For You Too Training for workshop facilitators Workshops for young people Project Report 2004 Contents 2 Background to Stour Valley Arts Acknowledgements 3 A context for For You Too 4 For You Too 2004 - the third phase Aims and Objectives 2004 6 The Team For You Too 2004 8 Timetable of training and workshop delivery 10 Recruiting artists and consultants 11 Training programme 13 Workshop activities Northdown Primary School, St Peters in Thanet Primary School Silver Felix Hythe Youth Centre, Lydden Primary School 33 Evaluation Methods of evaluation Meeting the training Objectives 40 Positive feedback and lessons learned 43 Future plans Appendices Because there is so much written material supporting this report (questionnaires, written reports, scribed conversations, handouts, photographs and the children's own messages) it will be kept as a box file appendix at Stour Valley Arts where it can be viewed by appointment Report author Nicholette Goff Background to Stour Valley Arts Stour Valley Arts (SVA) has been based in King's Wood, Challock, since it was established in 1994. It commissions artists to undertake creative work in a variety of different disciplines, including film, video, sound and photography, all made in response to the forest environment. More extensively, SVA commissions site-specific sculptures, made from the indigenous materials of the forest. The sculptures are an evolving, maturing, shifting part of the environment, which can be discovered by visitors along a three-mile walk. Because they are located in King's Wood, which is always open for people to visit, the sculptures form a unique and inspiring programme of public art that can be visited, re-visited, viewed and discussed at any time. As well as its commissioning work SVA has developed an extensive education programme in which participants from a wide range of formal and informal educational backgrounds have the opportunity to engage creatively with the forest. Groups of children and young people work alongside artists, teachers and environmentalists, broadening their understanding of contemporary art and of the ecology of King's Wood. Workshops, usually lasting two days, engage participants in a close association with the immensity and intimacy of the forest. Walking for four hours across rough terrain, which for many children is a new experience and one that gives them new understandings of their own physicality; discovering the creatures, materials and moods of the forest that shape fears and emotions and fire the imagination; discovering that some artists choose this as the place they want to work, and through their vision we are encouraged to view the forest in a new way. Acknowledgements Such contact with high quality contemporary art in the natural environment is rare and to have such a resource in Kent is due to the vision of those who started the project in 1994. It is also a credit to all those who have shaped Stour valley Arts over the past 11 years - employees, trustees, volunteers, artists - and to those who continue to give their moral and financial commitment to the project. SVA warmly thanks all those who have worked with such commitment to plan, deliver and evaluate the third programme of For You Too and particularly acknowledges and thanks the following for their support Creative Partnerships, Kent Kent County Council Arts Council England Forestry Commission A Context for For You Too Stour Valley Arts arrived at its programme of For You Too training and workshops through several phases of development. A pilot programme was launched in 2002 in response to requests from a number of organisations that work with young people in disadvantaged circumstances (in particular, lone parents, asylum seekers and refugees, young people with the primary care of others). We were asked to provide our usual creative workshops in the forest but felt that we should re-consider how we plan and deliver to young people who were a)outside formal education and b)dealing with circumstances that by their nature were highly emotional. We decided to take a step back and examine how well we prepared ourselves and our artists to meet the challenges of such groups. We devised a programme of training which brought together all those involved in planning and delivering the workshops (artists, environmentalists and key workers) with consultants who focused the group's attention onto specific issues and strategies for working with these particular young people. The evaluation report from that first phase of For You Too, commissioned by Creative Partnerships, Kent and written by Dr Rosie Read, confirmed the high value of this training to facilitators and participants at all levels. She praised 'the development of transferable skills and expertise, the building of knowledge and confidence, and those which emphasise the centrality of the forest environment within creative, learning processes.' 1 SVA continued to develop the training. Lessons learned from the pilot programme were taken forward into For You Too - phase 2, which was structured in a similar way to the first programme but extended the pre-workshop training to include presentations on child protection, forest orientation, health & safety and multi-sensory learning. The latter, recognising the different ways in which young people might engage with the forest, encouraged the artists to look for multi-sensory outcomes in the workshops. In her evaluation of the second phase of For You Too, Dr Rosie Read reported "The feedback material reviewed in this report clearly shows that participants' interest in the forest environment and in contemporary art . . . was developed, expanded and enhanced. In both workshops the activity of making sculptures from forest materials caught participants' imagination and mobilised their creative abilities in a range of different ways. Through their practical engagement in this activity, participants' ideas of what 'art' is or can be were broadened, as was their sense of their ability to be creative and produce art for themselves." 2 FOOTNOTES 1 For You Too project report 2002 2 For You Too phase 2 project report 2003 For You Too 2004 - the third phase What did we learn in 2003 that we wanted to take forward to 2004? The third phase of For You Too aimed to consolidate and build on the lessons from the previous two programmes. In 2003 the evaluation process involved artists, environmentalists, key workers, workshop participants, SVA staff and Dr Rosie Read, who was at this time acting as our evaluation consultant and co-ordinator. By using several new ways of collecting information 3 we identified key points to take forward into the next programme. They included recommendations to dovetail phase 1 and phase 2 of the programme extend the number of training days, but dedicate some separately to artists and others to key workers/group leaders give more time to planning involve consultants in the workshop planning commit to more workshops with each group of young people, across different seasons expand the possibilities for multi-sensory outcomes4 SVA's internal evaluation confirmed the objective to broaden the educational basis of For You Too by embedding greater diversity in the programme using artists from different art forms using artists with disabilities using artists with different cultural experiences working with Creative Partnerships to develop the work in schools in deprived areas of Kent providing teachers with INSET training in the forest FOOTNOTES 3 see For You Too - phase 2 2004 4 the report recommended that more emphasis should be put on ways in which to include 'multiple learning' at the planning and delivery stages of the workshops As in previous For You Too programmes, we held internal planning meetings and sessions with consultants, before embarking on the training. From our planning session with consultations we came up with the following list of Aims and Objectives for the third phase. Aims and Objectives 2004 Aims - to increase awareness of cultural, racial and disability issues, discrimination and abusive situations and how these might inhibit the learning process - to increase awareness and knowledge of child protection and health and safety issues within arts activities - to promote interest in and appreciation of contemporary art practices - to develop knowledge of a range of issues pertaining to the use of the forest environment as a space for arts-based practices - to increase awareness of different styles of learning, thereby developing confidence, knowledge and transferable skills for all involved - to develop facilitators' understanding of participants' multiple learning, and participants' understanding and awareness of their own learning processes - to maximise the scope for creative diversity by engaging with artists with a broad range of abilities and art practices The objectives of the For You Too training are: - to support the collaboration within each facilitator team to design a workshop which is specific to the requirements of the particular group - to support facilitators to clarify the roles and responsibilities of each facilitator within the group - to encourage facilitators to stimulate participants' interest in creative, arts-based activities in the forest, and to allow participants to review the outcomes of such activities - to develop facilitators' awareness of the multiple ways in which participants learn, and to deliver workshops to maximise the potential for participants to engage through their preferred learning style - to increase facilitators' knowledge of health and safety issues within the forest - to promote facilitators' understanding of child protection issues within arts activities and awareness of cultural, racial and disability scenarios that may arise during the workshops - to agree an evaluation process appropriate to each group The objectives for the workshop facilitators are: - to stimulate and expand participants' interest in contemporary art, through engaging them in discussions about the sculptures, and work in other media, that has been made in response to King's Wood; involving them in arts-based activities in the forest and encouraging them to review and reflect upon these activities - to promote participants' interest in and knowledge of the forest environment - to enhance participants' awareness of health and safety issues in the forest - to contribute to evaluation in a way that is devised by/for their peer group The Team - For You Too 2004 Stour Valley Arts Sandra Drew Director Nicholette Goff Education Officer, For You Too project leader Sara Madgewick Administrator Isobel Collier Education and Participation Manager Consultants Annie Hamlaoui Emotional Literacy Co-ordinator, Creative Partnerships, Kent Jesse Laqeretambua Forestry Commission Stevie Rice Director, da da South Kim Robinson Lecturer, European Centre for the Study of Migration and Social Care Artists Karen Barnes Martin Brockman Tina Carter Choman Hardi Sarah Roelich Liz Porter Lara Varga Sara Wicks Environmentalists Rosemary Hoare Kentish Stour Countryside Project Tim Owens Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Wayne, Dan, Dan and Steve Forestry Commission Northdown Primary School Justine Hopkins Elaine Beresford St Peters in Thanet Primary School Charlotte Rhodes Debbie Spurgin Sara Prosser Silver Felix Hythe Youth Centre Margaret Butler Ann Bell Liz Mohr Tim Owen Lydden Primary School Carole Davies Andrew Russell Pauline Danson Cherie Pollock Independent Evaluator and Photographer Stephanie Smart SVA is particularly grateful to Stephanie Smart, who joined the organisation as part of a KIAD/Creative Partnerships placement, shadowing Nicholette Goff during the For You Too programme. Stephanie was asked to look at how the artists were planning, organising and working as a team. She attended every session, making observations, collecting quotes, taking pictures and offering assistance wherever she could. Having Stephanie's independent view of the project has been invaluable. It released us from the dual role of organising and observing, and ensured that we had sound comment from someone who could concentrate on how the process was working. Stephanie's notes, which are far more extensive than quoted in this document, are on file at SVA's forest office. Timetable of training and workshop delivery Our initial plan for the timetable of training and workshops ran from January 2004 to July 2005. Our aim was to create a more sustainable connection between the school environment and the natural environment through a series of visits to both locations. Artists working across different seasons with children on their own ground as well as alongside