1 KOESTLER TRUST Arts Mentoring for Ex-Offenders (Cover image) Another Face in the Crowd? Mixed Media entry 2012 Sean HM Prison Oakwood, Wolverhampton 12K6219 2 3 CONTENTS Introduction ...................................................................................5 Mentee - Why I applied to be mentored ........................................9 What I got out of mentor training .................................................13 The application process: probation referral ..................................17 Vasiliki Mentor Profile .................................................................18 When I found out I had been matched with a mentor ...................23 Mentor matching: The first meeting ..............................................27 Monument trust scholarship award for fine art 2010 ...................32 The Stephen and Winifred Tumim memorial scholarship award ..34 Evelyn Plesch scholarship award for painting ..............................35 Monument trust scholarship award for fine art 2013 ....................36 Chris Bramble scholarship award for ceramics ............................37 My reason for getting involved with Koestler ...............................41 mentor: Looking back on the mentoring .......................................48 Mentee: What I have gone on to do ..............................................50 Funder .........................................................................................52 With Thanks ...............................................................................53 How you can help us ...................................................................55 4 INTRODUCTION It gives me great pleasure and pride to introduce this offenders with a wider range of needs. So the programme celebration of the Koestler Trust’s ground-breaking arts now has two pathways: Scholarship mentoring (for mentoring programme. offenders who are building on a strong track record of creative achievement) or Gateway mentoring (shorter The Koestler Trust has been awarding, exhibiting and term or more flexible guidance for offenders with selling artworks by prisoners since 1962. We play a potential who would like to take a specific step to unique national role in motivating offenders to take develop their practice). part and achieve in the arts, and we know that this can transform their lives. We are very grateful to those individual donors and grant-making foundations who support specific The mentoring was a new initiative that we introduced mentoring relationships as Scholarship or Gateway in 2007 – aiming to support some of our most talented Awards. It is this generous commitment that will enable award-winners to sustain and develop their creative us to sustain the programme into the future. practice, especially after release into the community. Our mentors are artists, writers and musicians whom we The scheme’s social benefits are the subject of robust recruit, train and support as volunteers. The offender- evaluations by criminologists at the London School mentees refer themselves through the Koestler Awards of Economics and Birmingham City University. The entry process, and are accepted onto the scheme through focus of the present document is on artistic outcomes a combination of artistic judgement, probation officer – a selection of the artworks that the mentoring has risk assessment, and availability of an appropriate generated. mentor. Each mentee has up to 10 mentoring sessions for up to a year. Some mentees have gone on to complete I hope that this booklet will inspire more offenders to art degrees or publish books; others pursue their take up the mentoring opportunity, will encourage more creativity as a leisure activity; all of them see the arts as artists and writers to volunteer as mentors, will enthuse leading them to new lives free from crime. more donors to support the work, and, above all, will attest to the sheer quality of the art. The mentoring was initially funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. The Cabinet Office’s Social Action Dame Anne Owers, Koestler Trust Chair of Trustees Rehabilitation Fund has since enabled us to open up to Former HM Chief Inspector of Prisons 5 Christmas List G4S Highly Commended Award 2008 Emmanuel HM Prison High Down, Surrey 08K5361 6 Out of Darkness, Growth Patrick Holmes Platinum Award for Drawing 2011 Enfield Probation, London 11K3813 7 8 MENTEE – WHY I APPLIED TO BE MENTORED... My work in the last 5 years has received so much praise and positive feedback. I would therefore love to continue my work with Koestler for the coming years as it is “ such as positive way for prisoners to grow and make a difference in their lives.” Mentee applicant, HM Prison Whatton, Nottinghamshire Being part of this writing workshop has