National Campaign Update: Youth Arts Transforms Lives – FACT !

Artswork, the national youth arts development agency which manages ENYAN is delighted to update you on the 2010/11 National Campaign Youth Arts Transforms Lives – FACT ! and the impact that the campaign is making so far.

Endorsing the Campaign

Through rigorous publicity, marketing and communications, the campaign is being fully supported by a wealth of leading sector professionals across the creative, cultural, youth and community sectors. ENYAN has received a mass of supporting statements and notable endorsements have been received from Creativity, Culture and Education (CCE), the Cultural Learning Alliance, Positive Futures- Catch 22, Creative and Cultural Skills, National Children’s Bureau and the Trinity Guildhall Arts Award programme amongst many others.

Jane Bryant, Chief Executive of Artswork comments on the significance of this national campaign:

“The campaign run by Artswork through its English National Youth Arts Network is particularly important at this time of huge change in political and funding landscapes. The evidence produced through the case studies and the identification of local youth arts champions in each region committed to youth arts practice – need to be shouted about!”

Young Lives are Transformed

In addition, over 120 case studies have been submitted to ENYAN and many will be featured in an official campaign resource that will be available in April this year. Case Studies already submitted can also be found on the ENYAN web site (www.enyan.co.uk) and ENYAN will still be accepting case study submissions for the site up until the end of June 2011. The standard of case study submissions has been excellent all have clearly demonstrated the transformative power of the arts to transform young people’s lives.

Regional Champions advocate for Campaign

35 individuals have been awarded the title of Regional Youth Arts Champion (following a successful nominations process). All champions have their own profiles now available to view on the ENYAN web site and have provided their own statements in support of the campaign, such as this from Cheryl Govan, Outreach Officer for Youth and Community/Youth Theatre Director at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough:

“Youth Arts has never been more important. In a world where morale is at an all time low, we must allow our young people the opportunity to not only express themselves creatively but to also have the chance to laugh, cry, relax, be angry, make fools of themselves, all in a safe and non judgemental environment”

Regional Youth Arts Champions are local advocates for the campaign and work to ensure that the messages of the campaign reach as many people as possible. Many champions have been interviewed by local radio stations or have been featured in their local press, as too did Cheryl in fact who featured in the Scarborough Evening News.

Official Campaign Stationery

Many organisations, service providers and individuals have been promoting the campaign through use of the official campaign badge and animated flash banner. These are appearing on web sites, event publicity, emails and letterheads. Those who contributed to the Online Campaign Day (Wednesday 24th November 2010) are listed on the ENYAN web site and we have an ever increasing number of national, regional and local organisations taking supporting the campaign in this way.

National Youth Arts Portal

ENYAN also launched a National Youth Arts Portal on YouTube to provide a video uploading facility for the sharing of best practice regarding arts projects with young people. The portal was launched in September 2010 and has attracted 2,670 visitors and the videos uploaded have been viewed 309 times. Here you will find interviews with young people taking part in youth arts projects and a range of film projects led by young people. To access the National Youth Arts Portal, visit: www.youtube.com/user/YouthArtsPortal

Artswork is encouraging as many people as possible to contribute to the campaign and there is a particular focus on reaching out to youth services who are not fully engaging with youth arts at this present time. The network is still excepting case studies (up until the end of June 2011).

To obtain the official campaign stationery; contribute a youth arts video or for more information about the background of the campaign; how to support the campaign and benefit from the resources available, please contact enyan@artswork.org.uk or tel: 023 80682 535

Notes

Artswork is a registered charity and limited company

*All case study submissions will be assessed on quality and content. The decision to upload case studies onto the ENYAN web site will be made by Artswork