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Partyarts: Interactive arts events for young people’s services
Partyarts are interactive events, organised for your authority, organisation, partnership or programme, using a diverse range of arts and music. KSL works in partnership with R-ART, a collective of innovative artists, to curate performances and celebrations of creative achievements that engage children and young people and their families or carers. We work with the charity Shaftesbury Young People to provide us with the advice and support of their care leavers for events, and also as required, with Diva-licious to help empower young people though pre-performance image consulting.
Our arts, awards and performance based party events, are designed to inspire, showcase and celebrate the achievements of young people. They are a structured and enjoyable way to enhance their mental and physical health and wellbeing, by helping them to build and reinforce confidence, openness, resilience and stability. If they are in care, for example, events are a powerful way for councils to publicly emphasise their role as corporate parents.
Partyarts events are also a way to motivate those on the edge of systems – council care, criminal justice, mental health, etc – and those who may be socially excluded – ‘not in employment, education or training’. Our events serve as a focal point for engaging, channeling and sustaining the energies of young people and their parents/families/carers, so as to better look after their mental and physical health and to be able to accomplish more.
impact
Arts-based projects have a positive personal and social impact such as evidenced by the research of Matarasso.
Partyarts projects document their outcomes individually by using an Outcomes Star. We then estimate the value of their impact as compared to their cost. We also provide other evidence e.g.:
- Photographs of participation
- Activity-based statistics
- Website/blog hits
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Case Study:
Lewisham Council Award for Looked After Children and Young People – November 14 2009
The event was an inspirational celebration for up to 120 people featuring a diverse programme of music and the performing arts. 40 young people completed our feedback postcard at the end; their average ratings on each aspect of the event were 4/5 (very good). KSL brought together:
- celebrity music artists JB Sparks and Ghetts
- dance acts
- spoken poetry
- illusionist performance
- celebrity host: MTV Base presenter Darae Palmer
- the council’s DCS, AD and lead Cabinet Member
The KSL team:
- Handled the entire organisation of the event including invitations, award management, stakeholder liaison, venue and AV management and all supplier relationships
- Worked closely with a council steering group to develop an engaging, relevant and inspiring programme and coordinate invitations and nominations
- Utilised interactive media to communicate the event
- Engaged with children and young people to motivate them to take part
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Case Study: BeReCreative
R-ART had common aims with the BeReCreative event organisers and were asked to provide it with aesthetically and environmentally concerned art workshops. BeReCreative was a joint effort between Hackney Council’s recycling team and Green Champion network.
“The BeRecreative event was a fun way for everyone to get involved, find out more and see how their contributions help to reuse, recycle and reduce waste in Hackney. Recycling is a priority for the Council. We’re committed to improving our local environment and making the borough a cleaner and greener place to live, work and visit.” Councillor Alan Laing, Cabinet Member
Over three days, we had 36 children (Young Artists) thinking about what art is and how each person’s decision-making process is affected by their relationship with objects and aesthetics. We started sessions with a presentation of theory, and then got everyone involved with our beautiful installation ‘Rubbish Tip’ where the materials we used were placed. All the materials had had a previous life and went on to have a different future.
As a conclusion we exhibited Young Artists’ work and held a critique so each had the chance to talk through the decisions involved with their art-making and their piece’s relationship with the materials used. This display and evaluation left each one with a sense of ownership and achievement.
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New Project: Creativity4Health
Our latest joint project involves organising and delivering a celebratory arts event for Creativity4Health funded by the Chances4Change Big Lottery funded programme, with contributions from young people, carers and local authorities in the South East region of England.
If you would like to take our offer
to your organisation or partnership
please download our flyer here.