had more of a profound effect over me than anything or anyone ever has previously. I’ve developed a better understanding of “ other people. I’ve always hated criticism, but now I seek it out. Constructive criticism helps me to build up confidence and helps me realise that although I’ve made mistakes I can dream outside of the box and allow my pen to flow…Koestler has been a big help and so I would like to benefit even further by working with a mentor.” Mentee applicant, HM Prison Long Lartin, Worcestershire Having never picked up a paintbrush before, I first learnt to draw/paint in 2011 when I attended the art class at HMP Send and discovered I really enjoy it. I had no “ confidence that I would actually be any good but I was surprised to find I had a talent for it, particularly drawing portraits. This has boosted my confidence and shown me that it is never too late to try something new, therefore I am excited to apply to the mentoring scheme and see what else I might be good at!” Mentee applicant, HM Prison and Young Offenders Institution Low Newton, Durham (women) (opposite) Why I Want a Mentor... Submitted by mentee applicant 9 (opposite) The Derelict Detective Highly Commended Award for Digital Image 2012 HM Prison North Sea Camp, Lincolnshire 12K6407 Court Proceedings Drawing entry 2010 Darren HM Prison Risley, Cheshire 10K6126 10 11 Ablingting Oil or Acrylic entry 2010 John HM Prison Blantyre House, Kent 10K4436 12 WHAT I GOT OUT OF MENTOR TRAINING... Having been accepted as a Koestler mentor, I went to the old governor’s house, at Wormwood Scrubs, for my first two days of training. The Koestler Centre is full of artwork, in the hallway, on the walls, on the stairs and landing. It’s a great setting for the next couple of days, where nine of us, each from different disciplines, including sculpture and performance art, will be guided through the mentoring framework. This framework will provide the boundaries, within which the mentor/mentee relationship will work. We are all ages; some have travelled from Manchester and Wales, but although we are distinct from one another in many ways, including the reasons that brought us here, it becomes clear that we share similar hopes and fears about the role we are taking on. The exercises are designed to get us thinking about the potential issues, the responsibilities we have towards our mentees, ourselves, the Trust, to draw the answers out from us. The training is active and interactive. A role-play might seem a game, but is always brought back to something pertinent: the distrust we felt when someone listened carefully to us, respectfully, after previously being made to feel unheard, unbelieved. These two days go by quickly. They’ve been comprehensive without overwhelming, and I feel excited to get started, daunted at the challenge, reassured that I have the resources, in me and in Koestler, to be a good mentor. Angelina, Koestler mentor 13 14 (opposite) Thug Life Lord Ramsbotham Outstanding Award for Oil or Acrylic 2008 Paddy HM Prison Ashwell, Leicestershire 08K2332 Busted! G4S Highly Commended Award for Oil or Acrylic 2008 Paddy HM Prison Ashwell, Leicestershire 09K3105 15 Loud and Proud Oil or Acrylic entry 2013 50th Anniversary Scholarship Award Atherton Probation, Manchester 13K6119 16 THE APPLICATION PROCESS: PROBATION REFERRAL... Towards the latter part of his sentence, my client started talking to me about his art and how he might like to do something with his interest “ and talent after he was released. He sent me some examples of his paintings and I was very impressed at the standard of his work so we discussed approaching Koestler to see if they could help him through the mentoring scheme. He has worked well with staff in the prison and engaged in education whilst in custody. He acknowledges and is remorseful for the mistakes he has made in his past and is determined to move on to live a crime- free life in the future. I therefore fully support his application and assess him to be suitable to work with a mentor on a one-to-one basis in the community. I am in no doubt that he will benefit greatly from the support of a mentor and am thankful to the Koestler Trust for giving him this opportunity.” Jenny, Suffolk Probation 17 VASILIKI MENTOR PROFILE Vasiliki is a graduate of the Royal College of Art, and has had an active career with solo and group exhibitions in England, Greece and the USA. Her work has been included in the National Portrait Gallery’s BP Portrait Award 2002 (Commended) and 2003, as well as the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition 2010. Her work appears in national and international collections and has been published in ten different catalogues. She also works as an art tutor and workshop facilitator, developing tailor made art programs