annual report for 2009 – 2010 produced by Young at Art Ltd 15 Church Street, BELFAST BT1 1PG Web: www.youngatart.co.uk Company Number NI 37755 Charity Ref: XR 36402 introduction 2009 – 2010 was strategically important for Young at Art as partnerships with non-arts organisations and its host local authority significantly expanded its programme of work and increased access to the arts for children and young people. A total of 39,944 children and adults took part in a Young at Art event between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2010. A successful festival, a well-thought out outreach programme, an extensive touring programme and ongoing developments and new projects kept the small staff team and board of Young at Art very busy. The year also marked the conclusion of a 3-year strategy and the Board noted that all key targets had been delivered, capacity and participation had increased and its fundraising capacity was also greater in support of its work. As Young at Art entered the next more turbulent economic period, it offered a programme and management ‘fit for purpose’ for its next phase of development. The Board of Directors Young at Art “We loved the events we attended, which were thoughtfully organised and well presented.” contents festival 2009 Page 2 projects Page 3 touring & commissions Page 4 advocacy & development Page 6 management Page 7 funding & finance Page 8 appendices Page 10 I. Personnel II. Attendance & participation figures III. Marketing & Profile IV. Financial summary Copies of this report and an executive summary are available from the Young at Art office or for download from the website. The text and images contained in this report remain the property of Young at Art and its featured artists. No duplication or use is permitted in part or in full in any territory without prior consent. 1 festival 2009 Themed around black and white, the 2009 Belfast Children’s Festival was packed with an exciting international programme of music, theatre and art for all the family. It brought families into the city for celebration, entertainment and a unique cultural experience. The festival blended performance and participatory activities with a healthy mixture of free drop-in and ticketed events, combining local and international artists, multiple artforms and cross-artform events. Over 10 days the festival mounted over 190 events and 3 exhibitions attended by over 27,000 children and adults, involved over 120 artists, supported by 47 volunteers, 15 staff and the staff and volunteers of participating venues The organisation once again achieved ASSITEJ International Festival Status, the only festival in Northern Ireland to have achieved this and a stamp of its growing international presence. Participating artists came from Ireland, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland and Denmark. Festival in a Weekend at Belfast Waterfront returned, drawing families into Belfast for a range of family- friendly activities and performances under one roof during the opening weekend of the festival. Festival venues included the SQ Space Gallery, Clifton House, St Kevin’s Hall, Old Museum Arts Centre, Belfast Waterfront, Youth Action, No Alibis Bookstore, Brian Friel Theatre and Naughton Gallery. “Kaleidoscope was the best show ever! The most amazing experience for adults and children. Thank you. Can’t wait until next year” Many events sold out with an average capacity of 78.6%. Total attendance of the festival combined with a substantial weekend event was 27,164 a substantial increase in audience figures This included participation by over 30 schools and groups, many from areas of high deprivation. Families and groups were able to select from a range of activities on offer, including performances and workshops in theatre, music, dance, puppetry and visual arts, and for all ages from infancy upwards. For those parents with young children, the 2009 festival offered good provision with among others, the return of the Baby Rave with a Baby Ska theme. For children over 8 years, Carte Blanche from Denmark welcomed you into their Kaleidoscope where you walked through crooked doors, crawled through narrow tunnels and explored each room while for the 10 years Theater Sgaramusch from Switzerland told the bitter fight for the English throne. For the 0-5 years Musicalmente form Portugal filled the Waterfront studio with Concertos Para Bebes, a concert for babies. See appendices for a summary of events and download festival brochure from www.youngatart.co.uk 2 projects Young at Art engaged in an extensive programme of activity throughout the year, benefitting thousands of children and adults. Projects included special festival support schemes for children in need, educational resources (print and online), professional discussions, exhibition programmes, volunteering programmes. festival outreach Community Ticket Scheme The Community Ticket Scheme returned for a fourth year in 2009, working with a range of Surestart centres and pre-school playgroups. The Community Ticket scheme was devised to provide access to arts and cultural events for children in communities who cannot or do not attend arts events on a regular basis. Information sessions given by parent supporters of Young at Art and half-price tickets sold at the group’s weekly sessions attracted increased attendances by families from areas of socio-economic deprivation. Friendship Fund The Friendship Fund entered its third year, offering discounted tickets and transport assistance to schools and groups in disadvantaged areas. Offered as part of its general easy to use booking promotion to schools and groups, it provides discounts of up to 70% on (already subsidised) tickets for those coming from the top 25% of areas of multiple deprivation. Other forms of hardship are also considered. Over 1,000 tickets were provided through the fund while every participating school and group said it made the difference to whether they attended. On-line & Print Resources Young at Art produced companion resources to accompany the festival for schools. Resources took the black and white themes in the history of art and architecture, optical illusion (connecting to The World Around Us) and children’s rights (supporting PDMU). All were made available free to download on Young at Art’s website and referenced activities within the Toolbox online resource. The school packs connected each event and supporting activities (pre and post event) to aspects of the NI Revised Curriculum from Foundation through to Key Stage 4. Schools were also invited to be part of decorating venues and received additional resource materials. These were collected Volunteers & Young Volunteers Programmes The programme extended further into young volunteering, involving young people from Hazelwood College and through the Youth Justice Agency. Changes made to the programme included more opportunities throughout the year – at Culture Night, the Reopening of Belfast City Hall, and at a series of art workshops in shopping centres. toolbox The free online resource for teachers continued to be available but lack of dedicated resources prevented further growth. more of it than we think 3 Piloted in 2007, the exhibition programme draws original artwork by children and young people, gathered from an open call to schools, groups and artists. Selected groups receive assistance to attend the festival and see their work professionally displayed. 57 groups submitted work and the work of 9 groups was shown in the 2009 festival. The work ranged from prints, film, photography, painting and explorations of textiles. The number of submissions had risen significantly from the 2008 festival thanks to the additional publicity brought about by the partnership established with the University of Ulster. 3 touring and commissions Young at Art continued to develop key projects and partnerships which reached across Northern Ireland and offered opportunities to grow and reinforce the youth arts provision and infrastructure within the region. Projects also contributed to the role of children within large scale civic events and brought the benefit of arts activities to an ever wider audience. The most significant of these was its partnership with the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY). The Champion of the Child blended a touring exhibition, schools workshop programme, teaching resources and professional development programme in one. The success of the Making Space Forum continued as Young at Art extended its partnership with the University of Ulster. champion of the child “Thank you for bringing this exhibition to Omagh. I am pleased that I now have knowledge about this extraordinary person – may his legacy live on” The Champion of the Child project was a joint project between Young at Art and NICCY which used a number of arts-based activities and resources to raise awareness of children’s rights among children and the wider population. At its core was a celebration of the life, work and thinking of Janusz Korczak, a champion of children’s rights in the early 20th century. The project delivered a touring exhibition on the life and legacy of the man who inspired the UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child), travelling to five venues across Northern Ireland - Strule Arts Centre, Omagh, Belfast Waterfront, Fermanagh Museum, Enniskillen, Waterside Theatre, Derry and Island Arts Centre, Lisburn. Supporting this, Young at Art delivered a training programme for the Participation Team of NICCY and with new skills, they delivered a specially devised drama workshop exploring children’s rights. A companion teacher’s resource pack was also created. Nearly 15,000 people attended the exhibition while over 360 children and young people between the ages of 10 and 13 years took part in 16 workshops across Northern Ireland. The project continues to have an impact as the workshop is repeated by the Participation Team with groups all over Northern Ireland, while the Teacher’s version has been successfully made available online for use by teachers and youth workers across the world.