Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 Barriers to Bridges Artist in Residency Brief West Midlands Police

About Coventry City of Culture Trust We are a diverse, modern city which is re-imagining the role culture can play in bringing people together. Coventry is a city of welcome, a city of activists and pioneers, a city of peace and reconciliation, a city of innovation and invention, a City of Culture. The Trust is committed to: • Welcoming 2.5m additional visitors to Coventry in 2021/22 • 80% of the city’s residents experiencing at least three events in 2021/22 • Increasing audience attendance from under-represented communities by 20% • Activating more than 16,000 volunteers and participants • Making long-lasting, tangible social change in Coventry • Transforming who holds the power to create and curate in the city • Starting a wave of cultural investment across the region

In July 2020, we announced that Coventry’s City of Culture programme will start in May 2021 and run for 12 months, allowing us to keep our promise to the city and region - to deliver an extraordinary year while providing some much-needed certainty and resources to our artists and communities. This is your opportunity to be part of telling the story of the city that moves. About WMP: West Midlands Police is the second largest police force in the country, covering an area of 348 square miles and serving a population of almost 2.8 million. Preventing crime, protecting the public and helping those in need is our vision. Little things which make a difference happen every day in West Midlands Police. We know that everything we do has the potential to change people’s lives. We have big ambitions for our future and our three-year strategy describes the type of organisation we want to be. We know that working for West Midlands Police is not just a job. We know that this work matters. About CVX festival: CVX Festival is a pioneering three-day arts activism festival curated by young people in the city around the themes of community, unity and social change. CVX will bring together local, regional and national artists using their platform as role models to stand up for young people and take a stand against violence. Introduction: There are some young people in Coventry who are at risk of criminal exploitation and serious youth violence. We are coming together to find an artist who can understand the lived experience of the children and young people in the city who may need to find their voice. We understand that some parts of the community don’t feel they can speak to the police, or some don’t want to. This could be for a number of reasons: perceptions, trust, fear, identity, culture, environment. We’re looking for an artist who can creatively explore the issue and artistically depict, share and challenge what they learn about the barriers that the community, young people and police face, and how we might address them with a particular focus on generating empathy for all.

We’re especially interested in exploring the trust and perceptions between young people, the wider community and the police. How can art and culture play a role in developing a new dialogue with and for young people, the local community and the police, and help to develop a mutual understanding and build bridges? Is it time for a new approach in order to open dialogue and build trust to prevent young people becoming at risk? Is there a shared ambition to make Coventry a safer city for all? Provocation: 1) Creatively examine: Trust and perceptions; how we see each other and how this affects relationships between young people, communities and the police. Where relationships are difficult - what are the causes and barriers? Where relationships have worked – what is the learning around what has helped and supported this? After serious incidents, sometimes communities are reluctant to tell police what has happened. What are the reasons for the ‘wall of silence’? And what can be done to overcome? 2) Explore how the arts can be used to promote better understanding, break down barriers to communication, promote transparent dialogue and ultimately build trust in an authentic and constructive setting. What are the key foundations in building trust to create long term solutions? Does creativity have a part to play in creating new beginnings? How would your final piece seek to generate empathy between parties? 3) Explore if there is a common goal to make Coventry a safer city and investigate the root causes of violence and the reasons why some young people feel unsafe. The residency will include: Research: ● 10x days of in-house research and development with West Midlands Police ● Deliver up to 10x workshops for young people responding to the provocations ● Opportunities to share and get feedback of your work

Please note that during the research phase, due to security and safeguarding considerations, you will not be able to have unrestricted access to all areas of policing work. You will be provided with the opportunity to observe some day to day policing work, but also to interview officers and staff in particular roles on a 1-2-1 basis, or to deliver group workshops to capture further information and understanding.

Development: ● 18 Weeks of creative development from week one to develop your final performance ● Once your R&D period is complete, you will have a further 8x weeks to develop a final 30 minute - 1 hour sharing which will be presented at CVX festival.

Sharing: ● Your final piece will be presented at CVX festival.

After your sharing you will develop: ● 1x Workshop for the police CPD (continuing professional development) based on your findings and your final sharing in order to address the provocation. This residency will form part of a wider legacy project and so you may be requested to deliver further, paid CPD workshops. Applications: We are inviting applications from:

● Spoken word artists / lyricists ● Theatre makers ● Film makers / Documentarians ● Musicians ● Mixed medium performance artists living or working in Coventry (CV postcode), with experiences of facilitation and who are comfortable interviewing individuals, and with experience of working with at risk young people; for example this might have been at youth centres, with youth offenders, or PRUs/ELCs (pupil referral unit or extended learning centres). It would be desirable but not mandatory to have an understanding of the criminal justice system.

Depending on your workshop design and delivery arrangements, a DBS check may be required.

