Chris Cox’s Journey with People United and Artswork Breakthrough Programme

Hiya! I’m Chris Cox, the new Projects Assistant at People United (PU). Having recently completed a degree in Film Production, I joined the team under the Artswork Breakthrough Programme which has been amazing for providing additional mentoring alongside all the skills I am growing while working at PU. I’m passionate about organisation and making positive impact in a creative space.

Working at PU has been a fantastic learning experience for me, it’s my first office job which has been an exciting process with a few hiccups along the way, but that’s to be expected when trying something new, and everyone at PU has been very accommodating and always made me feel valued. Some of my key tasks have been making procurement proposals, managing bookings and monitoring inboxes.

Before starting the internship, I didn’t have much experience in administration and the behind the scenes running of an arts office and have since learned far more about how to be effective in the role thanks to guidance from the PU team.

The two best things about working at PU are, firstly, my colleagues. Everyone is supportive, kind, and genuinely invested in helping one another grow. It’s clear that the team shares strong values and a real desire to create projects that make a positive difference. That leads to my second favourite part of the role — getting to see those projects come to life. I’ve been lucky enough to get out on the ground and experience the results of everyone’s hard work, which is hugely motivating. The first project I saw was The Waiting Gym, which was terrific to learn more about KRAN and how the stories of real people shaped each piece in the gym. I’ve also got involved with Moving Well, which has been really humbling, seeing people over double my age, somehow also being more flexible and less rigid than me.

I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work for PU in partnership with the Breakthrough programme and I’m excited to continue to develop my skills in this sector so stay tuned to see what the team have planned for 2026!