#BGFAcademyAlumni — Holly Whittaker

Black Girl Fest Academy is a seven-month community-focused creative programme, created by Black Girl Festival, in association with Today at Apple and The Mayor of London.

Over the past few months, we’ve supported 30 Black women aged 17–25, equipping them with the tools to create events for their local communities. We’re excited to introduce our Academy Alumni sharing more about their event ideas.

Meet Holly Whittaker, founder of Shy Collective — A 6-week event of free sex-positive workshops for Black/Mixed Black descent womxn.

Holly Whittaker

Tell us more about your event, How did you come up with it? What impact do you hope it makes for your community?

I didn’t feel that Black womxn were adequately represented in sex-positive events and didn’t have a lot of access to safe spaces to discuss sex as a community. It is also about making sex education more accessible and inclusive, Black womxn are largely viewed through reductive, harmful stereotypes when we are discussing their sexuality. These events aim to positively represent Black British womxn allowing them to contribute their own narrative and create a community wherein which we can celebrate one another, inform each other and feel safe, seen and validated.

What advice would you give to anyone who wants to sign up to the Black Girl Fest Academy programme?

Your idea/s are valid! Try and think about what you care about and what you want to see, and the tools, support and resources you will have throughout this programme will help you to realise how possible it can be.

What have you learnt whilst being on the programme?

I’ve learnt how important belief in yourself is, and trusting in your event idea. When you have an initial idea, its hard to envision how it’ll translate, but as the programme went on and I learnt all the skills needed to organise my ideas and run an event, it has given me the tools to share my vision with my community.

Could you give 3 piece’s of advice you would give to someone who wants to run events for their community?

Go towards your passions.

Reach out to other people for support, collaboration, or just to share your ideas, it’s really important to be in contact with the people you want to reach through your event.

Be open to change- an idea you start with might not be the idea you end up with but that's ok! Allow yourself to move with those changes.