What tips can you give me?
- Research your project - talk to organisations who have done similar work
- Know what the priorities and focus of the project are
- Create aims objectives and indicators
- Be aware of who you might be excluding
- Try to plan with all the partners
- Leave plenty of time for: planning, consulting, monitoring, and evaluation
- Be aware of what might go wrong
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Why use the arts?
Creative skills are highly valued in a fast moving world with a changing job market. The arts engage young people in different ways of learning, seeing and making sense of the world.
"To enable young people to make their way with confidence in a world that is being shaped by technologies which are evolving more quickly than at any time in history." Creative Education NACCCE report p.54
So why use the arts?
- To overcome barriers
- Explore different ways of learning
- Extend young peoples development
- Increase creative abilities
- Explore issues
- A part of a larger project
- Cater for a wide range of young people with differing needs
- Broaden cultural experience
- Develop new skills
- Have fun
- Develop good relationships
- Promote positive images of young people
- As a development opportunity for youth workers.
"creative processes involve many different mental functions combinations of skills and personality attributes." Creative Education NACCCE report p.37
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What is the starting point?
It could be anything, here are some examples taken from the Case Study section:
A youth Forum developing their own ideas
e.g. Youth Music Forum, OASIS
An arts organisation recognising the possibility of the arts in meeting a need when researching a subject
e.g. FAB, PAB, Impact arts, Glasgow
A project being developed after a consultation with young people
e.g. Pump up the Jam, Tolbooth, Stirling
The desire of an arts organisation to engage with a younger audience
e.g. Hammertown education project, The Fruitmarket, Edinburgh
A larger project being developed to follow on from the success of a pilot
e.g. the Youth Music Forum, OASIS, Dumfries
Different organisations meeting and finding a common agenda
e.g. The Health information postcard project, Fife
An organisation wishing to engage in support and development for vulnerable young people
e.g. Arts in the City, Glasgow, and FAB PAD, Impact Arts, Glasgow
A need being identified through outreach work with young people
e.g. Higher Drama, Eden Court Inverness.
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What's next?
Research/explore/consult
Consult
See "consulting young people" section: consultation can be an active/creative part of the project, real participation takes time!
Research/Explore
Whether you already have an idea or not it's worth doing some research and widening your horizons.
Before you talk to people think about what you would like to find out and what you would like to tell them- (an arts organisation may not know how your organisation works).
You
You might want to tell them about the way your organisation is structured, it's aims, the way you work with young people and previous projects that you have worked on. |
Them
You may want ideas, advice, information about potential partners artists and arts organisations, information on resources and funding, information on previous projects. | People/organisations who will be useful to contact:
- Youth groups/young people in your organisation (see consulting young people)
- Local authority arts officers, community education staff, links officers
- Arts organisations/practitioners
- Agencies who deal with equal opportunities, such as race and disability issues
- Arts/youth organisations who have run similar projects
- The Scottish Arts Council
- Funding organisations (some of these will be happy to discuss your project)
- Other agencies which might be interested in the project; e.g. health organisations, youth information points, youth cafes.
See also working with arts practitioners and arts organisations.
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What is the focus/priority of the project?
Who is driving the project?
- The young people
- Youth workers
- An arts organisation.
There is no right way but is important to be aware of who is driving the project and where the power lies.
What is the driving force behind the project?
This may be:
- The young persons/youth workers individual development
- The desire to explore a particular art form
- The creation of an art work/exhibition/performance
- The exploration of an issue
- The development of a group
- The young persons/youth workers creative development.
Toolbox: priority list
Create a priority list of what different partners want from the project, this will help you to create your aims and remain clear about what is important to the project and the group. | The above will influence what you choose to do and the way you structure the project.
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Who will be included in your project?
Toolbox: to look at who is involved with a fresh eye
Draw a map of who will be involved on a large piece of paper (plain wallpaper is good for this). Include people who will not be directly participating but might be involved in some way: e.g. parents, local shops, friends, include the role they may have in the project. Then include people who are not involved but could be (use a different colour for this) see below. | You might be exluding people from your project without realising it. Ask yourself whether any of the following might exclude people: the environment/building where the project/planning is held, the image created by the project or adverts/pubilicity, the access to the buildings, the culture of your organisation, the cost of getting there or available transport.
Contact
Glasgow Anti Racist Alliance, GARA
Mail: 30 Bell Street, Glasgow G1 1LG
Phone: 0141 572 1140
Fax: 0141 572 1141
e-mail: mail@gara.org.uk
Contact: The advice unit of Capability Scotland
Advice Service Capability Scotland (ASCS)
11 Ellersly Road
Edinburgh, EH12 6HY
Tel: 0131 313 5510
Fax: 0131 346 1681
Textphone: 0131 346 2529
e-mail: ascs@capability-scotland.org.uk
http://www.capability-scotland.org.uk/advice_info/advice_info.htm
Sense Scotland
5th Floor, Clydeway Centre
45 Finnieston Street
Glasgow G3 8JU
Tel: 0141 564 2444
Fax: 0141 564 2443
Text: 0141 564 2442
e-mail: info@sensescotland.org.uk
http://www.sensescotland.org.uk/contact.html
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Who should plan?
Your key partners should all be involved in planning, this may include some of the following: young people, arts organisation, artists, local authority arts officers, links officers, interested volunteers, other agencies.
"The course took 18 months to plan and secure approval from the various organisations involved."
