Moving On

[Sunderland / South Tyneside] 2006 to present

An annual programme of work with the South of Tyne Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme (ISSP) and the Sunderland Youth Offending Service, working with young people within the criminal justice system and those leaving custody.

The aims of the programme are to assist participants to change their attitudes, thinking and behaviour and to:

• develop creative, artistic and IT skills and interests;
• increase self-confidence, self-esteem, communication and social skills;
• consolidate the core work carried out by the ISSP and Youth Offending Service;
• develop a sense of ownership of the project.

Moving On also aims to:

• promote the participants' re-integration into the local community;
• challenge discrimination and anti-social attitudes and lifestyles;
• encourage and develop positive peer education;
• create, advocate and disseminate information about the value of arts as a mechanism for positive work with young offenders.

During the pilot phase of this programme, a digital artist was engaged to deliver a series of workshops for the young people coming into contact with the youth offending services in Sunderland. Since then the group have taken part in a series of combined graphic design, street dance and MCing taster workshops.

Following the taster workshops the group worked with a filmmaker and a photographer to create a film called Poison, and then took part in kite-making workshops with Infinite Arts to create a display for the Sunderland International Friendship Festival on 5th and 6th July 2008.

Recently the group have been working with an animator, as artist in residence, to create street art and animation and participating in workshops with a creative writer, dance practitioners and a visual artist. This work was brought together in a DVD animation and accompanying booklet, called 2Shots and an exhibition of work at thePlace in Sunderland during August 2009.

Following the publication of 2Shots, participants took part in a six-month programme of activity called Traces, working with furniture maker Richard Liddle, glass artist Sarah Blood and ceramicist David Fry. Each artist delivered a 10-week programme of activity, picking up the traces left by the previous artist.

In the summer of 2010 a group of the young people completed the Unitas Summer Arts College, led by artist Bridget Deane, with six of them passing their Bronze Arts Award. A showcase event to celebrate the work produced by the young people was held at the Customs House in September 2010.

Also during 2010 Craig Anderson led a series of grafitti workshops with participants to create two murals to decorate the Rally Round workshop facility. Rally Round works with young people in the South Tyneside area to repair old bicycles for use by people living in remote areas of Africa. This group also worked with Tommy Anderson and Mark McKenna to create publicity material and a short animation to highlight the work. The Rally Round project, including the arts activity, won the Howard League for Penal Reform award for Children and Young People.

The project is jointly managed by South of Tyne ISSP and Helix Arts.