Simon Taylor assesses the value of a programme attempting to tackle the social inclusion agenda from the street level
Run by arts group The Making, Street Art is a three-year art, craft and design programme for young people in the borough of Basingstoke. Working with professional architects, artists and designers, Street Art aims to provide 1419 year olds in Basingstoke with creative opportunities to enhance the areas where they live and, in the words of Director Margaret Benton, experience for themselves the pleasure of making things. Designed to encourage the participation of the local community and voluntary organisations, Street Art focuses on urban and rural wards in the borough where there are few youth facilities.
Lack of provision for young people , and an absence of suitable role models, combined with negative attitudes towards young people from the local press and residents, can lead to a culture of mistrust. In recognition of this, the initial six months of the Street Art project involved substantial staff time establishing links on the ground. The starting point was face-to-face contact with the client group in street hang-out venues, local corner shops or alternative gathering places in order to gain their trust and respect. Basingstoke links were facilitated through the Borough Councils Arts Development Officer and Community Wardens. We also relied on referrals from local staff at Connexions (careers advisory service) and the regional Youth Offending Team. They supplied us with names and contacts for local kids who are NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) or at risk of offending, who might benefit from involvement in creative activities.
Finding suitable venues for outreach work was problematic, with many youth nights closed down and the County Youth Service severely understaffed and unable to operate its own venues to full capacity. Also our self-imposed age limit of 1419 years proved unworkable as many younger kids aged 11, 12 or 13 repeatedly turned up to sessions and surprised us with their enthusiasm. Employing the right artists, makers and volunteers was also key. They needed to have the right experience of working with this age group, alongside flexibility, humour, empathy, and the ability to handle aggressive or negative behaviour. Our Youth Arts Co-ordinator tailored the programme to respond to the likes and interests of the groups she made contact with, designing participatory sessions around their ideas and input. As a result of its experiences with Street Art, The Making has had to reassess its evaluation techniques. New approaches such as video diary rooms, online blogs, text messaging and documentation on DVD are currently all being tested. Richard Sandell at the University of Leicester has commented that, just as the causes of social exclusion are various and complex, so are the solutions and these are only achievable through the effort of multiple agencies working in partnership. Arts organisations have an important role to play in this network, and can provide creative solutions for engaging disaffected young people through activities that are non-threatening, by offering new skills and experiences.
It is too early to tell what long-term effect this particular outreach project will have on the lives of the young people involved. However, there is real evidence of changes in attitude and outlook already amongst participants, who are experiencing the reality of the old adage, that you can make anything if you put your mind to it. n
Simon Taylor is Education Manager at The Making, an arts education charity specialising in accessible learning and developing new audiences for contemporary craft.
e: staylor@themaking.org.uk
w: http://www.themaking.org.uk