Art project triumphs at national event
A group of youngsters from Devon who have been in the care of Devon County Council have been celebrated at a national event in London to showcase a special Art Project aimed at exploring their dreams and aspirations.
The group who were nominated by invitation only took their work to the Listen Up 2014 expedition event hosted by the ‘Who Cares’ Trust in Westminster. This is the leading national event for children in care and care leavers across England which brings together decision makers and care professionals from around the UK.
During the evening, everyone was asked to vote on the best stall showing the most creative ways of working with young people in care and care leavers showing that they have gone the extra mile. The Devon group were delighted to hear they’d won, coming home with a stunning trophy and free tickets to the London Eye.
The group began a series of Art Project workshops two years ago to give young people the chance to try out a variety of art disciplines including screen-printing, junk art, graffiti and traditional craft making.
The workshops were the beginning of a two year project with the theme of Dreams and Aspirations to give young people in and leaving care a space in which to begin to think about their futures and what they aspire to be; to get their voices heard; present their views in a creative way and also a chance for them to learn new skills, build on existing interests and actively engage in positive collaborative work.
A film has been made about the project which was selected to be one of the showcase pieces of work at the Listen Up event for Children in Care. It’s hoped that the film can now be used for training purposes and to raise awareness, widening the understanding about being in care.
The workshops have been led by various Artists on behalf of DAISI Arts.
Principal Social Worker, Andrea Morris says:“I have seen the film and it is excellent, as are the supporting materials that the young people made in its development. The young people worked with such enthusiasm with the facilitators, and showed great commitment over a considerable period of time to produce an excellent end product. Along the way, the young people developed their skills, interests, ambitions and aspirations and are supporting these with greater resilience and determination. The young people’s pride in their achievements is heart-warming.”
Robina Khan from the Fostering and Adoption team says: “The first year of the project saw young people, ages 11 upwards from Devon take part in various art workshops aimed to help young people to explore their dreams and aspirations through various forms of art, this included junk modelling, soap stone carving, among other things. Some of the care leavers also took part in writing workshops and looked at how words and art could work together. This led to creating pieces of art that were sold at a local art festival showing the impressive talents of our young people.”
Karenza Rayner said; “I felt very fortunate to go to London and accept the award. However, this is for all the young people in care and care leavers that participated with the team throughout the project. Its purpose is to show that we do have dreams and goals which we aspire to achieve and it’s helped me realise what I want to do and achieve.”
Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Skills, Cllr James McInnes says: “This is an excellent project and one which has clearly engaged the youngsters. I am very pleased to see that it gained national recognition through the Listen Up event and wish it every success for the future.
"It’s really important to us that we give our young people who are in care as much support and advice as possible to help them prepare for independent life. That includes recognising their achievements and helping them be positive about the future. I am sure this project will go some way to help them achieve that. Well done to all involved.”