the sculptures in King's Wood, could open up the opportunity to test their relationship with nature, not only creatively, but also on emotional and physical levels. The programme would start in the summer term and continue with visits in the autumn and spring. Activities would take place in the school and in King's Wood. Sadly, a reduced cut in funding to our main sponsor, Creative Partnerships, meant that less money was available to support our project. We revised the workshop timetable to cover two seasons, summer and autumn, with the hope that the teachers would be able to continue the work on their own. The following schedule of dates and information is expanded later in this report. The full version can be read on file at SVA's office. Jan - Mar 2004 SVA canvassed schools and youth groups for teachers/group leaders to take part in three days of creative workshops in the forest. We sent flyers explaining what we had in mind and six schools and two youth groups expressed an interest. Three training days for art teachers and youth group leaders at all key stages. The workshops take place in the forest and at SVA's forest base. They are about contemporary art in the landscape, about environmental issues. They are about how we could work with you to deliver part of the curriculum. They are about getting your group to work together, respecting each other's contribution. ".this was the first experience I have had working on this type of project and I would actively find ways to work in this way again, even though 'art' is not my speciality . . . the most successful aspect of the project was the relationships with the students, watching them grow and develop in an environment away from school" (Teacher, ART<>ECO project 2003) 1, 2 and 8 Mar Teachers from four schools and two youth groups joined the three days of training, which we called OUTSET. More information can be found in Training programme Mar - May Artists and consultants were recruited to join the programme. How we recruited and with what objectives is discussed in Recruiting artists and consultants. During this period there were several meetings with schools to confirm ideas and expectations. 7 June The first training day of For You Too was specifically for the artists recruited to lead the workshops. 9 & 10 June Days two and three were for all artists, environmentalists, teachers and group leaders who would be working on the For You Too programme. The agenda included presentations, practical activities and discussions. 30 June - 10 August The first stage of delivery of workshops included a half-day visit by the artists, environmentalist and SVA's education project leader to the schools and youth group, followed by two days working in the forest with the young people and their teachers/leaders. Information about the individual workshops can be found in Workshop activities 11 September - 29 October The second stage included a third visit to King's Wood to note the changes in the season and to continue the work started in the summer. January- February 2005 Drafting of an interim report based on workshop evaluations and reports from artists; submitted for consultation with everyone involved in the For You Too 2004 programme. 16 March Evaluation day with artists, teachers, group leaders and environmentalists. April - June Final draft of report Recruiting artists and consultants Two of the aims for the 2004 For You Too programme were " to increase awareness of cultural, racial and disability issues, discrimination and abusive situations and how these might inhibit the learning process" and "to maximise the scope for creative diversity by engaging with artists with a broad range of abilities and art practices". SVA therefore sought to recruit workshop facilitators who could bring a variety of perspectives to the programme. The team included a total of eight artists: some early career, others mid-career, five of whom were visual artists (sculptors, printmaker, painters, whose work was both abstract and representational), an aerial performance artist, a poet, and a storyteller. Within this group there were two artists with a disability: one with a visual impairment and one with a physical impairment. Two artists were selected for their cultural perspective: one who works with asylum seekers and refugees, and one who is Kurdish and has experienced being a refugee. Two Consultants were recruited for their expertise in these areas: Kim Robinson, Lecturer, European Centre for the Study of Migration and Social Care for her longstanding experience of working with asylum seekers and refugees, and for her commitment to the For You Too programme for three years, and Stevie Rice, Director of da da South, the disability arts development agency, who has helped SVA to consider the involvement of artists with disabilities in its education programme. We recruited two environmentalists who work for organisations with areas of operation inside King's Wood: Kentish Stour Countryside Project and Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and worked with the Forestry Commission on specific site considerations (health and safety, orientation, etc.) within King's Wood. A third consultant, Annie Hamlaoui, Emotional Literacy Co-ordinator for Creative Partnerships, Kent, helped us to develop a strategy to meet two further aims "to increase awareness of different styles of learning, thereby developing confidence, knowledge and transferable skills for all involved" and "to develop facilitators' understanding of participants' multiple learning and participants' understanding and awareness of their own learning process" The remaining three objectives for the training, "to increase awareness and knowledge of child protection and health and safety issues within arts activities", "to promote interest in and appreciation of contemporary art practices" and "to develop knowledge of a range of issues pertaining to the use of the forest environment as a space for arts-based practices", were addressed by SVA staff, with input from the Forestry Commission Training programme 1, 2 & 8 March 2004 Teachers from four schools and two youth groups joined the three-day training programme, which we called OUTSET (it was INSET training, but outside). Two artists, Tina Carter and Karen Barnes, who work with Creative Partnerships schools, also joined us. SVA artist Jackie Brown led a two-day workshop in the forest on the theme, 'Travelling Light'. The group worked outside as usual, without shelter or toilets, despite there being snow underfoot. On the third day the group came back to the forest office for discussions and a presentation by Annie Hamlaoui on 'Multiple Learning Styles'. Notes from Annie's presentation are on file at SVA's forest office. A verbal evaluation of the workshop took place at the end of the third day and was scribed by SVA's administrator, Sara Madgewick. This, and notes from Karen Barnes and Tina Carter, as well as a report from Jackie Brown, who led the creative activity, can be found on file at SVA's office. "Chitter-chatter, gossip, laughter, ideas buzzing, fear at lack of creative inspiration - fear abandoned, chance allowed, discover, play, smiles aplenty. Exploration and adventure, private with an open eye looking in - looking out" (Tina Carter, artist) "The second day was the hardest. My emotions went up and down. When I got back to my school I realized how my children might feel when given work - vulnerable, pressurised, wanting to create a masterpiece. I worried, and then there was relief when I finished something I was proud of. I will take a step back from this valuable experience to consider self expectations and try something new, develop new skills." (Teacher) 7, 8 & 9 June 2004 The first training day of For You Too was specifically for the artists recruited to lead the workshops. Sandra Drew outlined the development and ethos of Stour Valley Arts, how it commissions artists and its education policy. Nicholette Goff led a session on child protection in response to the Arts Council document Keeping Arts Safe and discussions on enhanced disclosure, risk assessment and roles and responsibilities. Most of the participants had not previously worked for SVA so it was important to explain what SVA expects in the practical delivery of workshops, including health and safety, child protection, working as part of a team and possible styles for group facilitation. As part of this Jesse Laqeretambua from the Forestry Commission gave the group a forest induction. He took them to a working area where chestnut was being cut and explained codes of practice and forest safety. The group then had the opportunity to work as a team, finding their way back to SVA's forest office by map reading and forest orientation. Days two and three were for all the training participants working on the For You Too programme - 3 Consultants, 3 SVA staff, 8 artists, 2 environmentalists, 7 teachers and 1 group leader. The agenda included presentations and discussions about what might arise as a barrier, or an opening door, for the young people on the workshops. The greatest part of the third day was given to planning for the workshops. With the guidance of the consultants, we looked at things that might stop children learning, including misconceptions, fears, prejudices and tendencies to different styles of learning. Annie Hamlaoui, Stevie Rice and Kim Robinson gave presentations on multiple learning styles, working with artists with disabilities and the impact on learning for refugees. Literature from the presentations can be found on file at SVA's office. "This model of training is exceptional. The process, the space, the transferable skills - valuable for the artists and teachers. There was a feeling of satisfaction. The artists' induction and the OUTSET training for teachers moved the planning on further and allowed the teachers to participate in a way they couldn't have done." (Consultant) The artists and environmentalists who participated were asked to comment anonymously. The section on Evaluation describes the methods we adopted and some of the results, but the comments below are worth noting here Participants' comments on the individual presentations: Excellent. I was very glad to be challenged and allowed to talk about issues of language and attitude. (disability discrimination) The video we watched was excellent as it's a side of the issues the general public (me) very rarely get to see. It allowed a greater sense of empathy and understanding' (trauma reaction) Since this workshop I have been referring people to the Keeping Arts Safe document. (child protection) Being encouraged to pre-determine roles of staff whilst in the forest - e.g. who deals with behaviour/first aid/health and safety, etc. - and knowing each other's responsibilities from the offset, is vital. (H&S and biodiversity) The workshop was inspirational - it has really made me think about how I will approach workshops in the future. (multiple learning) Participants' comments on the training overall: The relaxed and welcoming nature of SVA makes the training more approachable. I have carried this example (of training) to other commissioning bodies when looking at preparation for art workshops. The SVA For You Too training was an excellent model - and I wish all training could be like this: useful without becoming tedious; opportunities to discuss/apply what we'd learnt; and sharing ideas, particularly cross-fertilisation of artist/teacher perspective. I feel far better equipped to deliver high quality, creative and stimulating workshops. I remember thinking how relaxed but focused sessions generate goodwill amongst fellow trainees. During our three days it felt that all participants were very much respected and valued and therefore the learning was pure pleasure! I cannot rate it highly enough and it is one of the very best learning experiences I have had in many years The training was absolutely wonderful, both enjoyable and educational. I know I have invaluable knowledge, skills and understanding. Thank you. Workshop activities Northdown Primary School Artists: Choman Hardi, poet, and Sarah Roelich, visual artist Teachers: Justine Hopkins and Elaine Beresford Key helper: Ashley Palmer Participants: 38 children from a Year 2 and Year 5/6 partnership SVA's For You Too project leader and forest guide: Nicholette Goff Independent observer: Stephanie Smart 27 April planning meeting between SVA and the school During my preliminary meeting with Justine we established a number of things that might determine which artists would work with the Northdown children. The school had recently been working with Tim Norris and Bill Hudson (two artists who occasionally work with SVA) on a small nature trail in the school grounds. It made sense for the children to continue these references, perhaps with a literacy element included. Another consideration was the diversity of cultural backgrounds in the school. On one of the workshop days we counted 1 Kurdish (Iraq), 2 South African, 1 Polish (Zimbabwe), 1 Spanish, 5 Kosovan, 2 Afro Caribbean, 2 Nigerian and 2 Greek children. The two artists who were assigned to work with the group, Choman Hardi, a poet from Iraq, and Sarah Roelich, a visual artist with experience of working with asylum seekers and refugees, were well suited to work with such a group. 