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Experts on the ground

A professional learning programme for artists and those who work with young people in youth offending settings.

Experts on the Ground “Phase 1″ 
Creative Junction and Thames Valley Partnership worked together to deliver a professional learning programme during the spring and summer of 2009. The programme was planned with artists and workers from youth offending settings in Berkshire, and took place in Slough, Wokingham and Buckinghamshire.

The intention was for those in the field (“Experts on the ground”), to share expertise, develop new ideas and practice in partnership with artists, and to create a pool of new knowledge and approaches to training for both sectors.

The programme was characterised by collaborative professional learning through enquiry-based projects in youth offending settings. Each of the three partnerships was made up of two creative practitioners and two workers from the Youth Offending Service and a mentor who supported the partnership.

There were three one-day sessions to prepare and share learning and practical pilot projects taking place over five days in each of the settings:

  • Day one and two: exploring common ground, communications, case studies, reflective practice; introduction to action research; planning pilot projects, evaluation and dissemination planning
  • Pilot enquiry projects taking place in three settings over a period of three to five weeks. Creative practitioners will work for five whole days alongside youth workers to deliver an enquiry-based creative project together. The projects will take place during regular sessions.
  • Day three: Reflection on pilots and individual learning

Experts on the Ground “Phase 2″

In March 2010, phase 2 of Experts on the Ground – Youth/Youth Offending Services (EOTG-YOTs) began by bringing together third sector staff from youth services and youth offending teams with creative practitioners from the creative and cultural sector.

Developed in partnership with Thames Valley Partnership, this year’s programme paired visual artists, dancers, drama practitioners and musicians with staff from Windsor and Maidenhead YOT, Wokingham Youth Service and Oxfordshire Resettlement Scheme.

At the beginning of the programme, the teams of youth services staff and creative practitioners explored what each sector would bring to programme and developed a scheme of work which would explore their enquiry question. Building on from phase 1 of the programme, phase 2 would allow creative practitioners to shadow youth service staff to learn more about the environment where they would co-deliver a short creative project with young people. Through delivery and reflection of the project, the teams would research their own learning and creativity, how this might impact their practice and more effective ways of engaging challenging young people.

The participants were both excited and nervous at the same time. Both groups were keen to explore how the quality of conversations with young people might be enriched by the “doing” of something creative.

During April and May, Thames Valley Partnership and Creative Junction brought together creative partners and Youth Offending Team/Youth Service staff, to explore different ways of engaging young people within these settings.

In June 2010 the teams came back together to share their stories, unpack the learning and reflect on how the findings might be carried forward in future work.

Experts on the Ground and Sure Start

Parallel to Experts on the grounds phase two, Creative Junction were approached by Sure Start in Slough and a third project began in three After School Clubs in Slough.

Read the full evaluation document here

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