Royal weddings, afternoon teas and a whole lot of sunshine!

Well hello there! …  my my haven’t we been busy!!

It’s been a while! I have been rather crazily busy! We’re 5 weeks away till Cowley Xchange launch! we’re getting all the final details sorted and getting very excited and looking forward to getting going with our participants! whoop!

Well I’ve been gigging with TheVeilFalls around the local Oxford scene. Had some great reports and compliments and loved having the chance to get out there on the scene. Even got stopped in the street by a guy who saw us gig and gave us great encouragement. Getting to sing  at events and commissions which is rather cool!

Also loved getting to see Mike in his other band Praxis Bold and hear a lot of their new material. They are playing in Brighton later this month! BOOM!  was a real privilege to sing with his band at one of their gigs and be part of the action. They are great musicians!

Had some time off recently so been getting into the arty side and looking to do more painting and creating, song writing and designing. I even went back to knitting a baby blanket and going back to arts and crafts and making jewellery.. getting right into the creative juices eh?!

OoOOo – and talking of artiness- for those who have been ‘watching this space’ I did get the job at Modern Art Oxford working on their Art Trolley so I get to do lots of fun creative things with families!

Have met with my mentor recently Janine which has been very helpful. Getting me to think passed my little bubble and see my pitfalls! always helpful, never comfortable! She is a very knowledgeable woman and actually a great aid and I think that we could possibly end up having more hang out time after this project!

Have spent a bit of time with a friend talking about photography and learning the new skills for Gold Arts Award. Lots of books for reading and getting to learn the lingo!  Have let it slipped a little but do want to get this nailed with taking good pics.

what else…? I spent time working with Dancin’ Oxford and working with Miranda and her team. Went to Brighton and spent time with Moving Voices and joined in their consultation and celebration sessions. I got to share about my involvement with Dancin’ Oxford and to share what I learned from my experience.
Also talking of dance – started to do more bits with my youth group again. I think summer just brings out the fun in activities so I am really really hoping to do a regular session with the girls and do some choreography and possibly showcase later on this year! Bring it on!

so all in all it’s been a  very active few weeks but the busiest is yet to come and the fun yet to be had. I am looking forward to having a successful ‘Cowley Xchange’ project and having great workshops with our participants and showcasing at Cowley Road Carnival. This should be a great time and event to look forward to! If you are from the Cowley Road area and want to get involved then get in touch!  you can get more details from our facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_180667935313840&ap=1

sorry to have left it so long…. I’ll try to not leave it so long next time….

xx   : p

Ages of Song

I am currently working on a project with OYAP called Ages of Song. It is an intergenerational choir project aiming to bring young and old together encouraging them to share memories, interact with each other on a friendly and creative level and sing sing sing.

I went in to Bicester today to meet with OYAP’s director and Bicester Day Centre manager and deputy manager. It was the first time we all met to finalise some of the logistics and ideas for the project. Helen, OYAP’s director told us about the choir leader that has been chosen and quiet frankly I am very excited to meet her and work alongside her. She has inspired me already and I am really looking forward to seeing her in action, leading a choir and making a difference. I am sure I can learn a lot from her.

So far everything is going well and I am glad I’ve been asked to be involved. I hope to deliver to the high standard OYAP always strives for

All in all this project is very exciting…

More to come soon

Sarah Pouele – www.sarahprojects.wordpress.com

APV for URBAN III – Metz

I am in Metz this weekend for the APV (Advanced Planning Visit) for Urban III. Shockingly to date I havent eaten a single easter egg on Easter sunday, but have had a hot cross bun as part of our intercultural dinner/breakfast…so not all is lost!

Sketchy arrival from the Estonian representative who lost his card in Brussels, and a mammoth 30 hours for the poor Bulgarian representative! It makes me really appreciate how lucky I was with traveling. 6 hours door to door!

