Judy is the Arts and Community Safety Officer at Thames Valley Partnership, a small charity which tackles social exclusion and strives to create stronger, safer communities. The arts are particularly powerful for individuals and groups who may find it difficult to engage in more traditional and academic routes. Participation in creative projects produces a number of positive outcomes - the development of social and life skills; enhanced self confidence and self esteem; increased creativity and thinking skills - all of which enable a more positive engagement with education and training and reintegration into society.
Thames Valley Partnership brings artists and agencies together to organise high quality creative projects for participants from, amongst others, Youth Offending teams, Pupil Referral Units, disengaged communities, older offenders on the Community Payback scheme and Women’s Aid refuges. Projects cover all art forms, from dance and drumming, to visual and film making. Often there is an end product, such as a performance, exhibition or film, but with these sorts of participants the Process is often more important than the Product.
Judy has worked as an Arts Officer at South Bucks District Council and for the independent dance agency, Bucks Dance and continues to work as a freelance arts project manager.
www.thamesvalleypartnership.org.uk