Quite often we are introduced, all be it virtually at present, to new people from all walks of life with inspiring stories to tell. Some of these people are making a real difference in society and Anthony Daulphin is one of them.

Anthony is currently the CEO of a company he started called the Standing Ovation Project, a company that was founded by dedication and perseverance. It is an ever-growing creative arts organisation that works with UK schools to raise the self-esteem and confidence of young people through creative arts and pastoral support. It is an evolving, ongoing project borne out of his determination to help build and support thriving communities, coupled with a love for music and singing.

Growing up in Birmingham, UK, Anthony believes he was a teenager with an entrepreneurial spark, “Playing on my computer, mum working full-time as a nurse, nothing better to do. That was me”, he says. But one day a little voice in his head told him to do more, to go out and do something fulfilling.

He continues, “I left the house that day with a new determination. I went out into the back garden and grabbed a mop, a bucket and a big sponge from the shed. I connected up the garden hose, found myself a cardboard box and wrote on it: Car Wash £3.50. We lived on a main road at the time and the hose could reach to the front driveway where I could find a passing trade.”

As cars rushed by, Anthony never became disheartened and eventually, one stopped. Then another, until multiple cars were parked on the driveway. His mother, returning from a hard shift, unable to park on her own driveway came over, but instead of giving him his marching orders, she commended him for his efforts. Encouraged by such support, at the age of sixteen, he set up his first community project; a street dance class at Kingstanding Leisure Centre. As the project grew in popularity, so did Anthony’s responsibilities, now having to look out for other people. After finishing his own education, he went on to work in the education sector, primarily as a one-to-one mentor, one of his first job roles mentoring a young boy struggling to fit into society.

“I left the house that day with a new determination.”

He recalls a story from one of his subsequent roles in a main-stream school as a learning mentor. The school was one of handful in Birmingham affected by the much publicised ‘Trojan Horse’ scandal in 2014, one of the impacts being the removal of all ‘the arts’ which had negative implications on the mental well-being of its students. After speaking to many of the students in the playground one day about how much they loved to sing, dance and express themselves, Anthony, a singer himself, took it upon himself to start a lunchtime singing club in the school hall.

He says “Because of the scandal, all of the clubs had been stopped. There was nowhere for the children to come together and channel all that creative energy. At first, ten to fifteen children would turn up and sing with me, but it soon gained in popularity and after two months I had around 90, all there to sing and have fun on a daily basis.”

Although the club was thriving, Anthony found that it wasn’t something that was welcomed within the Muslim culture and community, many of the parents banning their children from attending. But the benefits were clear to Anthony as he saw the children blossom, some really coming out of their shell to show genuine talent. Believing in what he did so much, over time, he began to persuade the parents that it was indeed beneficial to the welfare of their children. More and more teachers began to take notice, some even attending to join in and sing, fully aware of the impact the club was having.

As the group of singers gained in popularity, they affectionately started being referred to as the ‘school choir’, now frequently being asked to perform outside of school hours. One notable night being invited by the REP Theatre in Birmingham to open the press night for their production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. This was something completely alien to the children, some of whom had never been outside of their district, let alone venture into central Birmingham.

With their new-found fame, Anthony rallied the children, insisting that the group now needed a name. Sparked by witnessing the admiration in the faces of many parents who had come along to watch their children, by now fully supportive and on their feet, the name Standing Ovation was born.

But Anthony wasn’t done there. He says “I always knew I wanted to start my own business and seeing the choir’s success and the transformation of these young people, helped me solidify what it would be. A company for the community that helps inspire and develop the mindset of young people through music and the arts called Standing Ovation.”

Five years on, Standing Ovation is now a national organisation supporting schools all over the UK with a variety of services from drama and physical education, to behaviour mentoring, sports coaching, staff training and wellbeing. Anthony employs a great team of people and has recently taken over a 6,000 sq.ft plot, formerly an Iceland supermarket, at the heart of the community in Urdington. The premises, which has mostly been funded from his own pocket, is set up as a community youth centre, with facilities including a music themed coffee shop called The Note, a soft play area for children, an ‘employability beauty salon’ and a multimedia dance studio in the planning stages.

“A company for the community that helps inspire and develop the mindset of young people through music and the arts called Standing Ovation.”

Anthony has kept young people and community at the heart of the company ethos. He says, “We have opened the creative hub to provide a safe area where young people can come for a creative experience and take part in activities such as music production, music recording, poetry and creative writing. By offering young people a range of opportunities to explore their creative side, it provides them with something new to do, new initiatives. If there’s one piece of advice I try and give it is this: the aspirations you have as a young person are achievable with hard work. Don’t give up on them, work hard and eventually you will be rewarded.”

In 2017 Anthony and his team’s hard work was rewarded by winning the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Local Community Award’ at the Education Awards in association with Birmingham City University.

You can find out more about the Standing Ovation Project online and @standingovproj on Instagram.