Street Feat Project
A group of 11 to 16 year olds were put through their paces over the Easter holidays when they took part in a week of arts activities to create their own ‘Pop Promo’ style DVD, this incorporated singing/song writing; camera/ interview techniques; movement/free running and music technology.
The project, called ‘Street Feat’ was run by an organisation called Space2 and based at Leeds Media Centre. One of its aims was to produce a Pop Promo style DVD which celebrates and highlight youth activities in and around the Chapeltown and Harehills areas of Leeds. Copies of the DVD will be made available for distribution to organisations and young people living in the area, so that they can learn about these activities and find out where they are based, and what all these organisations do, these will be ready in May.
As part of the week of activities, the young people worked alongside former Phoenix Dance
Company members Gee Goodison and Stephen Derrick. Gee, who is Artistic Director of Gee4orce Educational DANCE Productions, ran the ‘Free Running’ workshops, a youth phenomenon imported from France which is based around continuous movement such as jumping over street furniture or swinging around lampposts. The aim is to teach the group about co-ordination, team working, mobility and special awareness.
Gee firmly believes that learning dance and movement can help build confidence, discipline and social skills in young people:
“It’s a great way of raising aspirations and giving young people new found confidence” he said. “We’re hoping that the project will inspire them to continue learning and give them the necessary tools to take responsibility for themselves.”
The group also worked with professional musician Stella Litras, to create the sound track for the Pop Promo, developing vocal techniques and gaining confidence in singing, using mics and music production in the sound studio at Leeds Media Centre. Stella helped them write a new track that reflects their aspirations, the challenges and their hopes and dreams. The track also is about the services which young people can access in Chapeltown and Harehills.
Filmmaker, Sally Fletcher, supported the group in the production of a DVD which will include the sound track produced with Stella. The participants learned about camera and interview techniques through hands-on filming, and found out about the facilities available in their local communities. Two hundred copies of the final DVD will be distributed and the DVD will also feature the music and video, graphics and artwork designed by the young people, photographs of the project and its participants and a list of local resources.
The project was funded by the Big Lottery and Safer Stronger Communities Fund
Space2
Space2 is working with clusters of schools and children centres providing Extended Services. An extended school is one that provides a range of services and activities which will include provision throughout and beyond the school day to help meet the needs of its pupils, their families and the wider community. Providing easier access to all types of services around the places where children and young people spend most of their time and is the key to the Government initiative, Every Child Matters. This initiative aims to ensure that children stay safe, are healthy, enjoy and achieve and make a positive contribution to their community.
Space2 is a facility that aims to bring in young people and other members of the community living in an area of high social and economic disadvantage to take part in activities that will raise individual self-esteem, develop leadership and team skills, enhance achievement levels in other arenas, such as school and enhance opportunities for community participation that reflects and celebrates the diversity of the local community, culturally and otherwise.
In turn, it aims to contribute to the locality's economic regeneration, to improve community safety by reducing anti-social behaviour and raising quality of life of community residents, working strategically and in partnership with other local organisations, particularly those that target disengaged young people and other marginalised groups. It aims to use sport and arts activities as educational vehicles for developing the young people across a range of life skills and experiences, including raising awareness of crime prevention, reducing drug, alcohol and substance abuse.
For further information on the above project please contact Space2:
0113 200 7077
http://www.space2.org.uk/
admin@space2.org.uk