The Arts Factor!
‘The Arts Factor’ exhibition High Street Medical Centre, Stonehouse.
Anna Buckland Stonehouse, Gloucestershire
LISTENINGS AT THE GRAFFITI YOUTH POD PROJECT. Many young people don’t appear at their doorsteps, it is often
Graffiti Pod Project
their parents or older family members who answer the door. So how do you reach young people to listen to them? This was the question I posed to a group of residents early in my training year. Several residents were fed up with the unsightly ‘Youth Pod’
young member who attends Council meetings and another
that had been dumped beside the glistening new youth building,
who attends Steering Group meetings to develop the local
supposedly to be used for storage or refreshments at the skate
Neighbourhood Plan. ‘The Arts Factor’ group is now over twenty
park. One of the residents volunteered that they had graffiti skills,
-five people strong and they have recently initiated a ‘Junior Arts
another could design posters and they could all make cake and
Factor’ and an art group for young carers from Stonehouse.
refreshments! They decided that they would have a week-long Graffiti Project in the skate park where young people could
‘THE ARTS FACTOR’ IN THE COMMUNITY
enjoy creating a ‘masterpiece’ out of the ‘Youth Pod’ eyesore and
The most exciting element of this journey is that young people
I had the opportunity to listen to them!
have started to interact with the community on multiple fronts. Recently they were asked by the local doctors’ surgery to
What were their loves and concerns? The young people confided
mount an exhibition of their work to raise awareness about arts
that they felt there were no opportunities to express themselves
opportunities in the community. The doctors evidenced that many
artistically, that they were not consulted about their needs and
patients felt calmer and more relaxed before appointments,
that they were viewed in a negative way by many adults in the
making very positive comments about the art filled waiting room.
community. I asked how they were going to change this, what
The doctors’ surgery have now asked me to support the young
action were they going to take, who were they going to meet
people to develop a year-long rolling programme of ‘themed’
with? As the week-long ‘Graffiti’ project progressed, they decided
art for the surgery. Many members of ‘The Arts Factor’ have
to form an ‘action group’ and called themselves ‘The Arts Factor.’
also joined the community choir which rehearses at the Dupree
They managed to get the local church hall for free to meet and
Building. The young people have noticed that members of the
discuss how they were going to move forward. They started free
choir stop to talk to them now when they see them around
art sessions one evening a week in the church hall with the help
the town. When members of Hazelwood sheltered scheme
of qualified adults they’d managed to persuade to supervise on
saw the exhibition in the surgery, the young people were
a rota basis. The young people mobilised, having meetings with
invited by the sheltered residents to help them display
the Town Council and Stonehouse Community Partnership (SCP)
their art work. The young people offered to prepare an
who agreed to support them, as did several qualified volunteers,
inter-generational lunch for visitors to enjoy during the
therefore the ‘The Arts Factor’ project was born.
Hazelwood exhibition.
‘THE ARTS FACTOR’ MOVES TO THE DUPREE BUILDING!
WHATS NEXT?
SCP moved into the ground floor of the Durpee Building (3,000
My next projects include facilitating young people in organising the
sq ft), kindly donated free of charge by local businessman Gerry
Stonehouse Community Arts Festival and I am continuing to work
Dupree, and the young people were invited to join with the local
in Stonehouse in my progression year, facilitating six community
community groups using this amazing building. The ‘Arts Factor’
art groups through RSLM methodology and supporting new
now meet regularly with SCP at Dupree Building, and have one
emerging groups to continue the great work which is being done.