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Insider Solutions
Case Studies 2004 - Arts in the City
A multi-agency project, using drama, photography, film and video to increase participation in the arts of young people leaving care in Glasgow.
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Who were the partner organisations? The lead partner in this project was the big step, the thematic Social Inclusion Partnership (SIP), for young people leaving care in Glasgow. Other partners include Glasgow City Council (GCC) Social Work Services (SWS) and Cultural and Leisure Services (CLS). They put the arts project out to tender and identified three arts organisations to work with: Street Level PhotoWorks, Tag Theatre Company and Glasgow Media Access Centre. The original bid to the Scottish Executive for a thematic 'Care Leavers' SIP (now known as 'the big step' ) in 1999, identified poor outcomes in relation to health and well being as a major barrier to young people from a care background making a successful transition to independence.
What are the projects aims? To increase the number of young people leaving care participating in the arts in Glasgow to develop their social networks, skills and confidence through participation in community-based arts activities
Objectives
A development worker was appointed to co-ordinate the project in 2002 and a multi agency steering group, including all the partners, established to manage the project. The process of developing the project and applying for funding was started after the completion of pilot "taster sessions" in November 2002. These were utilised as a more interesting way of consulting with young people about the kind of arts project they would like. From the aims and objectives and the results of the taster sessions/consultation a series of arts activities were developed, structured around the needs of young people leaving care. Referral of young people The project was funded by the Scottish Arts Council (SAC) Arts and Social Inclusion Lottery Scheme, GCC Social Work Services, GCC Cultural and Leisure Services, and the big step.
As SIP partners, GCC CLS and SWS also contributed to the project as it was seen as an important part of their work. The big step is gradually reducing its contribution to Arts in the City year on year. This is in line with the SIP's main aim of effecting sustainable change through mainstreaming the needs of care leavers and influencing the spending of other agencies. In this way it is hoped that new services for care leavers that the big step has played a role in setting up, will continue beyond the life of the SIP and be available to young people leaving care after SIP funding has come to an end in March 2004.
Total project expenditure 104441
The workshops are co-ordinated by the development worker and are supported by staff from GCC and SWS. The development worker is responsible for on-going monitoring of the project; this allows changes to be made during the project. Taster sessions The project was started with taster sessions in venues that young people were already familiar with, this enabled consultation with the young people. Main workshops The main activities were delivered in short blocks throughout the year. The blocks were four weeks long and included 3hrs of workshops, split up according to activity.
Each block has ended with an exhibition or performance of work, allowing participants to feel a sense of achievement and encourage their continued participation. Accompanying visits to theatres, galleries and museums are incorporated into the years' activities. As the confidence of young people has increased public exhibitions and performances have been organised, including Glasgow School of Art and the Tramway. Training Artists The workshops are led by various arts workers, who although they have experience of working with young people, also received training in responding to the particular needs of this group. One of the issues that arose from this project was how to balance the need for social workers' input (to support the art workers generally and take the lead role with discipline so that the artist can concentrate on arts activities), and the desire for social services not to intrude on workshops where they were not directly involved in the activity. It was decided that a social worker should attend the beginning of each session but leave if they were not needed. The project from 2002-03 included the following workshops: Photography - Run by Street Level Photo Works, who deliver integrated education programmes and exhibitions, provide training in black and white photography, digital photography, and collage work as well as developing and printing of photos. Drama - Delivered by Tag Theatre Company - Scotland's national theatre company for young People. The workshops examine all the elements involved in producing a performance, including drama skills, improvisation, devising, scripting and production skills. Video Production - GMAC, formerly known as Glasgow Film and Video Workshop, provide training in digital video production and editing. A forum for create multi-media pieces with photography, film and drama. Exhibitions performances and the Irn Bru postcard Products from the workshops have included exhibitions and performances of a professional standard organised by the arts organisations. This has given the project a strong public image and resulted in positive feedback from the visitors and venues.
A set of postcards were also produced from the photography workshops. One of the postcards featured a bottle of Irn Bru and one of the young people decided to send it to Irn Bru who wrote back asking to be kept in touch with future exhibitions of the young people's work.
The evaluation of this project has been via focus groups and questionnaires. The focus groups have been incorporated into the workshop programme to encourage young people to attend. This project has enabled the young people to access a number of mainstream services in Glasgow, and a number of individuals have become involved in youth theatre groups, accessing advice on careers in the arts and receiving a grant from the Princes Trust to purchase a camera. Individuals have also continued to visit arts venues. The young people also said that their social skills and confidence had improved, responses to evaluation included: "more confident", "a buzz" and "I felt I had another soul".
What are the key issues for a project like this?
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Training for arts workers in working with young people
A pilot programme of arts activities in 2000 identified the arts as a way to start to address these issues. The result of the pilot programme and subsequent funding applications was Arts in the City.
The National Lottery funding came from a specific fund managed by the Scottish Arts Council, and aimed at SIPs using the arts to achieve the aims and objectives of the SIP. Information gathered from the taster sessions informed this bid and funding was secured in 2002 for one year. 
Public Dimensions
Postcards
Arts in the City is in the process of securing funding for 2003-6. From consultation with the young people and through the multi agency steering group the following developments have been agreed: