M: Hi Paul, how did you get involved with MAP Education and what are your main responsibilities?
P: I have worked at MAP for ten years as a music/creative media tutor, my background and life has involved music from my teenage years so helping young people to develop and express themselves through music was a great opportunity for me and an establishment like MAP was perfect for me as i was previously providing small workshops using Djing and audio production to help underprivileged kids. My main responsibilities at MAP are preparing lessons, delivering class tutorials and delivering BTEC qualifications.
M: What are, in your opinion, the main differences between MAP education and mainstream education?
P: The primary difference between MAP and mainstream school for me is the fact that at MAP we have a community of teaching young vulnerable people from all different backgrounds and circumstances and we have an ethos of equal development and inclusion of all personalities. We teach young people valuable life/social skills which i believe is one of the most vital skills you can give to someone. All our pupils learn how to communicate and be sympathetic to each other’s needs, we pride ourselves on being able to help support students achieve qualifications in art and design, and creative media whilst providing social and environmental development skills. Some of our students have been excluded from school and have a hard time fitting into the structure of a mainstream school system, we’ve had school teachers and parents praising MAP for turning our students’ lives around. I think mainstream school can make these type of students fall through the cracks so to speak as they have a high volume of classrooms and teachers are under more pressure to deliver to a points not personal based perspective and that’s the detail that MAP provides as we develop a more rounded and solid relationship with our students, we are more than tutors we are friends,role models, and give them social and parental support.
M: You’re also involved in Cosmic Slop, can you tell us about your work and the party?
P: I have been a part of the Cosmic Slop team for around 6 years. I used to attend the events before I started working there and have had many memorable nights there. When I started working there I took on the role of event set up and clear up staff which entailed buying supplies, setting up the event space, stocking the bar, stocktaking and cleaning up after the event to return the space into a safe working environment. throughout the years i started to learn how to operate the lighting system and work the actual event as a light jockey which gives a fantastic viewpoint of the night as it’s next to the DJ and you can really get to the essence of what cosmic slop is about which to me is one of the best underground nights is Europe with it’s custom built soundsystem, eclectic playlist and an vast variety of attendees who understand the vibe and the message that Tom and the cosmic slop staff are delivering (Stand on the word, Music is love)
M: How is Cosmic Slop connected to MAP and vice-versa?
P: Cosmic Slop creates a steady stream of financial revenue which is ploughed back into the MAP education program, this helps the education department to pay running costs, supply resources and help the development of MAP education.The education department also provides cosmic slop by providing the opportunity for staff / attendees to volunteers and help out in the education sessions by supporting the tutors and students with peer to peer training. As MAP charity is expanding after it’s recent purchase of Hope House we aim to provide more apprenticeships for our students and young people and also have outside organizations to partner with us to keep art and creative media in the community for the years to come. We are very privileged to have a number of world renowned DJs who have become ambassadors for MAP charity and play at events and also visit the education department and speak to the students which really embeddeds the reality that you can make a substantial career from music or art.
M: What do MAP and Cosmic Slop mean to you?
P: MAP and Cosmic Slop has literally changed my life for the better. MAP has helped to developget-to-know-paul-edmeade my teaching skills and provide support and courses to continue my journey through teaching. Cosmic Slop is where i met a lot of great people who i am proud to call brothers and sisters, i met my wife at cosmic slop and we have 2 amazing cosmic kids. Tom has helped me both professionally and personally in ways that I will eternally be grateful and the education dept is definitely a family unit. Big shout out to Nic and all the staff and djs. This Year has been a difficult year due to the pandemic and we haven’t and won’t be able to have any parties with a purpose for a while but Cosmic Slop will return, As we live through these times of social, political and financial changes we must unite and keep hope in our hearts.