Socially Mobile killed the cynic in me
When Beth Broomby applied for a free place on Socially Mobile, she wondered how genuine the offer was. Here she talks about her experience and how she and fellow students believe the programme has the power to diversify PR leadership and make opportunities accessible to all.
‘What’s the catch?’ I wondered looking at the training offer from Socially Mobile. And why are all these extremely knowledgeable professionals going out of their way to support me? Do they really want to make a difference to diversity in the industry or is this all just a little too good to be true?
People say PR is an optimistic profession. I can only apologise and blame the fact I used to be a journalist because week one and I was feeling, frankly, a little perturbed.
Fortunately, there was very little time to ponder before we were off - a cohort of strangers bonding rapidly as we navigated our way through academic theory, models and frameworks, best practice, tailored advice, inspiration, encouragement, assignment after assignment and frankly the most realistic (read terrifying) crisis communications exercise imaginable.
It was a lot. It was also incredible. The ‘Tough Mudder’ of PR training courses, just as fast and furious but with a little more reading. Each week brought fresh challenges and deeper understanding. Each week at least one of us sent a message to our peer group convinced we’d not make it over the next hurdle. But we did.
“Months later we met in real life like old friends in a London pub to toast our success and imagine a future where the accents and backgrounds, gender, and ethnicities at the top of our profession looked and sounded a little different. It felt, and still feels, possible. ”
Socially Mobile killed the cynic in me because the people associated with this programme aren’t just shining a light on the need for greater diversity, they are actively doing something about it with focus and consistency, while building cohorts of people prepared to do the same.
This programme matters. It opens doors. And guess what? There was never a catch.