There are 5 representatives for the APV; from Estonia, Bulgaria, England, Italy and The Czech Republic; But 35 participants all together, with Poland and France co-operating in Urban III as well.   

I wasn’t too sure what to expect from the APV or exactly what we would be covering,  but we now have a good (but suitably flexible) plan for the exchange. We discussed many possible workshops that we could run as part of the 10 day exchange, but finally decided on 3. They are Communications and Documenting, Graffiti Techniques, Graffiti Animation and Graphic Design. I will be running the Communications and Documenting Workshops. This will be a great for my leadership skills as the ‘Cowley Xchange’ begins the day that I return home.

We have also planned some interactive group workshops; These are based around the issues that graffiti creates in society and how they are dealt with both by the local governments and artits themself.  Hopefully the exchange will create and develop links between participants from the different participating counties and we will be able to create a youth network of grafiti artists across europe. The Exchange should also teach participants new skills and hopefully generate a wealth of art work; both  individual and collaborative.

I have learnt some good planning techniques (especially for timetabling…an essential skill when it comes to planning workshops, and something which I have found difficult in the past to do efficiently) I’m very much looking forward to the Youth exchange itself now….just need my English participants!

Alfredo Jaar’s – ‘La Geometira de la Conciencia’ 2010

“It is difficult to get the news from poems yet men die miserably every day for lack of what is found there” – William Carlos Williams

 

The Chileans Artist Alfredo Jaar uses art as a powerful tool to analyse and address global issues. I was lucky enough to visit his instillation ‘La Geometira de la Conciencia’ 2010, at the Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos.  The instillation acts as a memorial to the atrocities committed during the Pinochet regime (1973 – 1990) reminding the viewer of the eternal pain inflicted on Chile and its people.

To reach the instillation the viewer descends 33 steps which are walled on both sides. These walls act like a funnel forcing the viewer down in to a small confined space, limiting ones freedom. The steps lead to a preliminary room which is bathed in shadows. The viewer walks though the shadowed room and through a sliding door in to a space measuring 5m X 5m. When the door smoothly slides shut behind you the room is entirely dark for 60 seconds. Slowly the back wall begins to light up. The wall is covered with the silhouettes of nameless faces both of people who died fighting the regime in Chile, and living Chileans from Santiago’s streets. The indistinguishable mix of people both dead and alive suggests unresolved problems which the living must face. The faces become unbearably bright. Suddenly you notice the side walls are mirrors. The reflection of the faces in these mirrors seems to go on forever. This reminds us that those who fought against the regime should not be forgotten; the pain that they suffered is eternal, and continues to this day intertwined with the lives of living Chileans.

The brightness remains for 60 seconds and then once again the viewer is plunged in to darkness. However the negative silhouettes of the faces of the victims are burned on to your eyes, causing discomfort, but nothing compared to that experienced by the Chilean people from 73 to 90. Automatically your eyes try to blink away the memory of this sight, as people all over the world really did do, both during the military regime and after it ended. The darkness this time is more intense and lonely; this gives the viewer time to consider the effect of the regime on the people of Chile, both alive and dead. After a further 60 seconds the door slowly slides opens and you are allowed out to freedom; however the memory and the pain of the nameless people remain.

Chile Numero uno: Snap Snap

Day Four in Chile! to date we have played many ‘energisers to get us in the mood for talking about Global Challenges. At the moment we are still getting to know each other and more about our backgrounds. There are 11 participants in total; 3 English, 1 Luxembourgian, 2 Poles, 3 Dominicans and 2 Guatemalans Jirkh and Emiliano the organisers, who provide much entertainment!

The thing we have been experiencing most is CULTURAL EXCHANGE!! and as you know as a reader of my blog…I’m very much up for a bit of cultural exchange! This is really helped by staying in host families. Erna, my lovely Chilean mother is a bit of a diva as we found out last night when we were invited to a 19 year olds birthday party which went on until the small hours. I have been totally overwhelmed by the  Chilean spirit. They are the MOST welcoming people I have EVER met in my life. We have been taken in to their close-knit community and excepted as family! Also much kissing; Every time you meet anyone you kiss them whether you have met them before or not! earlier today I felt awful as I forgot to kiss someone I met in the street. The Idea of such physical contact in England is just unheard of, except amongst close friends and family!

