Voluntary Arts Ireland[NI]
Age Group: 16-25 year olds initially, extended to 11-25 year olds later in project.
At least 16 young people required for initial steering group – they will establish the structure of the Co-op. Open membership will be established for any young person aged 16-25 interested in any area of the arts. This membership will be extended to younger children once the Co-operative has developed necessary policies.
Specific Interest Group: Young Arts is aimed at all creative young people however the project seeks particularly to engage with marginalised young people who may be isolated from creative opportunities due to disability, rural location, low-income or other circumstances.
How are Children and Young People Involved?
The Young Arts Creativity Co-operative is a new initiative designed to help young people aged 16-25 develop their own strategies for engaging in creative activities, giving young people a voice and enabling them to access all areas of the arts. The project will provide training and support for young people to help them to develop a youth-led arts information and support organisation that will:
• Offer skills & the experience of setting up & running a Co-op to engage, represent & support young people.
• Create career & personal development opportunities.
• Encourage young people to develop their own creative approaches to raising awareness of their views in relation to arts policy, creating a direct voice for young people.
• Stimulate networks across communities so young people can offer relevant information about the arts & creative industries to other young people.
Young Arts Creativity Co-operatives are all about developing the creativity, skills & the voice of young people.
Geographical Location
The pilot for this project will cover the new North East Council area – Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine, Larne Borough Councils and Moyle District Council.
Do you use a specific model/guide/theme?
Yes. Our model will be devised by the young people themselves after careful consideration and consultation with lead youth and arts organisations on successful youth participation and youth led models. These organisations include YouthBank, Northern Ireland Association of Youth Drama, Northern Ireland Youth Forum, Youth Council and local youth arts groups. We will also be referring to models from across the UK and Ireland, including English National Youth Arts Network, National Youth Arts Programme and to research relating to youth volunteering and engagement such as the Russell Commission.
Are there any reports etc. on your project/initiative that you would like to publicise/share? If so, email them or post them to us.
There are reports from the Young Adults Voluntary Arts Project which Voluntary Arts Ireland ran in County Antrim during 2004-06 which looked at increasing participation of young adults aged 16-34 in arts in their local communities. VAI is part of the Voluntary Arts Network, and as a network we produce our own series of briefings and publications for the Voluntary Arts sector. These briefings are topic based guides to all aspects of voluntary arts groups work – Marketing, Governance, Evaluation, Funding and many other subjects. The YAVA project produced a briefing entitled ‘Young Adults: Three Models to Promote Participation. We have also produced a Young Adults WorkPack as part of this project, which serves as a guide for young people setting up a group, running an event or project or for groups working with young people.
The briefings and other publications are available free to download from http://www.vaireland.org The NI Edition of ‘Health and Safety at Outdoor Community Events is currently available for only £25 if you are a registered supporter of VAI (register online). We also produce a free weekly email news listing jobs, training and events, which groups and organisations can add their own listings to – sign up for this on our website.
The WorkPack is in the final stages of production and will be available soon.
For further information visit our website or talk to our Information Officer, Olive Broderick on 028 44 839 327.
What did or what has the project/initiative achieved in terms of positive change for the organisation or/and the children and young people?
This is a new project and the Young Arts Co-ordinator is only just in post. The previous project (YAVA) developed a greater understanding within the organisation of the need for young people to develop their own ways to access the arts. We also recognised the need to empower young adults to act as advocates for creative young people to enable them to engage with the policy makers and organisations delivering youth arts activities.
Any further /additional information on your project/initiative?
The North East area is a pilot project and we hope to be taking this project out to the rest of Northern Ireland in the very near future. We are currently seeking advisors/information from youth and arts groups/organisations that may have something to input into the development of the Co-operative.
We are also seeking young people, aged 16-25 to be involved in the setting up of the Co-operative. If you are a creative young person who wants to learn new skills, gain experience in arts administration and develop arts opportunities for yourself and others – please get in touch. If you know of any young people who may be interested, please forward details to them.
Contact Name:
Pauline Matthew
Voluntary Arts Ireland
Young Arts Co-ordinator
12 English Street
Downpatrick
BT30 6WE
E-mail:pauline@vaireland.org
Web: http://www.vaireland.org
Mob: 0784 355 6290 (Co-ordinator)
Tel: 028 4483 9327