30 June half-day workshop at school I gave a short slide show to introduce SVA's work in King's Wood then handed over to Choman and Sarah. The session included poetry reading, drama activities, word games, walking the school's nature trail, making a journey rope and talking about mini-worlds. Stephanie Smart, observing the workshop remarked "After each poem there was some conversation directly with the children. At first I did feel the children might be finding it a little difficult to relate to the subject matter particularly and the impressive but adult quality of each poem. However the link from journeying to forests throughout them showed careful thought and meant that the relationship with their proposed trip was very obvious. The story of the ants in Sarah's garden was very down to earth and real for the children after Choman's more distant placing of subject matter. Sarah talks to children with real animation and physical movement making big stamping actions for a giants footsteps, or tiny, mousy hand movements to suggest little things. She is very child friendly and acts towards them exactly as expressively as one is taught to do for storytelling. The contrast in working methods was already obvious between the two of them but their subject matter linked very nicely." 12 & 13 July two-day workshop in King's Wood The forest workshops started the usual way with a walk to as many of the sculptures as the children could manage in the time before lunch. On the way there were poetry readings, talks about the sculptures and careful looking at the forest floor. After lunch, in the outdoor studio, the children made sketches and wrote words in their books, then made drawings while they were blindfolded. Everything was organised to raise their awareness of their surroundings, of the cycle of life, of spirals, webs and mini-worlds. At the end of the day the children were asked to write a special word or phrase on a piece of paper, which was twisted into a cone shape and planted, like seeds, in a spiral on the forest floor. When the children returned the next day they were keen to start work on larger pieces. The group divided into groups to discuss what they wanted to make in the forest. Some were very keen to make sculptures following Sarah's talk about mini-worlds and ladders that might connect such spaces within the forest. Others preferred to work with words and sat in clusters around Choman writing stories and poems around the sculptures in the forest. "Words were hung from a string washing line on paper on strings: beech trees - rustling - I like the trees - birds singing - wind blowing trees rustling - relaxing - peaceful - trees whisper leaves fall - tranquil - unspoilt - birds whistling " (Stephanie Smart) 29 September one-day workshop in King's Wood The third visit to the forest in September was nearly a disaster. Sarah had contacted me the night before to say that she was ill and may not be able to make the workshop. We would not know for certain until the next morning. Overnight I drew up plans for an alternative workshop that built on Sarah's original ideas. Stephanie agreed to step in, giving us three activities for working with the children - Stephanie building a colour palette on the forest floor and constructing bugs from natural materials, Choman writing poetry, and me making a giant spider's web. The new arrangement gave Stephanie an opportunity to gain experience at leading a workshop in the forest. We were unsure how much the children would remember of the forest after a long summer break and were delighted that they not only remembered what they had made (and were looking for it), but also were able to note some of the season's influences on the forest. On the way to the outdoor studio we noted how different things looked with the early autumn yellowing of the leaves. We showed the children how to cut chestnut saplings and collected enough to make the spider's web, which we later decorated with small bug sculptures, poems and words. "Sarah absent so N. and I taking on her area of working with the group while Choman working on words/poetry with half the group. Too large numbers really for her by herself and because we were being used, not able to help her. Still some interesting written work and readings of poems by children were impressive. Colour palette idea that we came up with was a good one, but with more time the ground should have been checked for hardness re. digging hole to put coloured collections in . . . . did not need repeating by second half of group. Spider web fantastic. Good help from teachers and good construction skill practice; nice idea things made individually to hang on it. This element was fantastically well put together at the last min. by N." (Stephanie Smart) Forest Notes The school had extended the day to allow extra time in the forest and this had a significant impact on the workshops. They were more relaxed and less 'time anxious' than those that had to finish by 2.15pm. I made a note of some of the experiences the children had on the two-day workshop. They made ladders (large and small), cut down saplings, used loppers and secateurs, made little landscapes, looked at nature, collected objects from the forest floor, wrote special words, listened to sounds, made memory ropes, drew in their sketchbooks, read aloud to each other, used charcoal, chalk and mud to draw, planted word seeds, took tree rubbings and talked endlessly about their experience in the forest. An enormous amount of support came from Ashley Palmer, who accompanied the school group as a helper. He had been present at the previous workshops where he had generously shared his knowledge of construction techniques and skills as a woodsman, as well as demonstrating his excellent rapport with the children. His contribution to the September workshop deserves our special thanks and praise, particularly since I wanted the web to be huge, at least 12 feet high and hung with the children's bug sculptures, poems and messages. The construction problems were complex and Ashley's support was invaluable. After the workshop I realised how my being occupied as a workshop facilitator, and therefore not in a position to take an overview of what was happening, meant that Choman was on her own for most of the afternoon session. Teachers and helpers gravitated to the making of the web and bugs (where they were needed for tying knots, etc.) leaving Choman to work alone on the writing activiti es. She made no complaint, but must have felt isolated and under supported at times. This observation shows how important it is to have a person who is not tied to any one activity and whose role it is to take the overview of how the workshop is progressing. St Peter's in Thanet Primary School Artists: Tina Carter, aerial artist and Lara Varga, visual artist Teachers: Sara Prosser, Charlotte Rhodes and Debbie Spurgin Participants: 30 children from Year 5 SVA's For You Too project leader and forest guide: Nicholette Goff Independent observer: Stephanie Smart 27 April planning meeting between SVA and the school During my preliminary meeting we decided that the workshops would be offered to only one class but would involve two teachers: the one they would be progressing to next year, as well as their current teacher. The teacher they were progressing to was an ITC specialist so we agreed that there would be an element of the workshops that would transfer into computer work. 30 June half-day workshop at school I gave a short slide show to introduce SVA's work in King's Wood then handed over to Lara who played music and showed slides of her tree-creature prints. The children were given chalk, charcoal and forest paper to draw leaves, animals and a part-animal/part-plant creature of their own invention. Tina then showed the children small photographs of forest detail, for example, a close up of a branches colour and texture or twigs on the forest floor. Tina slowly revealed that each of the six images represented a letter of the alphabet, which together spelt the word 'forest'. Tina led the class into a performance in which the children laid on the floor and took on the shapes of the letters, then continued the association between natural objects and their 'essence' as performed action, using other photographs as stimulus. The children, working in seven groups, put together their own sound and shape performances. " . . . very impressive, inventive and inspiring. It demonstrated really good single/pair/group work and had all the children involved happily. They did say when asked, that they found it hard. The group with Lewis found it hard because one of them had a broken leg, but they also said they enjoyed watching each other as she (Tina) stressed the necessity to also be a respectful audience." (Stephanie Smart) 6 & 7 July two-day workshop in King's Wood The children were taken by Tina and Nicholette through the sculptures, collecting interesting objects from the forest floor. On the way they were stopped by the foresters and asked if they would like to see a tree being felled. This was a very generous thing for the foresters to offer. It takes a while to organise 30 children and accompanying adults in the middle of a tree-felling site, and all the while operations had to be halted to ensure absolute safety. They were stimulated and excited by the experience. The children realised that they had been very privileged. At the end of the first day, as they were getting on the coach to go home, the foresters gave each child a slice of branch and a leaf from the tree they had seen felled earlier in the day. In the outdoor studio, where Lara was waiting to meet the children, they were split into two groups - one to work on activities with Tina and the other to work with Lara. In Lara's group the children completed three activities, which would contribute to a performance on the second day. They painted and drew, using chalk, charcoal and mud on forest paper, to make long banners, which would become the backdrop for the performance. The children made masks of animals, which they would wear during the performance, and body adornments from forest materials. Stephanie overheard the following conversation Lara: "Was it good painting with mud? Better than paint?" "Yeah you get messy." "It's actually quite fun using liquid mud." "Mud is better than using normal paint because we're in a forest." "Mud is better than paint because it's from theforest." While working with Tina the children were making body shapes in response to the things they had collected on the journey to the outdoor studio. In groups of three to five, they devised performances of shapes and sometimes sounds, which they acted out to the rest of the group. The teacher commented ' I've been so impressed by the way you've all cooperated. You've done lots of problem solving today '. The groups swapped at various points so that each had an equal amount of time with Tina and Lara. Eventually the creative work built to a very carefully planned performance in which the children wore their own costume and performed their own moves, in front of their own stage set. Each child had made a contribution to every element of the performance. "The natural ornamentation was great and effective. They used ferns, sticks, leaves, grasses and stones with string to make necklaces and belts as suggested but also to be very independently inventive by asking for help to tie ferns, etc. around chests, to make tiaras, to tie onto their arms, legs etc. One young boy got me to tie sticks to his legs and arms as well as to help him make a chest plate. He almost became robotic in the way that these restricted his movements . . . The masks were wonderfully differentiated. The banners did not last long unfortunately during the final performance because of the wind blowing the big branch down which caught and tore one of them. It was too windy. It was only the weather that began to spoil the final performances, otherwise each group sat on a tarpaulin and watched the others. With their masks on they all got fully into the spirit of giving the final performances, and the workshop overall felt very coherent and positive." (Stephanie Smart) At the end of the two days when asked what they had liked/had learnt during the workshop several remembered the sculptures "I liked the hole, I liked the way at the bottom the hole was lower." "I did like the cloud chamber but I get a bit claustrophobic." "I just want to find out how they get the cloud images on the stone." 