let’s figure this out” mindset.

Specifically, this film project would not have happened without the Creativity Lab – from the training to the equipment, everything needed was provided by the Lab. “Without the Creativity Lab-its staff, its training resources and courses, and equipment- this film would not have happened!” 

Application beyond the Project

The skills and insights gained from the Creativity Lab extend well beyond this single project. Anjali frequently shares what she has learned with colleagues, effectively advocating for the Creativity Lab’s value within their team and beyond. “You should put me on commission – that’s how much I share the brilliance of the Creativity Lab with all my work colleagues.”

Reflecting on her learning process, Anjali compared it to a creative academic mindset: “I used to have a tutor in the English department who talked about an ‘essay-writing mindset’. By this, he meant you need to be ready to draw creative mental connections between things you see every day and practise this skill; the more tenuous the connections you try to make, the better. I think the Creativity Lab has helped me develop my digitally creative mindset: I see potential creative projects emerging with greater frequency!”

Watch the final film: ChatGPTree or discover more about the Branching Out project.

Background

Engaging students in seminar settings remains a challenge. Seeking to innovate, Patrick Creedon, Postgraduate Academic Tutor and Supervisor in the School for Business and Society turned to puppetry as an interactive teaching tool. Through a short video, he used this creative method to illustrate key pedagogical principles in an engaging and dynamic way. The project aimed to serve as an accessible resource for both the School of Business and Society (SBS) and the wider university community.

Support from the Creativity Lab

The Creativity Lab played a crucial role in bringing Patrick’s video project to life, offering both technical expertise and one to one support. The Creativity Lab team provided personalised training in Coral video editing software. Patrick states “Sam showed me how to use Coral (software) and gave me support in editing, adding in music and effects on a puppet show which I made for my history tours.”

The Creativity Lab also offers a diverse programme of workshops and training sessions available to all staff and students at the institution. Patrick also attended the “10 Tips for Video Editing” webinar, which proved to be invaluable. “The session was very clear, well-structured, and easy to follow. I liked how Sam and Siobhan worked together to make the session engaging and informative. Their stories and demos made the software easier to understand”

Impact and Outputs

The support provided by the Creativity Lab significantly enhanced the project’s success. “Fantastic impact! Sam was patient in showing me how to use the Video Recording Suite, which has given me the confidence to use it for other projects.”

The guidance and training allowed Patrick to develop the necessary skills to produce a high-quality video, something he felt may have been impossible without the Lab’s assistance and the project’s outcome would have been vastly different.

Patrick acknowledges that the Lab’s support was critical in transforming the idea into a polished and effective educational resource. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it, or the quality would have been so poor as to be unusable.”

The skills acquired from the Creativity Lab are now being applied beyond the initial project. Patrick states “Yes, I am now using it as the basis for my scholarship and intend to share my scholarship project with the whole of the School for Business & Society and the university.” demonstrating the long-term value of the Creativity Lab’s contributions, as the knowledge gained continues to influence pedagogical development and engagement across the university.

Watch a short clip of Patrick’s video: The Harrying of the North

In the beginning…

Recognising the shift towards digital content consumption, the International Marketing Team aim was to create an authentic, student-led podcast providing genuine insights into life as an international student at York. The project’s core objectives were varied: to offer authentic student perspectives, engage through accessible content, expand digital outreach, and boost engagement with international applicants and offer-holders. Dania Erakovic-Ward from the International Marketing Team notes, “We wanted to provide something more than just brochures and web pages. We wanted to give potential students a real feel for York.”

The podcast launched in January, 2024, featuring student ambassadors as hosts and guests. Promotional efforts, including targeted emails and social media campaigns, yielded rapid results. “We were thrilled to see over 100 plays in the first few days,” remarks Dania. “It showed us there was a real appetite for this kind of content.” The initial reach spanned 25 countries, demonstrating the podcast’s global appeal.

Growth & Continued Success

Following the success of Season 1, Season 2, is set to launch in February 2025 and will dive deeper into student life, bringing you amazing stories from alumni and campus societies. Key performance indicators confirmed the podcast’s impact: over 1,200 plays, 101 hours of content consumed, and a growing Spotify follower base. “The numbers speak for themselves,” states Dania. “We’ve created a valuable resource that resonates with our target audience.”

Support from the Creativity Lab

The Creativity Lab was instrumental in the podcast’s success, providing crucial training and technical support. “Without the Creativity Lab, producing high-quality content would have been incredibly difficult,” Dania explained. “They provided the tools and expertise we needed.” The Lab’s assistance with remote recordings, especially for international alumni guests, was particularly valuable. “Setting up Zoom recordings for our alumni in Peru and Italy was seamless thanks to their support,”.

Impact & Outcomes

The “Hey, York!” podcast delivered tangible results, not solely as an effective recruitment and conversion strategy but significantly enhancing student ambassador engagement and team development. Ambassadors gained valuable real-world media experience, with one noting, “Being a podcast host has been an amazing experience.” The team also reported increased creativity and improved marketing strategies, exemplified by Dania’s comment, “We’ve all learned so much about podcasting.” Ultimately, the podcast proved a powerful tool for engaging prospective international students, highlighting the effectiveness of student-generated content and the value of multimedia tools and facilities offered by the Creativity Lab.

Listen to Hey, York! on Spotify and Apple or get started on your own podcast journey