Success Stories

Lasharne Lionel

Hat Trick Productions

''I thought I would be stuck in a boring 9-5 just so my 5 year old son could have a future... Enter Mama Youth Project.''

Lasharne is a 23 year old mum from Wembley. She graduated from MYP 2 weeks ago and is starting a new job in the new year. Here she tells us of her journey. 

''Projects such as Mama Youth Project are so useful. I thought I'd never be able to live out my dream of working within the industry and if I had not come across Mama Youth Project I would still be feeling this way.

Being a young mother, often your life gets put on hold and any aspirations you may have had become a distant memory. Your first priority is your child and often that means providing for them regardless of whether you enjoy the job you are in or not. I thought I would be stuck in a boring 9-5 just so my 5 year old son could have a future... Enter Mama Youth Project. 

I've always wanted to work within the TV industry and the project has given me the opportunity to do so. The 3 months intensive programme has been the best thing I've done in my life so far. Not only have I now got the skills required to work in television but I also have the confidence to know I am able of achieving anything I put my mind to. The prospect of completing 6 half hour episodes in under 3 months is a daunting task!  However, everybody at Mama Youth Project has been incredibly supportive and on hand to help if necessary. The opportunities the project offer, such as networking with professionals within the industry, are unbelievable! I truly appreciate everything this programme has done for me.

I am now looking forward to a bright future within the industry, not only for myself but for my son. I am so grateful for the relationships I have formed not only with the staff at MYP but also with the team of trainees who went on this journey with me. I've come away from this experience with extended family members whom I love.

 Since completing the project, I have secured a job at Hat Trick Productions as a Production and Development trainee starting in January for six months with the possibility of extending this to a year. I simply can't wait to start! I already feel this is the beginning of something special and I am very excited to embark on this new journey. None of this would have been possible if it wasn't for the support from Wembley Job Centre Plus, who has made this training financially possible for me to do, and the encouragement from MYP.

We create our own destiny... Mama Youth Project provides the platform. '' - December 2013