If offered the residency, you will be required to undertake NPPV level 1 (non-police personnel vetting). As we are looking for someone who may have lived experience, prior convictions will not necessarily mean your application is declined,

To apply:

We encourage applications from individuals with lived experiences or knowledge surrounding how vulnerable young people can be targeted by gangs and criminal exploitation. Arts organisations and companies may also apply for this commission. All applicants along with any other artists or partners must carry Public Liability Insurance. If you do not have this, you can get cover via a membership here: https://www.a-n.co.uk/join/ If you have an up to date DBS, please submit a copy on application.

The fee will start at £5000 based on the artist/arts organisation being responsible for own tax and NI on a freelance basis. This fee includes: - Workshop Materials - Management, admin and travel - Individual planning with policing team and wider partners - End-of-programme evaluation session

Further funding for additional resource may be available at the discretion of the producer.

How to apply: Please submit either a written or video response on how you will approach the provocations stated, and an idea for the 30 minute – 1 hour final piece that you intend to develop.

Please address the following in your application:

Provide an outline of your approach to the commission and your proposal of how you would deliver.

Your ideas for the creative content of the workshops with police and young people (and how you might use a creative stimulus to encourage sharing and engagement) and for the sharing event.

How you will use your artistic skills to engage police and vulnerable young people, and an example of CPD that you will prepare.

A rough outline of your final sharing, to include:

- How you will use your workshops to support young people to create a final piece for CVX festival - How you will use your workshops with the police and young people for R&D

What is your experience of working with vulnerable young people?

Why are you suitable for this residency?

Your approach if sections of the programme need to be delivered online due to Covid restrictions.

Please also include:

- Two Referees - A draft budget of how you propose to allocate the commission to cover all aspects of delivery. - If you are an individual artist, please provide an up-to-date CV and a portfolio of your work - If you are an artist intending to work with a freelancer, please provide and up to date CV - If you are an organisation, please state your approach to the work, evidence of successful projects and learnings alongside your values.

If you are successful in your initial application you will be invited to an online interview. This will last approximately an hour and will comprise of a series of relevant questions, but you will also be required to deliver a 15 minute online creative exercise with the interview panel on theme of ‘why do you do what you do?’ You will need to ensure that this exercise is accessible to a range of individual artistic and creative skill, experience and knowledge.

Timeline:

25th February – Applications to go live 19h March – Close Applications W/c 22nd March – Notification of success or rejection, invite to interviews for successful applicants 25th and 26th March - Interviews W/c 29th March – Feedback via phone calls. Appointment of artist. Police vetting. Phase 1: W/c 5th April – 3rd May: Inductions, R&D. You will have 1x induction day and 4x Days of R&D with the West Midlands policing team; you will also be expected to deliver workshops with vulnerable young people over this time. Reflection week W/c 3rd May You will be expected to submit your ideas for your piece based on your findings from Phase 1. Phase 2: W/c 10th May – 14th June You will have 5x R&D days with the West Midlands policing team; you will also be expected to deliver workshops with vulnerable young people. Reflection week W/c 14th June: You will be expected to submit your ideas for your final piece based on your findings from phase 1 and 2, and a 15-minute sharing. Phase 3: W/c 21st June – 2nd August (Final Piece) You will be expected to have finalised for your piece and ready to share your work for CVX Festival. W/c 5th August - CVX festival W/c 1st September - 1x CPD workshop W/c 9th September - Evaluation

You must ensure that you are able to commit the following time and are available for the following dates:

Thurs 25th and Friday 26th March (Interviews) 2 x days w/c 5th April (Induction and week 1 Police R&D) 1 x day per week w/c 12th April – w/c 26th April (4 weeks Police R&D) 1 x day per week w/c 10th May – w/c 7th June (5 weeks Police R&D)

Tues 13th April (group session with YOS workers – counts as 1 x the day for w/c 12th April) Weds 19th May (group session with police team – counts as the 1 x day for w/c 17th May) It may be possible in some cases to split the ‘day’ over two different dates within one week.

A ‘day’ may vary from approximately 2 hours to around 6 hrs – this will depend on the activity.

Up to 10 dates to be negotiated with YOS over this time period to deliver youth workshops.

1 x day w/c 1st September (CPD workshop) 1 x day w/c 9th September (Evaluation)

You have some flexibility in terms of which days each week you chose to engage over the delivery schedule. You will be expected to liaise with the policing team and YOS following your appointment but ahead of commencement date in order to arrange which dates you wish to spend with them for your R&D phase. Most West Midlands Police R&D activities will take place at Coventry Central police station, but some will involve travel to different sites in Coventry. You will be expected to travel independently to relevant sites, but arrangements will be made to greet and host you. All activities will be delivered in a Covid compliant environment and may be subject to change due to the changing landscape and updates to Covid legislation.

Wellbeing offer: Safety and wellbeing of the artist is first and foremost. Any activity will be subject to scrutiny and risk assessment, with wellbeing considerations at the forefront. The artist will be given access to wellbeing support should it be required, and there will be a contact for wellbeing check ins. During R&D days the artist always has the option to choose not to attend or observe a particular police incident.

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