Bertan goes to The Guardian

Young writers Bertan Budak, 20 and Richard Lemmer, 19, repped LIVE at a Guardian volunteering day last week. We met badboy Guardian writer Simon Hattenstone (who's kindly agreed to come and do a Talk Tuesday for us in the near future) and the Governor of Pentonville Prison. We also shared conversation and sandwiches with some interesting folk who work in partnership with The Guardian and their volunteering programme, which allows Guardian staff two days volunteering each year and means that LIVE's benefited from workshops and mentoring from writers at the paper. Over to you Bertan...

I hate giving speeches. Even when I’m on the receiving end, I still get a bit sweaty wondering if the guy in front of me will cock-up and stutter his way to the end. So when I was told only five minutes before, I’d be giving a speech in front of some of my journo idols and the MD of the Guardian… I froze! Luckily, my experiences at Live have taught me to face my demons, and if I do end up making a fool of myself, the door was only a spitting distance away. As I began to speak, the words flew naturally out of my mouth. I’ve encountered both warm and friendly experiences here at LIVE magazine, so talking about London’s premier youth title was a walk in the park. I began by giving an overview of who I am, what I do and which publications and websites I write for. I then added a little a flavour of what LIVE is about, how it has changed my life and what I’ve learned both professionally and personally. I executed the speech by thanking the Guardian for all their hard work, which received healthy applause - back of the net!