Since the days when he would find refuge in his local community centre, Daniel is seeing the world through an entirely different lens.
Daniel Attoh, Youth Worker and Mediorite Trainee, UK
As a teenager, Daniel was one of many young people in his neighbourhood to find solace in Morningside Community Centre – a youth centre supporting children from challenging areas.
Daniel displayed a passion for filmmaking, eventually taking on a voluntary youth worker role at the centre he’d grown up in; sharing his love of film with other young people and helping them to sharpen their own talents behind the lens.
When Daniel met Lucy Ferguson, Director of creative agency and social enterprise Mediorite on a first aid training course to support his youth worker qualification, he got the opportunity to explore something he’d always dreamed of – a videography career.
Through Nationwide Building Society and ISG’s mutual partnership with Social Enterprise UK, young people from homelessness charity, The Foyer Federation, were invited to visit the site of Nationwide’s new workspace at The Post Building – a project delivered by ISG – and learn about career opportunities, as part of ISG’s commitment to securing value for its communities and attracting new talent into the industry . Mediorite, with Daniel behind the camera, was there to capture it all.
With a unique focus in his camera’s sights, Daniel gained priceless experience filming the tour of Nationwide’s London base. One project down, a lifetime to go, Daniel’s filmmaking dream is starting to come true.
Growing up on Daniel’s estate it was easy to stumble down the wrong path, but his connection to Morningside Community Centre and a passion for videography, ended up taking him in a whole different direction.
Having spent many of his early years finding escapism from the complexities of his neighbourhood in the warmth of Morningside, Daniel grew up dedicating his time to helping other young people in his community as a voluntary youth worker.
Realising he had a talent for videography, Daniel began teaching other young people at the centre the basics of camera work.
When a fluke encounter with Lucy Ferguson, Director of award-winning creative agency and philanthropic tech company, Mediorite, on a first aid course presented him with an opportunity to showcase his camera work professionally for the first time, Daniel seized the chance to develop his portfolio into something more. His first stop: ISG.
“The strength of social value is in its chain. It’s more than statistics, it’s every life and every community that can be impacted.”
Lucy Ferguson, Director, Mediorite
Mediorite connects audiences with brands and the causes they work with, training and coaching young people from challenging backgrounds to boost their confidence and skills and take steps to begin careers in creative industries. "Mediorite gave me the hope and inspiration to believe in myself and to allow me to recognise that I can do certain things and be part of a certain field, which is amazing," Daniel comments, "I can't thank Lucy and Mediorite enough."
As Lucy says: “We have some truly talented young people like Daniel coming through our training schemes. Daniel’s work on the ISG project marks his first role on a Mediorite production, and he did a fantastic job! This is the really exciting bit of young people’s journeys – their first experience of real work.”
Through Mediorite, Daniel was introduced to ISG on a social value initiative at its project for Nationwide Building Society – the perfect first step for Daniel’s move into the working world. Channelling his community spirit into his first corporate filming brief, Daniel got behind the camera to document ISG’s community support project with youth homelessness charity The Foyer Federation.
“Nationwide is passionate about social enterprise and it was clear that the project could help. Giving Daniel, Mediorite and The Foyer Federation an opportunity to film and learn on site was a really refreshing and unique way to use such an amazing space during the construction phase.”
Jason Stalker, Delivery Manager, Nationwide
For ISG and Nationwide, a mutual partnership with non-profit organisation, Social Enterprise UK (SEUK), was the driving force behind inviting The Foyer Federation to site.
The Foyer Federation looks for businesses to inspire young people to realise their power and purpose, as part of its own charity partnership with SEUK. Working with SEUK, ISG and Nationwide took the opportunity to invite the young people of The Foyer Federation to The Post Building site. With a commitment to care and creating positive outcomes for the communities in which they work entrenched in ISG’s DNA and Nationwide’s values, The Foyer Federation was a perfect fit, and ISG’s project team was able to provide its young people with an exclusive insight into the inner workings of a construction project, and a wonderfully unique workspace.