Another thing which has stuck me as amazing is the close relationship between adults and young people. There is so much respect for each other, which just doesn’t happen in england. It makes me quite jealous of the culture here. it’s definitely something that the British need to work on. Similarly with participation of young people in activities. I am discovering though our project that young people quite often just do not want to be involved with projects or creating art work, or making music. on the first night in Chile we went to the Casa de la Cultura (where the seminar is based) and watched a group of  about 30 teenagers (and one token 7-year-old) practice Queca dancing; the traditional dance of Chile. I was totally blown away by their willingness to participate. It was the equivalent of watching a room of British kids practice Morris dancing…it just wouldn’t happen! They were all clearly having an amazing time. apart from the fact that it gave them a chance to outrageously flirt with each other, they clearly were very much enjoying it! Even when the terribly trendy looking 18/19-year-old was asked to dance with the 7-year-old, he did so very enthusiastically!

The language barrier was a problem to start with, and we quickly noticed that english speaking people were sitting on one side of the room and spanish speaking on the other. This all changed quite quickly though, and we have found ways of communicating with each other. This has impressed me a lot, as clearly it is still possible to have a great relationship with someone despite not being able to communicate in the normal way.  Something which I think can definitely be built upon within my projects. There is a lot of hand gestures and making funny noises to explain things! (plus our wonderful translators, Eric (from Guatemala), Estha (from Dominican Republic), Filipe (the son of Erna) and Belen (Felipe’s prima/cousin!) Where would we be without them!

More comming soon!

Pancakes and OFVM

Alice and I met in Oxford on the best day of the year…Pancake day. Desperate search for pancakes before 2pm when we were due at OFVM for the Mediabox Showcase. Job number one was sorted pretty quickly. Nutella and Banana pancake found on a French Crepe stall in the covered market. Got there just in time as a lengthy que began to form behind us. So we moved on to the next cafe for tea and a spot of project planning. Made some good development and found out a thing or two about how we work together and where our strengths and weaknesses lie!

Very early arrival at OFVM which gave us a chance to do a bit of networking. and then an introduction from Elsbeth Turnball from Mediabox and Screen South. The showcase premiered videos and media work created by young people. The subject matter of the media was almost exclusively based around problems young people face in today’s world; for instance lack of acceptance, standing out in the wrong way, cultural contrasts, and the ever-present stereotype of the dastardly hoodie!

I was particularly interested in Ben Johnsons (from MAP) Mediabox project ‘Landmark’ (http://www.media-box.co.uk/gallery/177 )which allowed young people to explore themselves and their surroundings through photography. The images that were produced were incredible. The young people involved worked with a professional photographer and learnt to use Photoshop, their work was then exhibited to a professional standard . The young people seem to have really engaged with the project, learnt a new set of skills, made new friends and explored how they relate to their surroundings. 

Pretty inspirational stuff from MAP; gave me a few ideas for our project and the way photography can be used within it!

Sarah and Jo – Project Planning

It has now come to the point where we finally know what we’re doing We had a bit of a brain storm last week and have come up with a lot. What we have decided to stick with is the idea of 3 music workshops which will introduce young people with learning difficulties to music. Each workshop will have a theme and will be aimed to introduce music to those young people in order to help them improve their communication skills, confidence and to enhance their happiness.

The details have to be worked out but we have now written a project plan and will be meeting next week to discuss some of the feedback we got. We also aim to contact some potential organisations or schools that will be interested in our project. I am very excited about this. The more I get into project planning the more I realise I want to make a successful career out of it.