Eden Court, Higher Drama
- Communication is key and the more and the earlier young people are involved in the project the more they can take responsibility and feel empowered by it, see consulting young people
- Remember planning and real participation take time! This is true for all involved and will depend on the scale of the project
- Supporting young people to plan. You may want to assess your ability to support young people in developing a project by talking to other organisations who have done similar work. Planning may go on for months or years, assess what level of involvement young people want in a long process.
"The Youth management committee steer the thinking on project development, new projects and add ons. They decide on ventures that they would like to raise money for and the core staff support the grant application and development."
OASIS Youth Centre, Dumfries
- Time commitment and availability should be discussed before you start the planning so everyone is clear about expectations.
"The community arts officer was allocated 1 day a week but it actually took 4 days a week."
Synergy, Aberdeen
- For a larger project you may want to develop an advisory committee or steering group: be sure to be clear about the role of this group in relation to the project.
- Advisory Group; to support and advise those coordinating steering the project (not to manage it or make decisions).
- Steering Group; to make decisions about the project direction.
"Six young people then formed a steering group for the project. They were a slightly older group who continue to be involved in the project."
Castlemilk youth complex, Glasgow
- You don't have to know everything or anything about the arts. An arts organisation could plan a project for you and may even raise funds with you. (It's a good idea to talk to an arts officer in the local authority about which organisations to work with).
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What are aims, objectives, and indicators?
(See evaluation section for more details)
Before you write your aims and objectives you should be clear about what each partners expectation is of the project and what their agenda is (you may find there are several agendas, see working with artists and arts organisations).
Get all partners involved in writing your aims and objectives.
Aims: Why you are doing the project?
Objectives: What specific things do you want to achieve?
Indicators: What achievements will represent a success to you?
The aims objectives and indicators should give you a clear framework to go back to and a focus for all partners to agree on as well as the basis for a funding proposal.
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How flexible should it be?
Some projects need to be extremely flexible
This will depend on the focus of the project e.g. in FAB PAD, a project with young people who have experienced homelessness the focus is the participant.
| "The success of the project with this particular client group depends largely on the ability to deliver quality work with a flexible approach. It is important that the stages of the project respond to the individuals involved." From FAB PAD Case Study | An example of this flexibility is that young people are supported by an individual artist to develop ideas about design. This exploration may lead to research with the artist and visiting a specific exhibition as aposed to a formal programme of visiting galleries.
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Are you expecting the unexpected?
Most projects bring the unexpected as well as what you have planned. How open are you to new avenues, ideas and learning and how prepared are you for possible problems?
Toolbox
Create a list of possible challenges and barriers and ways that you might overcome these | top
Have you assessed the risks?
(see child protection section for a advice on risk assessment)
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What kind of structure?
- Timescale
Make sure there is enough time for consulting, planning, monitoring and evaluation.
Toolbox
Draw a timeline for your project including the following: meetings, preparation, planning, inductions, taster sessions, training, the body of the project work, evaluation (see working with artists and arts organisations). |
- Roles
Make sure that everyone is clear about their role and commitment.
(example of roles)
- Scale and Routine of Project
How long/short should the project be and what shape should it take?you might want to work within existing structures, if you are creating a new structure make sure that everyone is available and wants to commit the time.
Find out what structures already exist first and what structure will suit the participants (e.g. the existing pattern of a youth groups meetings, evenings, weekends or a residential).
The ideal structure will depend on the life situations of the individuals so it is important to communicate about factors such as responsibilities, childcare, possible changes of circumstance.
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Exit strategies/ sustainability
It is important to think about the future of the project and the impact that it might have on your club and the activities run there. Schedule meetings to discuss this with the young people/project partners before the end of the project.
Have you thought about:
- How your project might continue and develop?
- Whether the project should become a mainstream activity?
- How the development of the project will be funded?
- Other contacts for young people to continue any interests they have developed during the project?
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What practical things should I remember?
 click here for printable checklist
| Consultation, monitoring and evaluation |
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| Have you included enough time and money for consultation? |
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| Monitoring? |
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| Evaluation? |
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| Staffing |
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| Are there enough staff to young people? |
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| Child Protection |
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Have you addressed child protection issues?
(see child protection checklist) |
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| Publicity/Marketing |
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| What forms will this take? |
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| Who will be involved? |
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| Is it in the budget? |
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| Environment |
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Have you discussed whether the space is suitable for the project?
(see working with arts practitioners and arts organisations checklist) |
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| Equipment/Materials |
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Have you budgeted for and discussed provision of equipment/materials?
(see working with arts practitioners and arts organisations checklist) |
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| Training, taster days |
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Do you want to include taster days/ training for youth workers/artists?
(see working with artists and arts organisations checklist for more details) |
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| Access and inclusion |
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| Have you looked at access and inclusion issues? |
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| Transport: is it easy for people to get to? |
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| Do you need to arrange any transport? |
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| Trips/visits: would the project be enhanced by trips to shows/galleries? |
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| Do you need consent forms (for under 18s)? |
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| Do you want to have a public dimension to the project? |
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| Exhibition |
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| Performance |
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| Publication |
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| Film/video showing |
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| Website |
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| Gig |
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| Concert |
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| If you are having a launch/event have you considered |
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| Publicity/ invitations |
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| Staffing the event |
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| Equipment |
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| Refreshments |
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| Transport |
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| Programming |
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| Venue |
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