Getting there…

Things left to do include fixing up one dress and the accessories and putting everything together for the amazing cupcake dress! Have a look at our pictures by our own photographer Wing Hei Choi. He is the shiz with his fat lens of a camera!

Cupcake dress – showstopper!

Again, the ideas originated from the last project session. Thanks to Maddie & Denise! Little stars!

Dress-making. Session 2!

My project has just finished session number 2 and here’s some of the ideas Maddie and I have come up with. It’s amazing what two passionate people can come up with in 2 hours and a few biscuits. We got stuck straight in and discussed so much we came up with three outfits already.

Here’s a sneak peak at what we’re aiming for!

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Calling all fashion loving young people! Time to forget designer!

Have you ever worn a T-shirt which you liked in the shop, but got home and disliked it? Do you ever wear the same things over and over again, even until it’s broken, but still wear it anyway? Do you go shopping and always manage to find an item of clothing you feel compelled to buy?

It’s not that much of a coincidence really because there are many people in the same boat!

This project aims to raise awareness of the impact of consumerism on young peoples’ well-being as well as the impact on the environment. By bringing a group of young people together we aim to be involved in a ethically-friendly fashion project producing an outcome for public display. There’s one catch though, all materials used must be old and broken to be reused and recycled. From clothing items, newspapers to accessories and imaginative bits and bobs. So, go find last year’s Christmas presents or that item you threw to the back of the cupboard!

Follow the project:

Twitter = https://twitter.com/#!/O2ThinkBigSony

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O2 Think Big =http://www.o2thinkbig.co.uk/Projects/Project-Home/?clubId=538&publicView=true

Mass appreciation for OYAP Trust

You know when you have one of those moments where you sit back and evaluate things in your life? How things have progressed? Whats good and whats bad? Where you wish to be in life and where you don’t? Today is one of those days.

I was so happy to receive a tweet from them amongst all the chaos of rushing to Stansted airport to catch my flight. (I arrived at the front doors of the airport to find out the gate had closed to my flight!!)

Generally, I have had a few pieces of good news recently and it’s something I’m rarely used to admitting, accepting and truely appreciating.

However, today, standing back from the crowd, whilst sitting in the sun in South Italy I’ve realised that I’m so appreciative of where I am today. So I want to give thanks to OYAP Trust for giving me support and really influencing where I am right now.

OYAP Trust has shone a light on a road that I never knew existed. Rebuilt utter belief in myself to thrive to achieve and do so much more. To take risks. To connect with others. Bring out the best in others.

My motto: If it’s bitter in the start…it’s always sweeter in the end.

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Numero dos:Gender Equality

We had a really interesting session on gender equality in society on Sunday. We started by discussing the positive and negative aspects of the roles of women in society. Sadly came up with a lot more negatives than positives. Eric spoke of the women in Guatemala being forced to do much of the work, not just in the home but also paid work to support their family’s. He said often they were forced to take on this role as

their husbands or fathers did nothing but drink and smoke; yet they still did not gain any respect within society.  As I am learning this is of course the case not just in Guatemala but can be seen all over the world.

In order to discuss this further and to create a visual campaign, we split in to groups and created 5 photographs which portrayed both the negative and positive roles of women. We portrayed sexual, domestic and pay equality, the maternal figure in society and women as educator to improve the future.  The latter point it was clear everyone considered the most important during the discussion afterwards. If change is going to occur women needed to be empowered. By educating them and showing them that gender equality and freedom from repression is their right will give them the strength to educate their children. If this happened the children would grow up surround by positive images of both men and women; Therefore would create a  world where both genders are treated as equals.  However it is inevitable that change will be slow.

In the western world. One issue which was raised was that feminism has gone too far! I think that sometimes it is expected of women to assume the role that men have in Europe especially in regard to mother hood and returning back to work before they are necessarily ready to do so. this damages their relationship with their children and therefore damages their children, which damages society! There is also the debate where women reject social eticate between men and women as they consider this to be discrimination against women, and suggesting that women can not adequately look after them selfs. However i am of the opinion that Chivalry is not dead!