20 October one-day workshop in King's Wood On this occasion we met Lara at 'the baskets' where we worked for an hour or so. Tina's group spent their time looking for alphabet letters , which they photographed with a digital camera. Lara's group looked at the Celtic tree alphabet, then devised symbols and signs of their own to represent the trees they could identify. The groups swapped tasks as before. "The children arrived in the rain, wet but undeterred, throwing words at us like natural resources . . . they seemed to be old hands, coming back to their natural turf, with no concerns, no hygiene worries, only a great enthusiasm and sense of collaborative engagement" (Lara Varga) The group continued their walk with an instruction from Tina 'to collect things of interest e.g. colourful leaves, jaggedy flint, fallen flowers, etc. and to keep these with them for inspiring movement and image work.' At the outdoor studio they divided into groups to construct sculptural words on the forest floor, which Lara photographed with an instamatic camera. As on their previous visit, the children devised sounds and movements to accompany the words they had made. "The afternoon seemed a great success. The instamatic camera made results real and immediate, which is always a good idea. The development from individual to group working offered a very well rounded afternoon, and the drama kinaesthetic representation of the chosen words also formed visually out of forest debris, made for a very neatly linked and finished three and a half days. A really interesting use of alphabets in the forest. The children did not seem to respond particularly enthusiastically to searching for letters in the basketry but it was a very neat link to Tina's finding of the letters for the word 'forest' which she had introduced way back on the introductory day and not re-used. Also a great initial step to the afternoon activities. Lara's woodland Celtic alphabet was also a very clever idea but a little complicated re. presentation on the sheet." (Stephanie Smart) Forest Notes The teacher commented several times that she was pleased that the work in the classroom transferred so well to the work in the forest. The artists set out to fully embrace For You Too's brief to devise workshops with multiple outcomes. They included drawing, performance, sculpture, mask making, discussion, percussion, ITC work, poetry, sound, problem solving, analysis, individual responsibility and environmental issues. Lara raised concerns that the slide show on 30 June enthused the children and excited them about their visit to King's Wood, but led some to disappointment when they realised they would not be making sculptures in the forest. This was particularly evident for a number of boys who were so inspired by the sculptures in King's Wood they constructed their own during workshop breaks. Tina and Lara were consistently evaluating and adjusting the plan to suit the responses of the group and changes in the environment. They worked extremely well as a team, despite their concerns that they needed to plan more. Debbie Spurgin, teacher with the group, felt that the children liked to listen to people other than their teacher and that communication was very good. Communication is a concern for many of the artists in the programme, which I will raise again in Evaluation. The group did not have an environmentalist working alongside the artists but the tree felling on the first day more than made up. It was an unexpected and magical invitation, which delayed our programme slightly, but could not be missed. This group also experienced some of the wildest winds and coldest temperatures of the season in the July workshops. In October the weather was poor, very overcast with rain. These children experienced the moods of the forest probably more than any others in the programme. Lara's transition into the workshop days had to be managed carefully due to her physical disability, which prevents her from walking any distance. Lara had to be located in the forest then left alone while I went to fetch the group from the car park. Although she did have the shelter of my car this could mean a wait of more than 40 minutes. When the group arrived at where Lara was waiting they had already had time to re-orientate with the forest and the other workshop leaders. At the end of the day a similar arrangement meant that Lara said her farewells in the outdoor classroom. Lara missed the initial and closing contact with the children, but I'm not aware that the children noticed her absence too much. And if they did, they understood. Silver Felix Hythe Youth Centre Artists: Karen Barnes, visual artist and Martin Brockman, visual artist Group Leaders: Margaret Butler, Ann Bell, Liz Mohr, Environmentalist: Tim Owen, Kent Downs AONB Participants: 12 young people aged 11-15yrs SVA's For You Too project leader and forest guide: Nicholette Goff SVA's Education and Participation Manger: Isobel Collier Independent observer: Stephanie Smart Planning meeting between SVA and the Youth Centre We had been negotiating for several weeks with Tim Owen, who is a Friday evening youth worker at Silver Felix. He felt that the group would respond better to a practical activity and had been talking about the young people making something in response to the forest, for the youth centre. However, due to a sudden illness that resulted in hospitalisation, Tim could not attend the training days in June. No one at Silver Felix was aware that plans for the project were being developed or that they were invited to join the training. We therefore had no representation from Silver Felix at the For You Too training and they missed the sessions with the artists, consultants and SVA staff that formed the core of the planning. In a later evaluation it is interesting to note that this team of facilitators felt at a huge disadvantage for missing this initial contact. None would have abandoned the project, in fact all emphasise the value to themselves and to the young people, but they do stress how important the co-training is. Karen and Martin had to devise the workshops without any knowledge of the group, the venue, the support, or what they might be expecting out of the project. It took some time to establish a new contact at Silver Felix, but as soon as Margaret Butler understood what had happened she gave the project her full attention and unswerving support. 10 August evening workshop at the youth centre I gave a short slide show about the sculptures in King's Wood, then handed over to Karen and Martin who led the young people through a series of activities. Karen had made small frames containing natural material (leaves, petals, creatures, seeds) which when projected on to a large screen, showed the delicacy of their colours and forms. Karen asked the participants to draw on forest paper using charcoal and chalk from King's Wood. Their images, much larger than the original, were suspended in large frames that Martin and another group of young people were constructing from branches collected from the forest. Martin encouraged the young people to work in teams using saws, drills and gouges. The early establishment of such practical activities seemed to sit well with the group and gave a good indication of how the workshops would develop. Martin produced beautifully elegant workshop plans/mind maps, which illustrated their combined ideas to work with the feelings of woodland places, of pathways and of boundaries. "Where understanding becomes confusion, where the clearing becomes a tangle of woodland, where a safe place becomes threatening. How to make a sculpture that conveys these feelings?" (Martin Brockman) 11 and 12 September two-day workshop in King's Wood The forest workshops were held later in the year than anticipated so a contrast in the seasons was not so obvious. Nevertheless, the group had a very good induction to the ecology of King's Wood as we walked the sculpture trail. Tim had rejoined the project and brought his environmental expertise to the team. The discussions at each of the sculptures included activities led by him. At the B52 he asked the group to sit in silence and draw a sound map of the forest. The young people were asked to think about particular features, such as the B52 clearing and the water hole at The Ring and what significance they had for the wildlife in the forest. They were encouraged to give their views on whether the sculptures they saw worked in harmony with the forest. After the walk we settled in the outdoor studio where Martin talked about the forest providing wood for making tools, furniture, paper, etc. He demonstrated how to make a mallet from a log and ways of making joints in forest wood using basic hand tools. Half of the group stayed with Martin to make tools while the other half went with Karen to look at other materials and ways of constructing them. "She talks of different colours collected, different shapes, upward thrust of lines and the circular shapes within the forest. She stresses a sense of boundaries and asks about the boundaries that are within the classroom space, also what sense of boundaries occur in the artwork; to consider the creative act also in the removal of material rather than the placing of it only. Tying methods include the use of string and the plastic ties used in the baskets, which she describes as special because it rots and can therefore be used here in the forest. The children are then asked to construct small individual sculptures using the materials around them. One boy produces a small piece that uses balance and he links it without prompting to the picture of Andy Goldsworthy's stones that they had been shown as part of the introductory demo at the youth club." (Stephanie Smart) The second day started with drawing - sitting in a circle, looking outwards, the group made a 360-degree panoramic response to the outdoor studio. Developing the observations in their drawings the young people constructed their own sculptures. "The second day in the woods was ten times as good as we had the chance to sit down at the end of the first day and make more solid plans for how to continue. This meant that the second day flowed more smoothly as we could relax just that bit more. We were more confident about what we were doing" (Karen Barnes) 29 October one-day workshop in King's Wood and at the youth club The participants of the workshop, particularly the young people involved, decided that their final session should be split between the two sites - King's Wood and the youth centre at Hythe. They asked if they could spend the morning collecting materials to take back to Hythe, where they could work with Martin and Karen to construct a wall hanging for their centre. "This gave us a definite design brief to work to, with a defined space and wish - to create a screen of wood in the form of a tree. This screen held photographs and drawings from the two-day workshops in the forest" (Martin Brockman) "It was great that Martin was particularly able to concentrate on construction in the afternoon with one young lad for whom this seemed really developmental. N. was able to focus on another lad (who had not been on the previous two days but for whom the resulting work made a complete visit of just this one day) on drawing forest imagery and atmosphere that he found particularly appealing. This allowed those who showed less specific interest to be working with Karen and Isobel on individual detailing. Karen's role was much more defined this time (by herself)concentrating on her own and not on Martin's skills. The instamatic camera in the morning was a really involving touch, and I think today particularly, this project hung together very succinctly. "(Stephanie Smart) "I truly believe that the children who took part in the workshops will have gained a lot from being there. Forming good relationships with peers and elders, having fun; learning good, transferable skills; being creative; stepping out of the box; working in nature; drawing and talking about ideas; thinking about how to use what they learnt in the future . . . the list goes on. " (Karen Barnes) Because this group was older, we devised a questionnaire that would