A Summary of the Express Open Space participants’ collective recommendations and actions points, on how to ensure that the Express strategy’s vision is delivered in a cohesive relevant and sustainable way.

  To organise regular Network Meetings for arts organisations, youth services and school based colleagues,     

Both online and in person.

 

With a framework that provides opportunities to share best practice and to deliver and receive training.

NB: Next meeting will be at Brighton Youth Centre hosted by Mike Roe CEO of BYC 21^st October 2010, 5pm. Focus: ensuring Young People are a vital part of shaping the Express  strategy

  To ensure that Young People are a vital part of shaping the Express arts strategy for children and young people in the city.

How:

·         Form a Young People led research group with a steering group, made up of professionals from arts organisations and youth services who currently work directly with young people.

·         Use the National Youth Agency’s guidelines and expertise.

·         Use new and existing models of practice and networks ensuring authentic youth voice. For example: Audio Active’s peer to peer mentoring programme, Young Same Sky, Pavilion Museums Young Peoples ‘events collective’, Creative Partnerships expertise, “Hart’s Ladder” from “Youth Participation in Community Planning,”

  To establish a portal(s) that allows the sharing of information between schools, youth services and arts organisations.

Ensuring that:

·         the arts organisations have a clear understanding of what schools want and need, so they can shape their offer to meet the schools agenda

·         The arts organisations keep schools up to date on current practice/thinking in the art world?

·         There is effective partnership working between arts organisations which in turn will avoid duplicate offers to schools.

To establish a system that allows the Express group to be kept in the loop with relevant council activities that link to Express’ objectives, for example there is currently a youth services review that is commissioning a model of practice that ensures:

·         A coordinated approach to the range of positive activities that any young person can access across the whole city by fostering collaboration between all providers and commissioners.  

·         As there are a huge range of providers and provision for universal activities.  In the future we will be able to show and to ensure the marketing of the programme of activities on offer to young people.

·         Young people will be involved in planning and designing activities to suit their needs.

·         All providers/organisations will be given information and advice on how to link young people who are struggling or facing poor outcomes from anywhere in the city to local services that can provide more individual or group  support 

·         A city-wide network of local centres, which are part of the local community and have a responsibility for

                                                               i.      Signposting/ marketing activities available in their neighbourhoods.

                                                             ii.      Provision of a range of activities

                                                            iii.      Early identification of those in most need

                                                           iv.      Out reach and detached work in local neighbourhoods

                                                            v.      Links to universal positive activities in local area

                                                           vi.      Individual support for those struggling or at risk of poor outcomes

·         Young people will participate in the design and delivery of service from each centre

 

  To develop one online space for networking, blogging , models of best practice, sharing evaluations/documenting of successful projects, promoting/advertising forthcoming events and opportunities, celebrating achievements of young people, information on funding streams, jobs in arts, search facility, areas aimed at young people/parents and carers/arts practitioners/schools etc.

Examples of models - LONSAS[1], BREEZE[2]

  To develop a system that encourages increased partnership working between arts organisations and in turn supports the practice of joint funding bids

To apply for funding to pay someone to take on the role of coordinating the express strategy vision and objectives.

 

 Please note these recommendations are from the participants at the open space and do not reflect the opinion of a particular organisation.