Ben’s story

All pictures are for illustrative purposes only as these stories have been anonymised.

Ben joined AMP in 2022 as a young producer, and was a young trustee between 2023 and 2026. Ben is disabled and grew up in the predominantly rural county of Lincolnshire, before moving to Yorkshire to study. Ben is now a trustee with Attitude is Everything.

“I took part in producing Rural Fest for AMP as well as doing some DJ workshops. I also received mentoring from two music journalists which helped changed my life and career the most. The feedback I got from the journalists was the first time I had my music journalism portfolio critiqued and it really gave me confidence to change the career I wanted to go into, which was journalism. One of the mentors gave me really good advice on a magazine I was producing, and they subsequently helped me with interviews I had to get onto a journalism course. Their insights into the journalism industry helped me navigate what my next steps should be.

“Now, I work full-time as a journalist and have freelanced with commissions for music titles including NME, Clash, The Line of Best Fit, Far Out and IQ. I also write press releases for artists too. I would not have had the confidence or knowledge of how to get these opportunities without the mentoring I received through AMP and it has been life-changing. And then to be able to join the board as a young trustee to share my voice on my experience as a participant at AMP and support the charity at a strategic level has also given me fantastic skills that have made me feel confident in pursuing other charitable roles. It’s been a pleasure to see AMP continue in its mission and I feel lucky to have received great support that has helped to progress my career and life opportunities.”