Max’s Review of One Flea Spare by Red Dog Theatre Company

 Max was involved in our Media Mouse Trap project. He is working towards his Bronze Arts Award. This is his review of One Flea Spare by Red Dog Theatre Company 

What did you go and see as a member of the audience?

One Flea Spare at Cheltenham Theatre on the 9^th October 2010 

What were you expecting?

I did not know the subject of the play, but since my friend’s father had a lead role I thought it would be great, and it was!

How was it? What did you think?

It was performed by 6 actors in total and was about the Plague of London. It was good because it made you think about what it must have been like in those days

Written by Max, aged 12 for his Bronze Arts Award

The Miracle Project

It’s been a while since I last blogged, and A LOT has changed!

By chance some miracle happened and Emma, Alice and I stuck gold with an idea for a project whilst thinking about fundraising and budgeting. We were given funding criteria and had to pitch an idea for a proposal to Liz and Helen including the budget (which slightly got left behind because the actual concept of the project took over in our priorities!)

Our project concepts aim is to enhance cultural cohesion and awareness of other cultures between different sections of the oxford community. Through the project we hope to celebrate and honour diversity and cross cultural interaction. At the moment the project is in the VERY early stages of development.

Were hoping to have some preliminary meetings with possible partners in early March once our idea is more concrete and we have had a few consultations with possible participants.

Time is ticking on, at a quite horrific speed, and our project is slowly picking up momentum, so I will keep you up to date with developments more regularly from now on!

MAKE SURE THERE IS A NEED

We had our first project planning session on Monday…just the nine of us, no one to make sure we were doing the right thing! In a way it was quite nice to get out of OYAP and what has become a very safe little hub to create hair brained ideas, and in to a not so nice room at Brooks. It seemed to be the beginning of a journey we were going to have to make alone!

We talked through ideas some of us had come up with about projects we would like to ideally run, and sort of discovered through discussion that actually some of these projects there was absolutely no NEED for! A project has no purpose if there is not an initial and very important need, and therefore will not be useful and probably in that case successful, nor will anyone be interested in participating in it, and so it would never secure the all important funding!

From this I have learnt that securing a need, but not letting your ideas and concepts become too twisted by funding criteria is SO important. You must speak to the possible participants before you get too excited about a possible project. They have got to think it’s pretty dam good, and also VERY cool, or they are just not going to turn up!…and that’s not fun for anyone.

Lorraine Reviews The Fun Raiser 2010

Lorraine has just put the finishing touches to her Bronze Arts Award folder.

Here is her review of OYAP Trust’s  Comedy Funraiser 2010 which she attended as a member of the audience.

Review of The Fun Raiser 2010

The Sheldonian Theatre, December 9th, 2010

I went to a stand-up Fun Raiser comedy show. It was really good and funny. It made all the audience laugh. It was hosted by a guy named Huw Thomas. The comedians were Otiz Cannelloni, he does comedy with magic and the wit of stand up to produce a hybrid creation.

Mark Maier is a talented writer and stand up. He has a one man show, ‘Objects’. There was also Steve Best – he is a great visual comedy act. He keeps the audience in stitches with the acts he does. Then there was Rob Deering, who started out with his love of TV quiz shows at the age of 12. He appeared on TV AM’s Crack It. His rise to stardom continued with failed attempts to become famous in a variety of pop bands. It was until 2000 when his comedy career really began.

I thought the event was really good and funny, and the comedians made me laugh and giggle. I am not really into comedy but when I went to this event I have changed my thoughts about it. Comedy is really good and I would go to another show like it, because it was really exciting and the acts all did different things, and the night was really fun.
 
By Lorraine Seeney, (aged 22) Bronze Arts Awards