elicit their response to the workshops. The full versions are on file at the SVA office but some of the comments, reproduced here, provide a useful insight to the young people's experience: What have you learnt about art in the landscape? All the different textures and colours That you can make loads of things out of a piece of wood That you can always make something out of nothing You can make something out of anything you find on the floor or up high What have you learnt about the forest? How to take care of it, what dangers there are About different fungi, mushrooms and about harvesting Not to damage wildlife. Names of things There is more to the forest than wood and leaves Is there anything in particular you feel more confident about? Speaking out in a group, sharing ideas I feel more confident in woodwork The sculptures, and different kinds of creatures Joining in with different learning groups Working as a team with different people What was good or special? The change of place from youth club to forest and back again It was my first time. Nothing could make it better To make a good team with other people I had the chance to work in a natural environment with friendly and helpful people I could experiment with materials I have experienced something that not everybody in the world would have been able to do Forest Notes The delayed start to these workshops created some difficulties for the artists, who wanted to get on with the planning but had no one to plan with. Martin and Karen deserve all credit for staying connected and focused on the training objectives until they were able to pick up the work two months later. Frustrations around trying to plan for the unknown were an inherent characteristic of these workshops. Everyone involved - artists, youth club managers, SVA staff - wanted to develop the workshops as thoroughly as possible, so that the group had the best experience possible. But the group was, in a sense, not a group. The young people attended the youth centre on their own volition. They were not required to take part in the forest workshops, the choice was theirs. Therefore we could not predict whether there would be 12 people, or 6, or 1 person attending. We didn't know until the mini-bus pulled into the car park. We have met this problem in previous programmes of For You Too, with other groups of young people, and recognise that it requires the artists to be flexible when planning the workshops and to be able to respond to however many participants they find themselves with on the day. At the preliminary workshop in Hythe we had a floating contingent of between 12 and 16 young people. On the first day in the forest eight turned up, but we discovered that it could have been only one. Most of the young people were going to a music event in Hythe, leaving only Jamie who wanted to come to King's Wood, but he had persuaded seven others to come along because, he said, we had made the effort to ask Silver Felix to join the project they should make the effort to be there. On the second day we had lost about half, but gained several new people, and on the final day we had a core of six and a few floating visitors. Despite a fair amount of shifting in the numbers, Karen and Martin planned skilfully and flexibly to hold the interest, involvement and attention of the group throughout the three and a half days. We had some other concerns during the forest workshops. Several children came without food, some because there was none available or prepared at home. The group leader brought biscuits and drink for everyone, but some had no lunch at all. One girl wasn't going to come on the second day because she had no food to bring. Fortunately the Barn Shop is not too far away so we ensured that we purchased more than enough rolls, fruit and cakes on both forest workshop days and, on the third day had burgers waiting at the youth club. Karen and Martin present good role models for young people of this age. They look right, are in touch with young ideas and had a down to earth attitude when talking about artwork. Their combination of 'street cred' and 'art cred' seems to have been the right choice for this group, at an age when image and peer approval are central concerns. At the same time, both Karen and Martin have a deeply thoughtful approach to the forest and have used it to stimulate their own conceptual and practical aesthetics. Their practice, though similar, is sufficiently different to offer a range of possible ways into the workshops. Silver Felix came in late to the project and there is no doubt that everyone would have benefited from more contact before the workshops, particularly more time to build relationships on the young people's own turf. Everyone benefited greatly from the experience. The commitment and dynamics of the young people was outstanding. Lydden Primary School Artists: Liz Porter, storyteller and Sara Wicks, visual artist Environmentalist: Rosemary Hoare, Kentish Stour Countryside Project Teachers: Carole Davies (Head), Andrew Russell, Pauline Danson, Cherie Pollock Participants: 64 children SVA's For You Too project leader and forest guide: Nicholette Goff Independent observer: Stephanie Smart 31 March planning meeting between SVA and the school During our preliminary discussions the school expressed a wish to include the whole school in the workshops. There are 64 children on the school roll, which is a much larger group than we would normally work with. The school wanted a project that was cross-curricular and could involve problem solving, thinking and ecological concerns, which meant that we could also use one of the For You Too environmentalists to great effect. They particularly wanted to explore 'water' as a theme in the forest. Taking into account the large number of children there were extra requirements for health and safety as well as an additional workload for the artists. "To be given an entire school was very daunting yet exciting as they would all experience the forest as a community and work/learn together, a rare opportunity. However, it was difficult to think through the best use of time for maximum forest and creative impact and take into consideration the school's wishes, i.e. to have information on the water table and environmental information as well as the artistic experience" (Liz Porter) 5 July half-day workshop at school I gave a short slide show to introduce SVA's work in King's Wood then handed over to Liz, Rosemary and Sara to deliver the practical workshop. Liz began by using her Tibetan singing bowl to draw everyone's attention. She then told a story about a beautiful strange woman with a cloak of forest materials. The story included many animals - ducks, rats and frogs. Rosemary followed with a talk about the River Stour, which runs through the Stour Valley close to King's Wood. She asked the children to think about animals that might live in King's Wood. Rosemary then led the children around the school grounds, collecting natural materials and talking about the wildlife in the grounds. When they returned Sara was waiting to guide them through drawing with charcoal and chalk on forest paper, then collage with the natural materials they had collected. "There was a wide spread of ability, some needing help by being talked through what a duck etc. looked like. Some of the youngest ones were very confident and sure of creating their own work. The afternoon was generally recognised to be a great success by the teachers and practitioners who met together at the end, all of whom were very enthusiastic about the idea of the workshop in the forest to come." (Stephanie Smart) The collages were laid out on the grass for everyone to look at. Together they reminded us of the patchwork cloak worn by the beautiful strange lady in Liz's story. This was a useful first stage in showing the children that they were working as a group 15 & 16 July two-day workshop in King's Wood The forest workshops started with a walk to the Living Archway sculpture to collect chestnut saplings, which the children carried with them. They were told how cutting the saplings would help that particular area of the forest, and why it is good to cut chestnut regularly. The group made their way to the outdoor studio where they divided into two to go on separate walks, half with Liz and the other half with Sara and Rosemary. The groups were swapped after lunch. When they were with Liz they visited three sculptures - Imprints, Ring and Coppice Cloud Chamber - where Liz told them stories (the sticky pine tree, the man and the swan, and a native New Zealand story of how trees came to be). The stories were chosen specifically to relate to the sculptures and the experience of being in the forest, but also carried messages about difference and acceptance. When they were with Sara and Rosemary the children learned about the structure of trees, about the water cycle and made banners and flags to mark the creative journey. "Rosemary got the tallest children to stand in a group as heart wood surrounded by the next tallest as phloem, holding their chestnut sapling leaves, and the rest to squat around outside of the group as roots. The inner children had to make strong noises as heartwood, the next ones around had to make sucking noises as phloem and wave the leaves they were holding, and the roots had to make an appropriate noise. Along the long mound of Dominique Bailly's sculpture they completed, all together, a long drawing - a banner with leaves and charcoal and chalk and earth. Then with help, stripped off some or all of the leaves from their chestnut saplings and pierced small pieces of paper to make flags. These they decorated on the way back, by the ant's nest that was on the hill. Sara had seemed to want them particularly to be inspired by the ants and the journey's they go on for their drawings. "(Stephanie Smart). "The children were keen to see the wood ants nests on the way back, although some liked poking them with sticks (probably out of curiosity than to do harm), which showed awareness of ant behaviour. Most stopped after it was explained that they should respect the forest." (Rosemary Hoare) "The artwork clearly showed the children had taken something form the stories and the forest and that they had thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The project shows that storytelling and visual arts/environment can work very well together. Hearing the ideas Sara came up with and the outline of Rosemary's talk enabled me to think of descriptions I could put into the story and to think of ways to bring out the seasonal changes." (Liz Porter) On the second day the group gathered in the outdoor studio, where Rosemary repeated the tree exercise. Each remembered which layer they were in the structure of the tree and the noises they had to make to describe its function. After this Liz used her singing bowl to draw attention, then told the story of the Freedom bird. Sara asked the children to build a large sculpture of a Freedom bird and it's nest. Working in teams, each was assigned to make a part. Under Sara's tireless guidance, the bird and nest eventually took shape. While this was going on, Liz encouraged some of the children to make up stories about the freedom bird. At the end of the day each child related some of their thoughts, feelings and stories to the whole group as they hung their gifts on the tree. "After lunch I assembled the bird with the help of different children from each group. We used twine to help suspend the wings and it did look fairly bird-like, sitting on a splendid nest. One boy said to me "Have we made a sculpture?" and was delighted when I said yes. Liz had been encouraging the children to write down words about the forest, and I asked them to make something to decorate a tree as a thank-you to the forest. For me these were the most magical things that the children made - from beautiful representation of a bird made of shaped sticks, to a tantalizing parcel of pierced forest paper containing something rustling, to the simplicity and beauty of a foxglove flower entwined with a couple of leaves." (Sara Wicks) "This was a lovely finish, the gift to the tree especially resulted in some very lovely items and really inspired/pleased the children. The children could not necessarily remember the stories they had made up before lunch and one little boy got very carried away, loving his chance of such a big audience, to wildly make up a new large part of his group's story, which slightly threw the others but delighted the little boy, whose face was alive with a wonderful grin." (Stephanie Smart) "The format of standing in a group may favour more older children, however it was confidence building for the younger children and promoted inclusivity of ages and listening skills. The children came up with some nice words to feedback to the group about their experience in the forest. Some children came up with a lot of words demonstrating their strength at that particular learning style. I found this interesting and useful for future sessions." (Rosemary Hoare) At the end of the day a group of foresters, who we had met at the start of the day and who described their work in the forest, were waiting near the car park to give a slice of cut chestnut branch, wrapped in a chestnut leaf, to each of the children. 