Whether it's stewarding at a festival, writing for a magazine, or producing works of art, volunteering for creative projects is bound to get those juices flowing.

All | Carl | Catherine | Rhiannon | Mei | Gaby | Enlight Youth Group | Centrepoint

Monday Apr 26, 2010

Time to get creative

I was right about Sheila - she has utmost respect from the young people on the estate. Last week she was telling me how the young residents call out her name as she's crossing the quad at night. They recognise her in the dark and always announce her arrival in some way. One of the boys has recently taken to singing her name when he sees her. Just at that moment, there's a yell from outside the door: "Sheeiiillla!" We all laugh, and she shouts back at him: "You'd better be careful – people will think you've got a girlfriend called Sheila!" she's a real legend, and her commitment to the club is endless.

I went to the centre last week to chat more with her about what I can do there, and to meet Helen, another of the volunteers. It was a really productive meeting and the good news is that a local group that runs creative workshops, Rolling Sound, have agreed to hold sessions for the next ten weeks. Tomorrow is the first day, and I'm going to help facilitate.

I'm really pleased about this as I've been a bit unsure about what to do with the whole arts idea. It's difficult to plan something when you don't know your audience and aren't a trained youth worker. I love working with words and exploring texts, but I know that doesn't appeal to everyone. The last thing I want to do is lose the young people's interest from day one.

I chatted through these thoughts with Sheila and Helen and they agreed that by starting off with the Rolling Sound project, I can get to know the young people better and plan sessions for the future with more insight. They told me that the members had responded really well to drama in the past and that, probably, was the best sort of session to do. I still don't know what sort of drama to choose, but now I've got ten weeks to watch, learn, and create.

So, from tomorrow the centre should get a big injection of enthusiasm. We'll be filming, editing, making animations...all sorts of fun and useful activities. When I arrived the meeting last week, some of the younger members were busy doing circuit training outside. Now that summer's here, we can use all the outdoor space - which is green and plentiful. It's going to be great for filming. 

It's been a difficult few weeks at Wilton as a couple of incidents in the area led the police to advise the centre be closed. I don't know much about why, but it was a shame that over Easter there was nowhere for the young people to go. I don't know if this sort of thing happens often, or how it affects the young residents. It's not something I had to deal with growing up, but maybe for them it's more common and they don't take it so badly? I'm just hoping that it can all be forgotten now the centre is open again and everyone can start having fun. I've met a few of the members and am feeling more involved. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow.

Posted by GabyJ ( 12:00 AM )
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Thursday Apr 01, 2010

A special Saturday

On Saturday my friend and I went to the youth centre for a special photographic exhibition. It was one of those days when it rains suddenly for ten minutes, then the sun comes out so everything is sparkling. The estate looked great in this light, and with the sound of the reggae music pounding from the hall, I felt really relaxed and positive.

Inside, so much was going on. About four musicians were jamming in the main room, with art going on in another and T-shirt printing at the back. There were loads of kids eating biscuits and getting involved. We found Sheila and after a quick chat, went into the room where a local art therapy project, Hands Inc, were displaying some pictures done by young people.

The pictures were the result of a previous workshop where young people had been asked to think of words to describe their lives, and choose colours that represented certain emotions. The results were very moving and some really accomplished. I've included a few of the best ones below. They reminded me that although this morning was so full of light, music and everyone having a good time, it's not always like that. The amount of drawings relating to knives and drugs was so sad - not what you'd want to find if you asked a young person to draw what was their mind.

My friend and I sat down with two young boys who were drawing and we started attacking the paper with coloured pencils and pastels. Their pictures were much better, and I don't think they were especially impressed with our artistic skills! So we went next door to listen to the music and look at the photos.

Despite the loud volume (again!) we got talking to Katie who works for Hackney Council Voluntary Service, and who was involved in organising the day. She explained that they are looking for people to write for their magazine, Spark, and asked if I could help. I'd really like to do this, as it's a great way to get out and about and see what people are doing. Katie also took us to see the screen printing. There was a whole bunch of children carefully drawing pictures which would be converted on to a T-shirt by an overalled lady in the corner. We wanted to have a go, but time was running out and we had to get going.

I really enjoyed myself and I'm glad I got to see the centre so full of people. It's easier to imagine running a session now I've seen how the space can be used. I've got in touch with the other volunteer to try and set up a meeting about what creative sessions we can do, but it's going to have to wait until after Easter now. Still - small steps!

Posted by GabyJ ( 12:00 AM )
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