During the project to fit out The Post Building I met with Barry (director, ISG) and his team to understand what opportunities were available to benefit our mutual relationship with Social Enterprise UK. Nationwide is passionate about social enterprise and it was clear that the project could help," Jason Stalker, delivery manager at Nationwide, comments. "Giving Daniel, Mediorite and The Foyer Federation an opportunity to film and learn on the site was a really refreshing and unique way to use such an amazing space during the construction phase."
ISG’s Chief Executive Officer, Paul Cossell, shared his thoughts on the partnership: “SEUK gives us the mechanism and focus to benchmark where we are today, and how we challenge ourselves to further enhance our procurement practices through the lens of social value.”
Having ISG invite fellow Social Enterprise UK partner, Mediorite, to capture the tour married the project perfectly with Mediorite’s own values to deliver impactful content for their clients.
A fantastic chance for ISG and Nationwide to celebrate a mutual appreciation for diversity and collaboration in the workplace, Lucy praises both businesses for using their platforms to support organisations like The Foyer Federation and young people like Daniel. "The strength of social value is in its chain," Lucy says. " It's more than statistics, it's every life and every community that can be impacted.
Inspired by the determination of those from similar backgrounds to his own, Daniel beautifully filmed The Foyer Federation’s tour of the Nationwide project, as the young people learned about design software, modern methods or working, how businesses create unique opportunities and experiences for their employees and the endless possibilities in the construction and financial services industries along the way.
“The whole experience with ISG and Nationwide was amazing,” says Daniel. “It was great to see so many young people inspired by construction and banking and the possibilities they didn’t realise existed – it's not just all about bricklaying and numbers! I hope the experience has given them the determination they need to push on and follow their dreams, just like I have.”
Barry Perkins, director at ISG, added: "Something we’re very proud of is the impact ISG makes to local communities and the genuine social value we provide through the spaces we deliver. Mediorite’s values were so well aligned with our own, and we’re proud that our work on this project has been able to benefit Daniel and the young people of The Foyer Federation."
“Something we’re very proud of is the impact ISG makes in local communities and the genuine social value we provide through the spaces we deliver. We’re proud that our work on this project has been able to benefit Daniel and the young people of The Foyer Federation.”
Barry Perkins, Director, ISG
The modern design of Nationwide’s workspace in The Post Building, situated in the heart of Holborn, London, offers choice, convenience and collaboration for Nationwide’s colleagues. An open-plan Town Hall, quiet spaces, scrum area and meeting pods are just some of the features designed to enable the fundamental shift in ways of working towards the Society’s Future of Work ambitions. The building society recently announced its “work anywhere” pledge, giving colleagues more choice and flexibility around how and where they work, while continuing to meet the needs of its members.
Daniel’s footage perfectly captures the diverse offering of the workspace, as well as a truly special experience for the young people of The Foyer Federation who learnt about the commitment and talent that sits behind the development of a modern workplace.
Being Daniel’s first time behind a camera in a corporate setting, there was more than one magical experience to be celebrated. He explained: “Working with ISG has really helped me to further my knowledge and boost my career. It was a privilege to join the teams at ISG and Nationwide in helping others with a similar experience to my own, to have an opportunity to change their outlook on life.”
ISG’s latest Wide Angle research suggests that workforce criteria are becoming an increasingly strong factor for investment decision-making, and that young people consider careers that match their skills and interests as equally important to salary. This presents an opportunity to help people like Daniel by matching aspirations to pathways across the UK and make the UK a more attractive investment destination. ISG believes that the overlooked tool in the war on talent is construction pipeline data, which is a tangible early predictor of emerging sectors, growth markets and high valued skills.
“Mediorite gave me the hope and inspiration to believe in myself, and allow me to recognise that I can do certain things and be part of a certain field, which is amazing.”
Daniel Attoh, Youth Worker and Mediorite Trainee
While Daniel never expected to see others from disadvantaged backgrounds through this new lens on the other side of the camera, he continues to channel his humble attitude to life through his work, connecting with others who have fallen on hardships and inspiring people to use their own passions to shape their lives.
Published on the 9th of June 2021.