5 October one-day workshop in King's Wood "We arranged with the school that we would travel on the coaches with them and were delighted to find at the school that quite a lot of work had been done in response to the previous workshops. The long drawings made at the chalk circle were on the school hall wall alongside photos of the two days in the woods and freedom birds which had been made in response to Liz's story." (Sara Wicks) "It was good to see that the work was continuing at the school. It showed the enthusiasm of the teachers towards the project. Travelling with the children on the coaches helped build relationships with the teachers and children. The children gave good answers at the beginning of the day when asked about health and safety in the forest. It was reassuring to know that the message had got across to them from the first visit" (Rosemary Hoare) The children could see the changes in the forest as autumn was progressing and Liz, bringing the group into a circle, asked them to draw down their memories from their previous visits and place them in an large, invisible 'memory bag' in the centre of the circle. "We wanted the day to be focused, but with time for reflection and creativity. There was a theme of 'seasonal change, time travel and journeys'. We wanted to look at how the forest had changed and use imagination to bring the forest alive through story and making" (Liz Porter) Rosemary talked to the children about the changing season and helped them to understand what was happening to the falling leaves. She told them about nature recycling to provide nourishment for the soil. She handed the children leaf litter in various stages of decomposition and asked them to find words that described how it felt. "The children came up with various words to describe leaf litter and soil. It was interesting to note that one child mentioned the composting process. Generally the children listened and interacted well. It was good to get some comments from children that hadn't spoken out before." (Rosemary Hoare) The group walked in silence, to the B52 sculpture where Liz told a magnificent story of flying machines, princesses, heroes and dragons. When the children returned to the outdoor studio, Sara led the sculpture activity, using the story as inspiration for artworks, then asked the children to make a special drawing implement/paintbrush from bound twigs to use at school. Rosemary worked with younger children that had finished the main activity on mini-beasting - observing and identifying the smallest of forest wildlife. Forest Notes "Liz's stories were great and though at times I worried a little that their length would result in her loosing their attention it was, instead, held each time. They seemed to all very much enjoy being told stories in the forest setting. From then on the comments from the children demonstrated strongly that they had had their thoughts provoked. The parts of the body of the bird sculpture were made by different groups. At this point the overall impression of the school area did appear chaotic, children running around collecting, teachers constructing. In this instance the end result was fantastic. None of the children noticed that lunch was later than its usual time as they were too involved which was a very good sign of their enthusiasm and enjoyment. It was true of each workshop that the children needed a chance to explore, appreciate and enjoy the forest." (Stephanie Smart) All teams on the For You Too programme have experienced problems with time and the frustration of not being able to give the 'quality' they would like (see Evaluation). But this team probably had more to deal with because they had three workshop leaders delivering three different focuses (storytelling, sculpture and environmental studies) in a very limited amount of time. It was frequently felt that the time was far too rushed and congested, with no time to reflect on activities or develop personal responses. The artists talk about a conflict between 'time to stare' and the limitations of a fixed timetable, yet also acknowledge that a firmer, written timetable could have helped others understand what was to happen next. Finding the right structure, in which time to reflect (a time-less activity) can co-exist with time-planned activity, is possibly the greatest dilemma for good educationalists. If the forest workshops felt chaotic at times, the amount of thought and consideration that Sara, Rosemary and Liz put into the planning ensured that every element dovetailed and made connections. They deserve much praise for working magnificently as a team and providing the children with an extraordinary experience, which in the end fitted into the time allowed. Liz has a visual impairment, which needed some consideration when moving around the forest, but was hardly noticeable (to others) when the workshops were underway. I remember thinking during one of Liz's stories that she brought the forest alive, opening our eyes, making us see, altering our vision. Liz was giving us sight into a special world, and that was a remarkable thing. One of the children said to me "when Liz was telling the story it was as if the trees were telling the story." The boy, who we were later told was not a high achiever, had been so deeply moved by the experience that he re-told the story to his class when back at school. The project, according to the school, has had a lasting impression on all the children. There have been enormous opportunities for literacy work and group working, where older children have been helping younger ones. Year 5/6 children made a living willow sculpture in the school's woodland garden, year R/1 designed patterns for a raised flower bed and other children made woven wicker shapes to protect wildlife in the pond area. The children worked with charcoal and bark rubbings on dragon pictures inspired by Liz's story at the B52 sculpture. Evaluation Methods of evaluation There was wide consultation at all stages of the training, planning and delivery of workshops. This included formal and informal feedback as well as scheduled evaluation meetings. The documentation listed below is too extensive to include with this report, but is held on file at SVA office where it can be viewed by appointment. 4U2ev1 - Scribed response to the initial OUTSET training for teachers March 04 4U2ev2 - Feedback on the consultant's presentations during For You Too training days for artists, teachers and environmentalists June 04 4U2ev3 - Notes from verbal de-brief with artists and review of plan after each workshop day June - -August 04 4U2ev4 - Report by independent observer, Stephanie Smart, assessing how teams worked together June - October 04 4U2ev5 - Written post-workshop reports from artists and environmentalist June - October 04 4U2ev6 - The participants' voices - Silver Felix questionnaire and children's letters October 04 4U2ev7 - Creative Partnerships evaluation form February 05 4U2ev8 - Evaluation meeting for Facilitators (artists, teachers and environmentalists), SVA staff, Independent Observer and Consultants 16 March 05 4U2ev9 - Notes from individuals at the meeting above March 05 4U2ev10 - Notes from evaluation meeting with consultants March 05 To ensure that this report fairly represents the views and experience of the people involved, the initial draft was circulated in February 04 for approval to all those involved in the planning and delivery of For You Too 2004. The schools conducted their own evaluation with the children. Though not on file at SVA, some of their anecdotes and comments are included in this text. Meeting the training Objectives To support the collaboration within each facilitator team to design a workshop which is specific to the requirements of the particular group - The workshop content was closely negotiated by SVA staff and facilitator teams and took into account each individual school's requests as well as the particular viewpoints and strengths the artists could bring. To appreciate the different approaches, the activities and the outcomes please read the workshop reports on pages 13 - 32 - It was clear that artists with different levels of experience and different skills areas were learning from each other and, perhaps more than if they were working individually, had to plan for their own multiple styles as well as those of the participants. Some artists comment on 'that uncomfortable zone' when working with another artist and the delicacy with which negotiations must take place. "I was a little worried about working alongside Choman because her field of art was so different from mine, and I couldn't for a long time see how we were going to produce something together, but after the first school workshop I came away thinking that we could make a good team. I was so impressed with her poems and found myself covered in goose bumps with the life experiences she had" (Sarah Roelich) "One of the strengths of our work was that we tried to keep it simple in terms of format but achieved a lot in terms of linking themes and ideas"(Rosemary Hoare) - In all workshops the facilitators commented on their objective to maintain high quality, setting high expectations and stretching the participants' ambitions, giving esteem and respect to the young people involved, particularly the youth group who may not have much home support. Gaining their trust is crucial in gaining their involvement. It was recommended that we could build closer confidence and lay even better foundations by 'hanging out' at the youth centre for several weeks before the workshops begin. To support facilitators to clarify the roles and responsibilities of each facilitator within the group - When working on most other projects artists will have total, or a large degree of, control in the planning and delivery of the creative activity. However, on the For You Too programme they are asked to negotiate and collaborate with another artist, an environmentalist, SVA education staff, and the school. With so many different inputs affecting how the workshops will run it is little wonder that most facilitators report some trouble in this area. Every workshop experienced disruption to a greater or lesser degree (weather, personnel, time constraints, etc) but where problems arose it was almost always around communication - not knowing what the plan was or that the plan had changed. - There were a number of comments from artists around the involvement of others in the workshop activities, particularly where it was felt that more support could have been forthcoming from the helpers who came with the schools. Some artists reported that teachers and helpers who were 'chatting' could have been more involved in controlling the group or helping with the making process. This does appear to be a criticism but perhaps we were not clear enough about what we want people to do and where their boundaries were. Many of the helpers and teachers were experiencing the forest environment for the first time and could have found it as overwhelming as some of the children. In many cases they were coming unprepared. It may be that SVA could do more to indicate how far others are expected to get involved and what is expected of them. As previously mentioned, a video or DVD of SVA's education work could be useful for this purpose. "My only concern was one true throughout the workshops. This was the role demanded of the teachers. The artist involved could never be everywhere at once and so the teachers often had to be intimately, creatively and practically involved. I felt that practical, technical advice for the teachers perhaps previous to the workshops might have enabled this process. Also it would seem to me that the legacy of the workshops in the longer term within the school setting is left with the teachers - as the particular children affected move on. Art is not only an imaginative, but often (especially in the forest setting) a technical process and where as lack of specialist artistic knowledge may alienate a teacher from feeling enabled to take part