Kathryn Waters, Unity Streets

"I was part of the Business Development Team for Unity Streets. Unity Streets are a small community organisation based in Balsall Heath, ran by Chantel. We also met with her friend Janine, who runs a similar organisation called A.C.E in Edgbaston. Chantel and Janine organise events to bring the different communities together. Our task was to help Unity Streets find ways to become more sustainable.

Kathryn Waters

“I have found this project to be excellent experience and would recommend it to everyone!”

"Our first meeting provided us with little direction from Chantel and Janine, and I felt confused as to what they actually wanted us to do. I felt they were more focused on the marketing teams brief. However, they said they wanted to become more sustainable, but were unsure about what direction to take. Alison mentioned they could become either become a charity or a social enterprise in the future. We decided to take initiative and research both, trying to work out which path would be the best for Unity Streets. In addition to this, I decided to find ways they could become more sustainable, and help them improve their business protocols and processes.

"This challenge left the whole group feeling confused. We arranged a meeting with our mentor who helped us try to understand the situation better. With her help, we drafted some direct questions for Chantel and Janine. In our second meeting, we managed to get a clearer idea of where they wanted to go. Chantel heard about Community Interest Companies (CICs) and we researched this. The second meeting helped us begin to collect information for Unity Streets, and paths they could take in the future. I really wanted to help Unity Streets become more sustainable and find new ways to fundraise. We wanted to maximise their chances of getting funding. Therefore, I was passionate about pushing through our initial problem.

"For the future, this project has allowed me to have first-hand experience of working with a client, assessing their needs and what would be for their best future interest. I have gained many employability skills. I have developed the ability to deal with a conflict in a business situation. I have gained greater commercial and cultural awareness and business communication. I have enhanced my diplomatic and perseverance skills, bettered my time management, and improved my team work and problem-solving skills. All of the listed skills are highly-regarded by employers. I have found this project to be excellent experience and would recommend it to everyone!"