what was the Staffordshire Arts Award project?
Through our partnership with Staffordshire Virtual School, we worked with a small cohort of their care-experienced young people across February and March and again in July 2024. Engaging them in a variety of arts activities, including Arts Award’s Discover in a day and Arts Award Bronze days, the outcome was to support these young people to achieve their Arts Award qualifications.
what happened during the sessions with young people?
One of our experienced Creative Mentors was commissioned to deliver the sessions in February and March, working with the group through a variety of arts activities to enable each young person to achieve an Arts Award qualification. The “Discover in a day” sessions focused on different types of photography, along with some stop motion animation. Another Creative Mentor delivered the Arts Award Bronze across a four-day project, which focused on patterns and pottery making – including a trip to Emma Bridgewater!
why was this project important?
We know through our work at TMC that it can often be challenging for the young people we work with to attain qualifications due to their circumstances. That’s why creative initiatives like this are so important. Empowering the young people to explore their creative side, while also gaining a valuable and recognised qualification, can be life-changing for their next steps. The opportunity to express themselves creatively and safely, nurture new creative skills, collaborate with others to develop teamworking skills and build their confidence will contribute to lasting personal impact. They can even achieve higher levels of Arts Award in the future!