confidently in the artistic area of the curriculum, technical training can engender a confidence that may be enough to override this. The forest was a new environment for them as well as for the children and practical know how, for example of how to pin leaves together with thorns, might have helped their ability to feel less estranged to it." (Stephanie Smart) - Artists were constantly trying to reconcile the dilemma of co-working and managing a group while delivering a challenging creative program. During the workshops it was evident that the artists and environmentalist were dynamic and flexible, changing the workshop plan in response to what was happening. This is the mark of an excellent enabler/facilitator - constantly assessing and adjusting to the situation; understanding that changing direction slightly may provide a more effective learning opportunity. - To encourage facilitators to stimulate participants' interest in creative, arts-based activities in the forest, and to allow participants to review the outcomes of such activities - There is no doubt that interest in creative activity was stimulated, as can be seen in the participants' and teachers comments (see Workshop activities) and reviewing the work was part of each workshop day. The young people were encouraged to give their opinions and discuss the process at every stage. This engenders a sense of ownership and pride in the work, which is validated by the comments of facilitators. In learning respect for their own work they also develop respect for the work of others, and the environmental and social contexts in which it is located. " An excellent project offering the young people at Silver Felix an opportunity to participate in a completely new project undertaken in a different environment . . . The finished wall hanging has been erected in a small quadrangle . . . what is most noticeable is the creative work and environmental art has not been tampered with. Young people were keen to show the photographs taken in King's Wood to their peers. The project was discussed at a countywide youth and community meeting, the example being that the young people who attended and saw the project through should be certificated - a learning outcome with feedback and evaluation being an important part of the core curriculum values of environmental learning" (evaluation report from Silver Felix Hythe Youth Centre) - We have noted on previous For You Too workshops that participants arrive with a lot of 'stuff on top', which impacts on their transition into the forest, for example, many of the younger children are very worried about being in the forest environment, some to the point of near panic and lots of tears. Several arrived inadequately clothed/booted, wearing sandals and without a jacket and some arrived for a daylong session without food. It is to the credit of the facilitating team, artists, teachers, environmentalists, SVA staff and helpers, that when such problems arose they were dealt with swiftly and calmly. We observed many situations where the motivation and determination of the young person overcame barriers that could have prevented him/her engaging in the activities. It is unlikely that these situations would have been avoided or modified through more contact before the forest visit. We have seen time and again that the actual experience of being in the forest is often the catalyst that motivates young people to get more involved. "It introduced some of the young people to an environment which they would not have experienced otherwise . . . The fact that the numbers changed from day to day indicates to the youth workers who participated that the young people had returned to the youth club and shared their experience, encouraging other 'street wise' young people to come along and experience the project for themselves." (evaluation report from Silver Felix Hythe Youth Centre) - To develop facilitators' awareness of the multiple ways in which participants learn, and to deliver workshops to maximise the potential for participants to engage through their preferred learning style - All schools and the youth group report the lasting benefit of For You Too, "something to take right through to the future'. The work has continued. In each school the work has developed in other curriculum areas such as key skills, literacy, extending the storytelling, team working and increased manual skills. Lydden School continued working outside and produced a living willow sculpture, flowerbeds, wickers constructions and drawing using natural materials. The head teacher, who had joined us in the forest, took a group out on a poetry writing session. Northdown School included the King's Wood work in their exhibition at Turner Contemporary which included CDRom, DVD and mini disc material. St Peter's School used videos made on the workshops during a training session in school. Silver Felix Youth Centre has profiled the workshops and training as an example of good practice at various youth leader meetings, including a County Meeting. - There are benefits beyond the school and the project, with many of the children having since returned to King's Wood with their families. "children had a chance to physically interact with the living/non-living materials of the forest. A valuable tactile experience and the first chance of being near these materials for some of the children" (Rosemary Hoare) - Children overcame their phobias, having to deal with the notion of snakes, poisonous fungi, dogs joining the group and an endless onslaught of creepy crawlies. Some children displayed irrational fears - some expecting to come across bears, tigers and evil people, others terrified of the smallest insects on the ground. A few, at the point of near hysteria, were in tears. They needed a lot of calming and coaxing on the first day, but by the second day were able to get involved in the experience. Dis-comfort zones (e.g. lack of toilets), unwillingness to get hands mucky, concerns over hygiene, all gradually disappeared. " . . . at first they didn't want to get dirty. At the end of the project they felt so comfortable with the environment that it didn't matter. Some girls even put mud on their faces" (Lara Varga) " Because Choman and I had such different ways of working it felt like we were offering something to children who excelled in the written work and to children who enjoyed the more constructive side of things, but a chance to try either if they wanted" (Sarah Roelich) - To increase facilitators' knowledge of health and safety issues within the forest "The training days were much more than I have had before . . . I felt prepared for the work ahead as well as generating high expectations for the work that was to follow. The health and safety element on the training was well handled and I have since gone on to use the information discussed in other elements of my work." (Martin Brockman) - We were confident that facilitators were well inducted into the level of health and safety required by artists working for Stour Valley Arts, and understood that everyone involved has a role to play in ensuring the workshops proceed in the safest environment possible. The training included a session in the forest with the Forestry Commission's health and safety officer for King's Wood. - Several workshop facilitators expressed their concern over time to let off steam. They clearly identified a need for the children to expend energy outside the workshop activities. Given that teachers have justified concerns about the forest environment where health and safety concerns must be paramount, the question arose during evaluation 'is there something SVA should/could do to build in activities that take account of different energy levels'? - To agree an evaluation process appropriate to each group This is the one objective that continues to evade us. In previous For You Too programmes we have used a variety of methods, including 'graffiti boards' in the forest, informal 'chats' during workshops, independent observers, paper based questionnaires and discussions at the end of each day. However, on this programme we wanted to involve the young people more actively in the collection of that information. One option is to factor in feedback time during the workshops, which, providing it does not eat into the creative time too much, could provide a good indication of the initial impact of the workshops. We tried this during For You Too phase 2 with limited success since many of the comments were about the inadequate, poor quality lunch provided by the visiting organisation and the lack of toilets in the forest. Participants are very vocal on the day, very immediate in their assessment. The information gained from this approach encourages a 'what's on top' response, which has it's value in assessing how the young people are responding to the freedom of the creative and physical environment. But it needs to be balanced with the long-term benefit of the experience. Participants also need time for review and reflection. SVA could consider involving the young people in a more consolidating evaluation, which takes place later. The use of Dictaphones and video cameras could effectively collect 'evidence' informally during the forest workshops. Setting up a 'sound room' to capture that energetic excited feedback could also help. If SVA wants to extend the scope of its evaluation it needs to factor in more time and more funding, not only for artists and environmentalists, but also for the schools. Most teachers and group leaders were evaluating and archiving in their own time. On top of which there is a cost implication for materials, which may be quite high if new technology is to be used. - To promote facilitators' understanding of child protection issues within arts activities and awareness of cultural, racial and disability scenarios that may arise during the workshops SVA had made one of its Aims to include artists of different cultural perspectives and artists with disabilities in mainstream education activities. This was, of course, discussed with the schools and the initial planning stage, then as an informal check once the facilitator teams had been formed. Everyone welcomed the opportunity to engage in a new way of working - a new cultural perspective, a confrontation of received ideas and prejudices. This raises the question of how far SVA, when talking to the schools and youth groups, should foreground an artist's disability or cultural background and how widely that information should be circulated. Lara Varga "The whole idea of integration from my perspective is for the disability to be irrelevant . . . In terms of the schools, yes the teachers need to know for their own planning and health and safety, because in an emergency Liz and I may have restrictions that would require someone assisting us . . . If there was an access issue that would affect the children's actual learning, then this would need to be mentioned: e.g. Duncan lip reads and so you need to look at him when speaking to him . . ." Lara went on to comment that , if an artist felt it necessary, he or she could make a simple comment to the children relating to how the impairment might impact on the workshop. Liz Porter "Not really sure what the best thing to say is. From my point of view I think we were up front with the school about my visual impairment, however, I'm not sure that all staff/assistants who came on the workshop remembered this. Being visually impaired means I have to be up front, because of potential health & safety issues that might arise particularly in a forest. I think it is appropriate for SVA to ask all artists how they would like to be introduced to group's they are working with. You could check in advance what specific access requirements people have and check out whether artists want you to tell people they are working with, or whether they would like to do it themselves. I don't have a problem about letting people know my access needs, but I don't always know what they are going to be, especially in a large open-air forest. I don't think you should let schools know about people's backgrounds culturally or disability related unless you have their permission to do so first. However, if there are language, communication or access requirements that have an impact in terms of health & safety this needs to be thought through. I needed the school to know that I might not be able to see if there were problems happening in the forest, with discipline, keeping people's attention, etc. To make sure that there was fully sighted people around. Before I did the workshop's I did tell the school that I was visually impaired, and Pauline told me