Learned Beyond the Classroom

Renad, Shujana, and Hooria share their honest Year 10 work experience at Gorse Hill Studios. From creativity and confidence to uncertainty about the future, this episode captures three young voices reflecting on growth, ambition, and learning outside the classroom.

Creators and Guests

Producer
George Bailey
George is a theatre director and producer working across audio and live performance.
H
Guest
Hooria
Year 10
Producer
Katie Mason
Katie Mason is an artist and the Inclusion and Disability Manager at Gorse Hill Studios.
R
Guest
Renad
Year 10
S
Guest
Shujana
Year 10

What is Learned Beyond the Classroom ?

A new podcast created by work experience students at Gorse Hill Studios. Real conversations about work experience, future careers, and the hopes, questions, and dreams shaping what comes next.

Hooria
Year 10
I’m gonna be talking about my personal work experience and my view on the future.
Why I came here:
I specifically came to Gorse Hill to have fun and learn new things, get out of my comfort zone, and be more confident.
First day feelings:
I was scared since I didn’t know what we were going to be doing and nervous that I might not like it as it was something new. However, knowing there would be my friends and staff helping me every step of the way relieved that stress.
What I did:
We did various activities such as helping organise around the building, plan and create our own social media post, creative tasks, and preparing for this podcast.
What I enjoyed:
Specifically, I enjoyed the creative tasks and the social media post because we were told what to do but were given the ability to be flexible. Nearly all of it had our own special touches.
What I learnt:
Since I’ve been here, I’ve learnt to come out of my comfort zone quite a bit and how to socialise with people I don’t particularly know. I even learnt how to make coffee. It was horrendous, but it was still something. I learnt how to channel my creativity through interesting ways.
Advice:
My advice for someone doing any type of work experience is don’t be scared and trust yourself in things you want to do, and most of all, have fun and be yourself. Never be scared to speak out and ask questions. New things don’t always have to be scary. You can do and be whatever you want to be with the right mindset.
Future:
Me personally, I don’t know what I’m going to do, and that doesn’t have to be a problem. As a young person, you’re expected to know what you want to do, but I think you can learn as you go along. Don’t be afraid to go with the flow.
You and I get to shape our own realities however we want to. Our future is a blank canvas waiting to be painted on, and take as much time as you need. The best paintings are those that took time.
One day you will look back at this exact moment of uncertainty and realise it was the necessary soil for whatever person you become next. You are exactly where you need to be, at the beginning of something you haven’t even imagined yet.
I’m gonna leave you with the quote, “If you know what you want to be, then you inevitably become it. That is your punishment, but if you never know, then you can be anything,” by Oscar Wilde.
And that wraps it up for me.
Shujana
Hello! I’m Shujana, and I’ll be speaking about my Year 10 work experience here at Gorse Hill Studios and my future goals and ambitions.
I chose to do my experience here at Gorse Hill as I wanted to work somewhere creative and sort of free, unlike the school environment. I’ve also been contemplating whether to go down a creative route or something more traditional, so I wanted to get a taste of the creative world.
Honestly, I was super excited for my first day here and not really that nervous at all. I think a big part of that was having my friends doing the experience with me and just knowing that the people here were going to be friendly, as everyone has creative input.
Unfortunately, I feel as if school has become more of an environment where people villainise the other party, like teachers against students and students against teachers. But here at Gorse Hill, everyone works in harmony, with respect amongst the young people and the adults, so yeah, I just feel super comfortable here.
We’ve done a range of activities, from preparing for this podcast, creating a social media film, graphic design, just helping organise, and really being able to show our creativity. Surprisingly, my favourite experience was something as simple as organising the kitchen. I got to make my first ever coffee, and just small moments like that really created these fulfilling memories for me.
I’ve also learnt the ability to talk freely with people that I haven’t met before, especially since in school we’re surrounded by people we’re familiar with. And I’ve learnt that I enjoy being in a chill, creative environment.
I’ve always sort of been interested in architecture or something design-related, so being here definitely has reassured me in a way that I want to do something creative.
Obviously, there has been doubt around the creative industry with it being replaced by AI, but truthfully, you could say this about any field.
I think the fear around AI has sparked especially amongst us young people, as there’s no security anymore if what we want to do in the future will be stable or even if the job will still exist. But I’m a firm believer that if you persevere and work hard, you will make it in some sort of way, as dedicated hard work will always beat some mindless robot.
So my advice for anyone unsure about what they’re going to do or whether they want to do something but aren’t certain is to just venture out. You might find that you like something else, or you might end up hating it.
Oh, and doing your work experience here at Gorse Hill Studios is an amazing idea, so definitely go for it if you’re in Year 10.
So I think that’s it from me. Thanks for listening.
Renad
Hi, my name is Renad, and I’m a Year 10 student doing my work experience at Gorse Hill Studios.
I wanted to do my work experience here as it is a fantastic way to gain transferable skills and delve into the world of work.
I particularly wanted to do an arts charity, as I was really interested in the world of philanthropy and how it functions compared to other institutions, and how art can be a driving force in helping young people.
My first feelings approaching this day was pure excitement. It was my first chance to step out into the outside world and really build on myself and reflect on the kind of person I want to be.
It really made me understand the bridge between adolescence and adulthood. This phase can be very bewildering for young people, as you are in this liminal space, and this experience has given me so much clarity.
We’ve done various activities, from creative tasks such as making a social media video, which really helped me improve my digital skills. These will be essential for future work, especially in this day and age, with technology developing at a very fast rate.
Not only this, but these tasks have helped me find my creative side, which I didn’t know I had before this.
Another key thing I’ve learned, which is very essential, is how to apply yourself in different situations. Work isn’t something that’s constant. It’s knowing how to adapt, a key skill which I think is very different from school life.
Another key skill is maintaining a very structured routine.
The small moments were my favourite. Me and my friends made our first cup of tea, otherwise called “bru”, during this experience.
During this experience, I’ve made lifelong memories that will last with me a lifetime.
In the future, I want to delve into a career in international law and become a human rights lawyer. I believe that it’s all our responsibility to ensure every person has their basic fundamental needs met and be able to thrive, no matter race, gender, or geographical location.
I really do believe that there is a greater power in a collective voice to fight in the face of injustice and systematic oppression.
One thing I’ve learned, which I think is very beneficial for everyone, is how your perspective shapes your reality and everything around you.
Overall, just having a more positive perspective means that you’ll have a more positive outcome, and every experience becomes more rewarding and unique to your own individual character.
Before I end, I’d like to leave you with a meaningful quote from Earl Nightingale:
“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.”