Curious Project 6
An experimental testing ground for creative involvement of young people in place & space.
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What do you mean by regeneration & renewal?
In the context of working with children & young people Curious Project 6 sees this in its broadest sense:
Physical: The involvement of young people in the development and delivery of their physical environments. for example, designing parks, public art, environmental improvements
Social: The involvement of young people in exploring community and issues affecting communities, what makes a place.
Both these elements will provide a number of outcomes for young people and opportunities for partner to engage and create collaborations.
Who do I contact to support me in working with young people?
With in your local authority area there are a number of partners who have a role to play with in the regeneration process and involving young people in some form will be part of their remit. Below is a list and brief explanation of the their role:
- Curious Minds delivers the creative Partnership program for Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Merseyside, Halton and Cheshire. They currently work with over 170 schools connecting creative practitioners with teachers and pupils to develop long-term programmes of creative teaching and learning.
- Arts Development Officers ADO’s are based within local authorities and support the use of creative methods of delivery and have experience in developing funding bids, working with artists and linking their core program with other colleagues with in the local authority. If you have a project idea, your local ADO will be happy to discuss your ideas. Not all local authorities have ADO’s in place and some are based in leisure trusts that work in partnership with the local authority. ADO’s are support by a national body called the Arts Council England, the North West office based in the Manchester. Areas with in Lancashire County Council also have the support of a County Arts Unit with a team of officers with areas of focus including young people & regeneration.
- Pennine Lancashire has a number of Arts Organisations who deliver a wide variety of creative projects across the region and would also help in the development of projects. A number of freelance artists working across the northwest region also work as individuals not directly linked with organisations. Working with an individual artist can provide a bespoke approach working with artists who specialise in engagement in their practice.
- Young People’s Service Each local authority has a youth service provision and your school may already have links to the service working in the area. Youth Workers often have contacts and link with other agencies working on the ground and can support work both formally through and school and informally through other provision like youth clubs.
- Young Lancashire: support and deliver a number of projects within the voluntary youth work sector and have contacts for groups and projects in your local area.
- There are also a number of other local and regional organisation e.g., Groundwork Pennine Lancashire all of who can be found through this site.
Register to view the directory in I’m looking for and make new contacts.
How can creativity be used as a tool to do this?
Working in a creative way with practitioners like, for example artists, allow young people to take a journey of exploration in relation to an area of regeneration & renewal. Register to access the case studies. These can include expressing their hopes and aspirations of a neighbourhood they would want to live in through film or performance or really understanding the process of developing a piece of open space through working with architects and planners. The creative mechanisms allow young people to share their voice in arenas, which aren’t particularly youth friendly, such as council meeting and forums. Ultimately working more closely with partners to look at how the process of engaging young people in a meaningful way will offer a unique perspective, which will create a more understood and valued product.
“Creativity develops the capacity to imagine the world differently. We all need an ability not just to cope with change but also to positively thrive on it and engineer it for ourselves”.
Working alongside creative practitioners provides an opportunity to take risks, develop new techniques and engage with young people in an alternative way.
What support or training can I access in this area of work?
Curious Project 6 will also be developing a training program linked directly to this area of work and through the website opportunities will become available.
Register and look out for training opportunities and links to other organisations you can support this
Use the forum to let us know of any training you feel you or colleagues could benefit. Maybe this is an area of work you would like to develop as a lead worker in your district?