at the evaluation that people had been told my access needs before going into the forest. I think one point that might be worth saying (although not sure how you'd put it) is that you can never know exactly what might come up in terms of access. For me I think if we'd had more time to do a walk round the area we chose to work in again before the workshops I'd have been more familiar with the area I was working therefore, more confident in my approach." Choman Hardi "This is a sensitive issue I think and it very much varies from person to person. I like being introduced as a Kurdish poet or a poet from Iraqi Kurdistan, however I know that some people want to be introduced as poets or writers because they believe that this reminder of where the person comes from can have negative connotations: 'why can't we be poets like everyone else, why do we have to be called refugee poets or Arab poets, etc?' For me this identity is important because much of my poetry is connected with it, but this is not the case for many other writers. In short, I think the artist should be asked whether they like their difference to be identified or not." Positive feedback and Lessons learned This section summarises issues that are not specific to one workshop alone but have been raised by several people in their evaluation of the training, planning and delivery of the workshops. This section also refers to the Objectives for For You Too 2004 as identified by SVA staff and consultants at the initial planning stage, and draws on the comments made at a specially convened evaluation session on 16 March 2005. Positive feedback Feedback from the training was very positive. Everyone praised the contributions of the consultants and staff and particularly the relaxed environment at SVA, which was considered conducive to a good teamwork and an effective learning environment. Throughout the programme SVA has been complimented by those involved in For You Too - artists, teachers and participants - for being well organised, well focused and strongly committed to providing a high quality programme. The training "set up very high expectations of the project and what was expected of artists, was of excellent benefit, especially in the long term (practical, informative issues), and brought into focus many thoughts and ideas that may normally be taken for granted and easily overlooked" (Karen Barnes) The training was "like being on holiday - child-centred, creativity first, out of the classroom, no right or wrong way, no inhibitions. It did impact on how we designed the elements of the workshops" (Lara Varga) Comments from the teachers express a similar realisation that 'certain restrictions (the environment, the use of forest materials) make creativity more focused and the environment more relevant'. They have noted the benefits of 'getting out of the curriculum, out of the box, transgressing the rules and experiencing different ways of presenting' It "allowed you to feel how the children would feel - nervous to produce an end product - but then you get engrossed in the activity. Pure pleasure. No right or wrong, just enjoying the materials." (Teacher) There is still work to do around roles and responsibilities. Several facilitators felt that part of the training should focus on control of the group, methods of working and planning for difficulties. Teachers and group leaders are trying to maintain a balance between maintaining control and giving freedom in an environment which one child described as "it makes us wild". There was some concern that the training did not dovetail fully with the workshops, that there may have been important aspects that were omitted, e.g. social inclusion issues. The choice of consultants obviously influences the focus of training and it would be impossible to cover everything that might arise. However, the impact of the training was mostly beneficial and, as one person commented, the facilitating teams "were set up to succeed". Lessons Learned There were questions around how accessible the training was to colleagues with disabilities. It is clear that training information needs more thought, particularly in how it is presented. The suitability of the training for those who have a visual, physical or hearing impairment might have been more carefully thought through. It is important to remember that each person's impairment is different and therefore the training material should be individually tailored, through consultation with the person concerned. "I felt very frustrated and disappointed that one presentation was very inaccessible to me - so sight and print based. Too many OHPs. The video had no audio description. This made me feel embarrassed as I had to ask for the subtitles to be read out" (Liz Porter) "In terms of training, for training purposes, yes all the consultants and trainers on the three days training should have been given specific details about mine and Liz's impairments so that they could think about any access plans they would need to implement or, in fact, whether there was some part of the training Liz and I would not be able to take part in. For me that was the forest orientation exercise." (Lara Varga) The volume of reading and when it is presented (e.g. during presentations) also needs reviewing. Some facilitators felt that the training could have taken a more 'multiple learning style' approach, being delivered less as a 'formal talk', employing more interactive sessions. These could include making techniques and forest orientation sessions which could help teachers, artists and environmentalists develop a bond before the planning begins as well as gaining insight to the materials and spaces they will be working with. An induction package might also help, with DVDs or videos showing SVA's previous education work. How do we ensure that classroom assistants and helpers who participate in the workshops are aware of the project objectives, and the environment in which the workshops will take place? Many of the facilitators commented that some helpers were not fully engaged or involved in the workshops. This is not a criticism but an acknowledgement that they probably did not know what was expected of them. If it is not feasible that everyone attend the training sessions, there may be ways in which SVA could provide information for lead teacher to cascade to other staff members and helpers, for example, a video showing what might happen on a workshop and giving some sense of the scale of the forest and sculpture trail. This would enable teachers to explain the project to other members of staff and particularly those joining the workshops as helpers. It could also provide a useful marketing tool when approaching schools and future funders. It is customary at the first meeting of the group, on their own ground, for SVA to give a slide talk about the sculptures in King's Wood. This is intended to inform and excite participants about the workshops they are about to undertake. The slide show proved problematic in this programme of For You Too, mainly because it left most children expecting to make their own sculptures during their visit to the forest. The slide show was adapted to be less sculpture-focused but even so could not represent the activities in which the children would be involved. Since we were trying to encourage the children to express their creativity in a variety of ways, including storytelling, poetry and performance, it may have been better if the slide show focused on the forest environment, with less direct reference to the sculptures. This however could pose an interesting question for SVA's aim to develop facilitators' understanding of participants' multiple learning, and participants' understanding and awareness of their own learning processes. How can we talk about and raise awareness of the sculptures in King's Wood without over-influencing the children and the work they may be expected to produce? Several artists and group leaders expressed a wish for more time for pre-visit workshops with the groups, giving them time to get to know the artists, educationalists and environmentalists before the visit to the forest. Younger school children may have sufficient preparatory time with their teachers during school time but it is argued that more contact with older age groups and out of school groups, who may feel more comfortable on their own territory, could facilitate a better experience. But there is also a strong argument that the For You Too programme revolves quintessentially around the unique, and often profound, learning experience provided by SVA on site, in King's Wood. The role of the Consultants post-training could also be reviewed, providing an extended link to the project via input to the workshops, de-briefing and informal support sessions for the workshop facilitators. "it would have been nice to have had a visit from the consultants over the three day workshops so they could have seen what we were doing, and also assess whether we were on the right path" (Sarah Roelich) Despite everyone's best efforts (SVA and School) some children came ill prepared for the forest workshops. One child was wearing sandals and others had footwear that was not the best for such terrain. My experience confirms that many parents and children have little contact with forest environments and don't know how to prepare for it. Almost all the workshop facilitators expressed some level of frustration, or even underachievement of their objectives, due to the lack of time. This was by far the greatest complaint. For example, when a school could not arrive at the forest until 10.15, then had to leave at 2.15, and allowing time to walk between the outdoor studio and the car park, the actual time available for the workshop is reduced to 3.5hrs, into which lunch had to be slotted. The Schools had considered the possibility of extending the day, leaving later, but the problems of organising that with parents, many of whom had tight commitments, as well as the problems of what to do with those children who could not do an extended day - made it too difficult for most schools to arrange. Add to this scenario the difficulty of arranging a coach to go anywhere around 3.15 when they are booked to pick up regular schools, and the problems escalate. One school was penalised for getting back to the coach a few minutes late and thereby delaying the coach leaving the car park. They had to pay a second fee to the coach company, which seems harsh since the coach had arrived late for their pick-up in the morning. Several of the artists involved expressed their frustration in not having enough time for planning. This has been expressed in previous For You Too programmes and was taken into account in this one. More paid time was given in recognition of the commitment between workshops sessions for planning. We had to make some difficult decisions about how to make the reduced funding spread as far as possible, while still meeting our own aims to provide high quality training for artists and a meaningful creative experience that stretches and extends the possibilities for participants. As might be expected, the artists involved invested deeply in the ethos of the programme, but actually gave varying amounts of time to the planning. Some felt that there was adequate time, while others felt the reverse. "It was brilliant to have the chance to plan with teachers and artists from the outset . . . Time needs to be built in to talk more about their own work practices so that we can begin to think about how we would work and run sessions collaboratively. This is particularly important when more than one art form is involved." (Liz Porter) Future plans We want to build on the successes of For You Too and take them forward into our future planning, expanding on the issues of diversity and inclusivity and focusing very strongly on the training aspects of the program. With this in mind, the project is set for a return to its roots, providing high quality training for artist educators to enable them to work in positive, effective and reflective ways with groups that have challenging needs. Funding is being sought with various trusts and bodies that focus on disadvantaged and disenfranchised groups as well as those that dealing with Continuing Professional Development for artists to hopefully take us forward in to the next phase of the project with a sound financial backing. We feel that the combination of artists, educators, trainers and young people provides a potent mix for expansive learning and real development and we look forward to working further with our previous contributors and welcoming more into the For You Too fold in the future. 43