Fuse partners with The Creative Occupation to launch a peer partnership scheme
The TCO x Fuse Programme pairs up black, brown and ethnically diverse creatives so that they can; share strategies for success, hold one another accountable to their goals, and act as cheerleaders for each other. Programme participants will be matched with other creatives who share their level, field of work etc. and supported with tools and resources to help them grow their relationships.
This partnership is an exciting opportunity for creatives from marginalised backgrounds, at all levels, to learn from one another, encourage each other, and progress in their careers, together.
How to sign up to the Peer Partnership scheme:
Sign up as a member at thecreativeoccupation.com & you'll get access to a form they've created! It's free to make an account. (DM / email them with any questions you may have when signing up).
“The partnership between Fuse and TCO came about quite quickly,” said Jaheed Hussain, founder of Fuse. “We have similar values but do different things, while we're a platform that aims to focus on diverse creatives, TCO aims for all but does put an emphasis on underrepresented creatives. We wanted to work together and TCO originally wanted to create a mentorship scheme.
“I however didn't want to overshadow already working schemes out there, and also didn't want to commit to finding mentors as the people I know through Fuse, who already have enough experience to be a mentor, are always working on various projects and making sure they would have time to offer support on a consistent basis would've been tough to secure on Fuse's end. We suggested that we focus on younger, early starting creatives instead - then came a different peer partnership idea.”
“The aim behind it is to encourage creatives to form relationships with those in similar levels to them. The industry can feel very isolating after graduation, or if you didn't go to university, even tougher to form connections - therefore, the hope is our scheme can encourage people to navigate the industry and have others to bounce ideas off of, work together and grow. It'll help creatives from underrepresented backgrounds by empowering them and ultimately, help open up opportunities. During the partnership and scheme, we're hoping that the creatives who sign up can form working relationships and continue to network as they navigate through the industry. For some, they might end up forming their own platforms/business/studios and for others, they will have support in their partners” concluded Jaheed.
The Creative Occupation is an inclusive community, movement, and tool for the collective professional development of creatives in the UK. TCO exists to help guide those working in the creative industries on their career journeys, so that they can fulfil their potential and occupy more space in their chosen fields - we’ve teamed up to deliver a peer partnership programme, enabling creatives of colour to learn from one another, encourage each other, and progress in their careers, together.
Visit their website: thecreativeoccupation.com & Instagram @thecreativeocc
Fuse is a Manchester-based creative platform elevating the voices and work from creatives of colour; dedicated to creating change. Beginning as part of a final-year university project in 2019, Fuse now has chapters across five different countries, including Barcelona, Birmingham, Leeds & more with incredible hosts taking charge of each one — aiming to represent and empower creatives from marginalised backgrounds.
Visit their website: fusemcr.com & Instagram @fusemanchester
