Choir BlowOut

Nice community mission, with enthusiastic GoodGym-ers joining to serve food to the ChoirWithNoName prior their BlowOut Gig, including new member Juliet

Here is Stefania, Brighton GoodGym's Area Activator, and ChoirWithNoName singer, puclib talk at the event:

Most in Brighton know me as an active, sporty and enthusiastic person, with endless stamina. I am currently working with sustainable development for sports. Not many know that I like singing in choirs since my childhood. When I was motivated to walk to my community church even during cold and snowy winters after tiring skitoruing days, with blisters in my foot. Most would fall asleep in front of the telly, not me!
I moved to UK more than 20 years ago, for HE, a satisfying job and a deep interest in people and different cultures. More than 5 years ago I made a brave change of career to nurture different aspirations, with a consistent cut of salary and work environment, from international to be more Brightonian. Honestly? I still wonder if it was a good call! Brexit felt tough! Signed my face with bitter water drops and now, at times, I feel I am not fully integrated, valued or wanted even by charitable organisations or cooperatives. I have been collaborating pro-bono for a long time. Certainly, not being successful for years in job applications, without receiving constructive feedback doesn’t help to boost anybody’s confidence, does it? But, I like where I stand today! This is also thanks to GoodGym and the ChoirWithNoName, where I felt welcome since the first day I stepped in without even knowing what its name was standing for! A choir, where I could sing, again, for free! I find the ChoirWithNoName an incredibly safe and inclusive environment, full of shared empathy and boosting passion. Giving everybody a loud voice, even to those with hidden characters, emotions and frustrations we sometimes don’t dare to admit openly without feeling we are not good enough. Stimulating spontaneous friendship from a diversity of wonderful people, volunteers, a skillful choir director, Freya, and managers, Anna, Charlie, and an inspiring and value driven founder, Marie! Being valued openly for who we really are and for whatever we can bring, regardless – in my case, was enjoying cooking during the pandemic while we were singing on zoom! Soon enough this initiated several visits at my doorstep, at a distance, from members procuring me spontaneously food ingredients to cook again! I might not have experienced homeless like other members of the choir, but I needed to re-find my home in this country to re-boost my confidence.

I feel ChoirWithNoName is my home, and a great family, I am proud to be part of. Likewise GoodGym, really :-)