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This year's Radio 1 Academy was the biggest social action project on the Radio 1 calendar - a partnership between the station and 麻豆约拍 Learning.

This year the Radio 1 Academy - a one-week programme of inspirational workshops and hands-on masterclasses for young people from the local area - was in Glasgow, playing an integral part in the build-up to 麻豆约拍 Radio 1鈥檚 Big Weekend.

One of its producers Lanre Leandre - on a placement from Radio 1 for the project - shares her thoughts and experiences working on this year's Academy.

Earlier this year I got an opportunity to work on a project which brought together both Radio 1 and 麻豆约拍 Learning: Radio 1鈥檚 Academy. After seeing the great work and impact the Academy had made on the young people of Derry-Londonderry and Hackney, I was determined to get involved in some way or another.

My role began in February and split my working week between 麻豆约拍 Learning in Salford and Radio 1 in London. I didn鈥檛 know a great deal about 麻豆约拍 Learning when I first started but I was introduced to its Executive Editor Helen Foulkes who quickly welcomed me into the team and bought me up to speed with all the excellent work and projects that 麻豆约拍 Learning are involved with.

From then, I got hands-on, producing Radio 1鈥檚 Academy sessions, tapping into the expertise of 麻豆约拍 Learning with my own experience of working with young audiences at Radio 1. I had to ensure the Academy fulfilled its educational objectives but most importantly, that it was going to be a week that was fun, entertaining and an event that young people would want to come along to.

Using the good relationships and contacts Radio 1 already has across the music and entertainment industry, the next step was drawing up a wish list of people we wanted on-board. For my part, I knew I wanted a positive mix of people with interesting backgrounds who could tell young people about how they got to where they are now. It didn鈥檛 matter if you failed your exams at school or simply had no idea what you want to do in the future, it was about getting successful, inspirational people to share their stories with young people. That鈥檚 why Radio 1鈥檚 Academy is here to help. That's why it works.

麻豆约拍 Learning held several focus groups with young people in Glasgow to find out who inspires them. Maybe it should come as as no surprise that many said they looked up to and admired homegrown local talent such as stand up comedian Kevin Bridges, singer songwriter Emeli Sande and music stars Biffy Clyro. But that information was still useful to us. It helped shape our thinking.

What struck me was how, as soon as I starting reaching out to the guests, how overwhelming everyone鈥檚 enthusiasm and willingness to get involved was. There seemed to be a real appetite to inspire the young people of Glasgow amongst the contributors we invited. Emeli Sande, for example, helped us to design an intimate face-to-face song-writing workshop and even offered to bring her band along who could also help out. Perfect.

Getting Sir Richard Branson involved in the Academy was a massive coup for the Radio 1 Academy. I had heard from 麻豆约拍 Learning that he was going to be in Scotland during the week of the Academy so I simply put in a call to his PA and she passed me onto his Press Executive, the fabulous Lucy. She was excellent and managed to squeeze the Academy into Sir Richard Branson鈥檚 lunch hour in the middle of a very busy schedule and in return all they asked for was a sandwich and bottled water. A small price to pay.

As I had hoped, the list of names agreeing to come on board kept on growing and I was still booking guests a few days before the Academy opened. That's something really special to be a part of when that happens. I remember when we got the final timetable printed and it hit me that听, Kevin Bridges,听,听,听, Katy B and Example all confirmed to take part. Its not until you see their names on a list that the reality of the situation actually hits you. Quite some line-up, I thought!

Undoubtedly, the toughest challenge I had throughout the whole producing process was to co-ordinate every last detail for each guest visiting the Academy, at times I thought my brain might melt. I had to produce Q&As, prepare itineraries, brief our DJs, organise specific dietary requirements and even plan a secret entrance to the building to avoid the paps! When I write it down it all seems so straightforward, but logistically that's quite a lot to handle. There is no greater feeling than when you look back on it and discover that yes, it all paid off!

Now, as I look back on this year鈥檚 Radio 1鈥檚 Academy, there are so many rewarding and magical moments I reckon I'll remember for a long time. As I write this blog post memories of Biffy Clyro - the nicest guys in the industry - and the many fans who had travelled from all around the country to see them at the Academy and spent hours queuing outside since early in the morning, figure large in this week's sights. So too Emeli Sande鈥檚 song-writing workshop and seeing a beautiful song written, rehearsed & performed by young people in just a few hours. And, there was also something really special about receiving feedback from people who had attended the sessions and couldn鈥檛 believe they were given the opportunity to ask their favourite pop stars and DJ鈥檚 questions about how they made it big. Feeling a part of that process is something very special indeed.

Radio 1鈥檚 Academy could not have happened without great teamwork and making sure we always kept our young audiences at the heart of what we do. From the stations DJs who did their shows live from the Academy, to the members of the team who posted videos, links and clips across Radio 1 online and the Academy's Facebook pages, ensuring our social action programming reached as many young people across the UK as possible. The work didn't stop when we'd booked the guests: it had only just begun and everyone delivered. A fantastic effort all-round.

The Academy ambition was to offer inspirational and practical advice for young people and if anyone who came through the door this week was left feeling inspired by what any of the big name music superstars, local business entrepreneurs or DJs had to say, then every single moment has been worthwhile. I've had a ball.

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