The Only Way is Ethics (TOWIE), was an EEA produced, National Lottery funded project for young people interested in arts and heritage. Jessica was one of a group of young people aged 18-25 who gained the new skills and confidence she needed to overcome setbacks and break into her chosen career.

After leaving full-time education, Jessica Starns wanted to work in museums. But, despite building up an impressive portfolio of project work and volunteering for museums and charities she was still struggling to find employment in her chosen field. By taking part in the TOWIE programme at the Bishopsgate Institute she finally bagged her dream job.

Our aim was to interest and encourage young people in becoming producers and curators by using creative skills to deliver heritage projects. Jess explains. “The Bishopsgate Institute was given an archive on the Mondcivitan Republic, a nation without territory, whose citizens across the world worked to promote peace and unity in the aftermath of World War II. We received training to interpret the archive and share our discoveries with others through an arts practice.”

As part of TOWIE, Jess helped produce a toolkit about best practices for working with young people on heritage projects: “I really enjoyed the project, especially being involved with people who are a similar age to me – just being creative and making something that we could talk about that might find us employment in our chosen fields.”