Volunteer Spotlight: Maisy, Arts
Name: Maisy
Age: 22 (23 on Thursday!)
Hometown: Kingston
Is this your first Street Child World Cup?
No, I was in Doha! That was my first one and I’ve come back for more.
How did you hear about SCU and why did you apply?
I got involved through Tim Vyner, who is one of my lecturers. He bumped into SCU when they were in Moscow, and came back to Bath Spa university motivated to get some students involved. Tim brought the arts programme to SCU – they were doing performance art before, but we brought a softer journalistic approach.
Maisy is the "zine Queen!"
What is your role at the event?
To quote Tilly, I’m the “zine Queen”! When I first came out to Doha I was talking about these tiny magazines, very much a sports culture thing. They’re very ephemeral, so they disappear. It feels very Street Child, this self-made thing that anyone can make – the zine is for everybody and gives them a platform. We follow the programme, talk about the arts workshops, and highlight the late shows. Yesterday we had 100 which just disappeared, we know we’re gonna need more so we’ve got 150 printed for today!
What is the best part about the SCWC?
The energy, and everybody listens. People ask for stuff and they get it while they’re here. We elevate that by saying, “come and be listened to”. The young people go home so powerful. At home they’re not listened to, then they get here and it’s like they’re famous. It’s for them, and it’s about them, to change their lives. The longevity of the changes when they go home is the beautiful part of this.
What is your proudest achievement?
Being asked to come back here! I wrote a bucket list at the start of 2023, and the first thing I wrote on it was to come back for another Street Child Cricket World Cup. It was like: go swimming, make a pie – half of it was really achievable, and half was really aspirational! Getting here and ticking it off my list was what I really wanted this year.
What impact do you think the art sessions will have on the young people?
That they see themselves in this tiny magazine and they’re like celebrities while they’re here. It’s an intimate, creative thing – the drawings and the amateur photography we’re doing – them being seen and heard. They can hold the zine and it’s them, they can take it home and show people “look, it’s me”. They come here to make, advocate, and play – those three things are such a recipe for change.
