The EASTSIDE 5 project worked with five young women from Shepshed on an on-line magazine project which included the group's poetry, reviews, Vox Pops they conducted on other young peoples' favourite media and a range of photographic galleries featuring fashion, graffiti, images of Loughborough and Shepshed and their own art work.

The project took place over one week in 2003 and was a partnership project with Hind Leys Community College.

The site is no longer on line but here is a poem from Carmen, one of the group.

GOLDEN GLASS

I held the bottle in my hand,
I’d never felt something of so much importance.
I knew it was now mine.
At last.
I looked into it seeing a reflection of a stranger.
The emptiness that was once in those eyes,
Were replaced with a valuable glow,
I felt special.
The stranger became recognisable again,
The hair, the eyes , the rosy cheeks.
They were the same features belonging to the lonely soul,
looking into the beautiful bottle.
It didn’t feel right looking at something so beautiful and valuable,
And seeing deep in the reflection of someone confused and in pain,
Looking back.
I had to face it that I was who I was and should accept the way I look.
The bottle was just a lie , I had to realise this.
If I wanted to change I would have to accomplish it myself.
I slowly un-gripped my fingers, relaxing my hand, I watched for what seemed like life time, as the bottle fell to earths ground.
It shattered its lovely gold crystals across the surface , they shone in tiny pieces.
This was the end.
I was free.

I made this poem up myself, I have never wrote a poem but I wanted to give it a try. I hope you all like it.

It is about a girl that is not happy with her appearances. She owns this golden glass bottle that she believes looks very pretty. She likes to look closely into the bottle because she can see a golden valuable reflection looking back. This is the only time she’s happy with her appearance.
She soon realises that this is not the right way to feel confident about herself , she decides that she must overcome this and the only way is to get rid of the bottle so she smashes it.
It is now up to her to build her confidence up and be realistic.
I like this poem because there are many of people that feel uncomfortable with their appearances and this is providing people with an opportunity to feel better about there-self.