With all the passion Jo and myself can bring and the  practical training and experience we have behind us I feel we can pull this off and make it a great and useful experience for everyone who will be taking part.

I will keep you all updated about our progress!

 

Sarah – www.sarahprojects.wordpress.com

Oyap so far this year!

As a new year begins the busy times start to show up again! Our first training session of the year went very well. Our day started off with a self promotion talk from Scott Cridland-Smith. His talk was very informative and he was approachable enough for us to feel like we could ask as many questions as we wanted. The talk itself was accompanied by a powerpoint presentation and was centered around how to promote yourself on the internet. How to set up your own website, get your blog seen etc.. I learned a lot and was glad not to have missed out! It’s been one of my favourite sessions so far.

In the afternoon we had Pete Mosley come in. He is OYAP’s evaluator and runs a company called Art of Work. This initial meeting with him was very helpful. He was also very approachable and offered to help and guide us in the future when it comes to our projects and working in the arts. It’s always good to know there is a support system around us, it gives us some confidence in what we’re doing.

On Monday, all of us young leaders had a meeting at Oxford Brookes University. I was productive but I feel we need more discussions like that one. It was very good to hear people’s ideas and the challenge will now be to see what is achievable and to see what we will be allocated. Tomorrow, I get to meet my mentor for the first time, Sharon Woodward. I am very curious to see what comes out of this meeting. I’ve been really looking forward to it.

This year has started off well and I predict we will see a lot of progress in the weeks to come. Busy times ahead!

“Give ‘em tea”…Leadership and Self Employment

Another crazy two days at OYAP thinking and learning about partnership working and self employment. Schedual D, QR Barcodes, intellectual Property, preconceptions, idea development and a lot about social networking online (which I have gone to town with…possibly a little early)

CRUMBS! Again a lot to take in and made me terrified about attributing everything correctly and also wary of where I put work of my own. (I have recently received an email from a friend threatening to take me to court over a photo of her that I put on Facebook after I told her about the need to attribute everything and the possibility of people using your work without permission or claiming it as their own. hopefully she will not follow her threat through!)

I’m also beginning to think about USP’s which seems to be a crazy concept. I hate the idea of having to sell myself to people. the only way I can sum up how hard I’m going to find this particular must is a sentence I wrote on the train home from Bicester; “what the FLIPPOS are my USP’s…I cannot even BEGIN to imagine what makes me unique from anyone else???” clearly this is something I’m going to have to work on, and I think it’s probaly something which will become clear as I become more confident in myself and my ideas! – Reputation and a recognisable profile will be the work of the next few years!

On to partnership now. which seems like an EXCELLENT strategy for excelling and achieving great things for all those involved! And the beginning of a good partnership begins apparently with a cup of tea. VERY true! You can never have enough tea.

What struck me most about the session on partnership was when Maddy, Emma and I planned an idea for an Art project that we could do with young people. The final concept that we came up with was OUTRAGEOUSLY flawed but very different to anything I would have ever come up with by myself, and therefore probably much more succinct and rounded and also achievable! It proved for me how important it is to work with other people so you have a broarder spectrum of Ideas and concepts which can lead to a much  more refined and therefore successful final project.

First blog…scary stuff!

So a week has now passed since our first two  training sessions, (which were insane!) Two days of much information cramming and brainstorming and chatting about youth arts…By tuesday afternoon we were all a little exhausted and over excited and coming up with some not very inspiring ideas about evaluation; but very comfortable with each other and also being at OYAP!

There are 10 of us altogether, and I cannot belive how well we all seemed to get on. It’s quite bizarre being in the same room with such a big group of young people who all have similar aims and ideas to my own, but also very inspiring and exciting!

I have a feeling that this next year is going to be a tough and a very steep learning curve, but I can not wait to get started now.  Seeing the Vicious Youth Premier on Thursday night made me even more excited about what I have somehow managed to get my self into. I just hope I can live up to my own expectations of my self!