Participant Testimonials: Saygal's Story
“Doing this has given me a confidence boost - I felt like I found myself doing it.”
Saygal Yusuf had just finished a Music Business degree at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute in Brighton & Hove when she heard about Lighthouse through one of our local community partners, not-for-profit radio station Platform B, which is run by a group of young DJs, producers and presenters.
“I was going through a ‘Graduate Quarter-life Crisis’, unsure of what I wanted to do career wise and where I belonged in the creative industry,” Saygal explains.
After coming along to the launch of Last Dance, a Lighthouse project supported by Arts Council England’s Change Makers fund that explored the changing face of club culture, Saygal applied to take part in our pilot edition of Lighthouse Young Creatives.
“Through Lighthouse I learnt about multiple disciplines within club culture, art and the music industry, including photography, videography and the inside workings of record labels and DJ’ing,” she says.
“Attending the events throughout the year opened doors to so many creative careers that I didn't even know existed. Doing this has given me a confidence boost - I felt like I found myself doing it.
"I now feel more secure about my creative endeavours and know that if I ever need advice or guidance with anything the Lighthouse family will be there to help.”
Since her involvement with Lighthouse Young Creatives, Saygal has progressed from audience member to contributor as part of our Reimagined Futures programme, a series of talks, workshops and live performances that explored the future of culture through diverse perspectives. Saygal hosted a discussion event exploring the impact that technology and the rise of online radio stations is having on the future of radio broadcasting. She also took part in a live broadcast hosted on Platform B radio who brought a Fierce Femme line-up of DJs to the airwaves, with Saygal’s segment focusing on intersectional feminism.
